The Minister of Internal Administration, Luís Neves, broke his silence in Madeira to respond to the recent controversies involving him. In a firm speech, he admitted to having committed "one or two errors" that he took "with all humility," but categorically refused any intention to resign, ensuring he is not intimidated by accusations he classifies as false and based on "the politics of permanent suspicion."
Revisiting his tenure as head of the National Directorate of the Judicial Police, Luís Neves defended the legality of all his decisions, particularly the allocation of assets seized from organized crime for the benefit of security forces. The minister argued that the use of these resources has been provided for by law since 2007 and was validated by judicial authorities, encouraging the PSP and GNR to follow the same practice.
During the intervention, the government official directed direct criticism at the leader of Chega, André Ventura, accusing him of trying to transform minor shortcomings into non-existent criminal conduct. For Luís Neves, the country is witnessing a "chaos agenda" promoted by populism, sustained by "major journalistic investigations" that, according to him, are based on the "envy and falsehood" of people he dismissed in the past.
The minister confirmed he will be present in Parliament next week for a statutory hearing, where he ensures he is "fully available" to answer all questions from deputies and submit his actions to political and public scrutiny, discarding any resignation scenario in the face of the political pressure of recent days.
