Portugal's socialist party leader, António José Seguro (pictured), has asked the Prime Minister to clarify, once and for all, the mystery surrounding payments from Tecnoforma and his salary status at the time.
"The first reaction that Passos Coelho had was to say that Parliament should clarify the matter, it is now the prosecutor that should clarify it. The country requires clarification," said Seguro who believes that "it is easy to verify whether the prime minister received money or did not during the time he was an MP."
"The issue is very simple: did you receive or not receive money and from whom during your tenure as an MP? If money was received, naturally you had no right to receive it, if you also received the enhanced salary," said the socialist leader asking for fewer words and a bit more truth.
The Prime Minister has announced that he will ask the Attorney General's Office to clarify whether or not he committed an offence concerning his legal and tax obligations while he was a MP, and promised to take "all the consequences."
In a vain attempt to clarify matters, the parliamentary office stated that "there is not a statement of exclusivity for the period between November 1995 and 1999" and that Passos Coelho "was not paid the 10% supplement.” There is only a statement of exclusivity for 1992.
The Attorney General of the Republic, Joana Marques Vidal, received a complaint last week about alleged payments from Tecnoforma to Pedro Passos Coelho when he was serving in parliament under an exclusivity contract, meaning he was not permitted to earn other income in return for an enhanced salary. This was between 1995 and 1999 and the total suggested was €150,000.
If true, this was against the law that prevents those MPs who choose the exclusivity contract from earning other income from the state or businesses.
At some stage Pasos Coelho will have to come up with some clear answers and supporting documentation, if he continues to dodge the matter suspicions will continue to swirl that he indeed is a tax fraudster.
If the signed documents showing whether he was under an exclusivity contract are missing, his income statements will show what level of salary he was drawing for his job as an MP. If he was on an enhanced salary and did receive money from Tecnoforma then he is guilty.
If Passos Coelho received money from Tecnoforma and did not declare it, perhaps fearing his enhanced salary ruse would be discovered by the tax office, then he is guilty or duplicity and tax evasion, although charges for tax offences from that long ago can not now be brought against him.
If all of this is untrue then it is illogical for the Prime Minister to prolong this period during of suspicion.
