Portugal’s prime minister fires chief of staff amid corruption-fueled political crisis

By Alyssa McMurtry

OVIEDO, Spain (AA) - Antonio Costa, Portugal’s outgoing prime minister, fired his chief of staff Vitor Escaria on Thursday because of corruption allegations.

Escaria was arrested in a sweeping series of police raids that rocked the nation Wednesday.

Costa was not arrested but was named in the investigation. As a result, he rapidly announced his resignation and said the accusations were not compatible with his role as prime minister.

Escaria remains in custody and is set to give a statement Thursday, according to Portuguese news agency, Lusa. Several media outlets reported that police found €75,800 ($81,000) in cash in his office.

The graft inquiry centers on a series of concessions related to green energy and lithium mining projects.

One of the open-pit lithium mine projects under investigation was approved in the spring by regulators, despite widespread opposition and a critical report from a UN expert.

Another intimate associate at the center of the scandal is businessman Diogo Lacerda Machado, who was also among five men arrested Wednesday.

Costa's long-time friend, Lacerda, was the best man at his wedding and collaborated with the government in the past.

What happens next in Portuguese politics remains unknown.

President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa is expected to announce late Thursday if or when he will dissolve the government and trigger new elections. He could also accept a new prime minister.

Costa was elected in 2015 after spending nearly eight years as mayor of Lisbon. In the 2022 elections, he and his Socialist Party won an absolute majority that was set to secure a four-year term.

A leading figure in the EU, Costa was the only left-wing politician to have won an absolute majority, apart from Robert Abela in Malta, in the last elections.