Costa considers Rita Marquez’s participation in WOW illegal. The tourism utility assignment will not be revoked, although it may be reassessed

“I don’t open up in that regard.” This is how Prime Minister António Costa comments on the case of Rita Marquez, who, 38 days after leaving government, announced that in January she would join the hotel group Fladgate Partnership, which manages the World of Wine project. In January 2022, Rita Marquez, as Secretary of State for Tourism, received the status of a travel company. The Prime Minister considers Rita Marquez’s trip to Fladgate illegal, but believes that the tourism utility assignment will not be revoked, although he has admitted to asking the Economy Minister for a reassessment.

The Prime Minister even admitted that he has a legal interpretation that Rita Marquez can’t go to Fladgate, a 99.9% legal interpretation, because he admits that there could be 0.1% wrong. António Costa explained that he had asked the Secretary of State as President of the Council of Ministers to join Rita Márquez “to draw his attention to existing legal restrictions, asking if he attributed treaty benefits, whether tax or financial incentives, if he practiced any actions against this company, and he understood that this was subject to the law,” António Costa explained, emphasizing that “this is not the interpretation that I give”, but leaves the competent authorities the right to make the interpretation that they see. fit.

[Ouça aqui a intervenção do Primeiro-ministro no Parlamento, em resposta a Catarina Martins]

Costa: “It’s worth nothing” to overestimate sending Rita Marquez