The Prime Minister of Portugal, António Costa, resigned from office this Tuesday, after being the target of an independent investigation by the Supreme Court of Justice into lithium and hydrogen projects, the Portuguese press announced.
Subsequently, António Costa publicly confirmed that he submitted his resignation after meeting twice with the Portuguese President, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa.
“Obviously, I submitted my resignation to the President of the Republic”, he declared in a statement.
The Attorney General’s Office of the Republic (PGR) of Portugal confirmed that the Public Ministry also constituted as defendants the Minister of Infrastructure and the President of the Board of Directors of the Portuguese Environment Agency (APA), Nuno Lacasta, in an investigation related to business lithium and green hydrogen.
The PGR also confirmed the arrest of five people, including the prime minister’s chief of staff, Vitor Escária, and the president of Sines City Council, Nuno Mascarenhas. A lawyer, known as Diogo Lacerda Machado, was also arrested.