António Cotrim / Lusa
Filipe Melo, deputy of the arrival
Filipe Melo will have sent kisses to Isabel Moreira, and made signs to shut up in an alleged attempted silence.
The President of the Assembly of the Republic requires the transparency committee an inquiry for any “Serious irregularities” practiced with “violation of the duties of deputies” by Filipe Melo, do He arrives, while vice-secretary of the table of Parliament.
In his order, to which the Lusa agency had access, José Pedro Aguiar-Branco points out that the members of the parliament table “have special functional duties of exemption” and that the exercise of these functions is “absolutely” incompatible with “discriminatory, offensive or intimidating gestures”.
Although the national political system is not foreseen sanctions for this type of behaviors, José Pedro Aguiar-Branco, in his order, understands that, following the investigation, “recommendations adapted to the present situation” may be issued.
José Pedro Aguiar-Branco begins by mentioning that on Thursday was presented by the socialist deputy Isabel Moreira one complaint against Filipe Melo, who was acting as vice-secretary of the table, “ allegedly inappropriate and offensive behaviors. ”
During the plenary session, Filipe Melo “will have directed him Gestures considered disrespectful, namely, sent kisses, and made signs to silence, in an alleged attempted silence. ”
For the former Social Democratic Minister, “such facts may configure a violation of fundamental duties of deputies, provided for in the statute of deputies (..) or in the Code of Conduct of Deputies.”
“Pursuant to the Deputies Statute, they constitute the duties of the deputies to respect the dignity of the Assembly of the Republic and the Deputies. In turn, the Code of Conduct of Deputies to the Assembly of the Republic, which establishes the principles and guiding criteria that must preside over the exercise of the mandate of the deputies to the Assembly of the Republic, provides that the deputies must perform their duties with respect for other deputies and the holders of the other bodies and the holders of the other bodies. of sovereignty. and must contribute to the “credibility of democratic institutions, abstaining from behaviors that do not honor the parliamentary institution”, it is indicated.
In his order, Aguiar-Branco also points out that the members of the Board of the Assembly of the Republic, case of Deputy Filipe Melo, “have specials functional duties of exemption, impartiality and rigorIt is up to them to guarantee the proper functioning of parliamentary work and the protection of the right of intervention and expression of all deputies, without political or ideological distinctions ”.
“Any performance that can be interpreted as an attempt to intimidate or silence from a deputy in the exercise of his mandate covers particular gravity when practiced by a member of the Bureau, since it undermines not only parliamentary urbanity, but the very credibility of the institution while guaranteeing democratic pluralism,” says the President of the Assembly of the Republic.
Therefore, according to José Pedro Aguiar-Branco, “gestures or words that can be interpreted as provocative, discriminatory, offensive or intimidating are absolutely incompatible with the functions of the table ”.
In his order, the President of Parliament points out that “the Portuguese political system does not constitute any procedure, namely of a sanctioning nature, regarding conduct that do not respect the dignity of the Assembly of the Republic and all those who have a seat.”
However, according to Aguiar-Branco, “the possibility of the President of the Assembly of the Republic-which is in the first line of compliance with the Constitution and the Law by Parliament, is legally foreseen, competing with this scope all the competences that the law conferred on-to trigger an inquiry to determine any serious irregularities committed with violation of the duties of the deputies (…) transparency and statute of deputies ”.
“Thus, considering that the reported conduct may configure a serious violation of the specific duties of the deputies -which impose high standards of ethics and behavior of maximum integrity, suitability and responsibility -and having been the complaint presented by formal way, the assumptions for the intervention of the competent instance for the matter in question,” he adds.
