Water tank or swimming pool? Ministerial media hounding continues

COMMENT: The media hounding of ‘the government’s star minister’, Luís Neves – the ‘Mr-gets-things-done’, only recently drafted into the ministry of interior administration after a long line of ineffectual predecessors – continues today, with SIC Notícias suggesting he may be forced to demolish building work at a hilltop property in Odemira, and Correio da Manhã splashing drone footage of the modest home across its pages.

The ‘burning question’ appears to be over a 6m by 4m water tank, with a much smaller tank (2.5 m by perhaps 1.5m), alongside it.

Devoid of any poolside accoutrements, these two structures, filled with murky green water, are described as ‘swimming pools’ – for which Minister Neves does not appear to have received the necessary council permissions.

But there is more: the construction work taking place at the property and at another one nearby, has been done by a company – by the name of Construbarcelos – that also did construction work for the PJ (judicial police) during the time that Luís Neves was the PJ’s national director. This is considered newsworthy: in other words, presented as potentially questionable.

Reporters have clearly been all over the properties – which may not have been ‘in the public interest’, although it was definitely in the interests of a ‘scurrilous headline’. And during their ‘investigations’, these reporters have apparently found equipment from a construction company connected to the owner of Construbarcelos that has been declared bankrupt.

This nugget of information has led to a dive into the number of companies’ the owner of Contrubarcelos has closed over the years – and to political capital being sought by far-right party CHEGA, which is already accusing Neves, in a separate case, of having ‘threatened’ its leader.

In many ways, this is an exasperating story, considering the importance of so much else in the country, and the general calibre of our politicians. It could be the summer ‘shaggy dog story’: it certainly smacks of an attempt to drag the name of one of the only ‘popular’ government ministers through the mud, for … what exactly? Hiring a company to make some alterations to a hilltop property in Odemira?

Yes, the local council says it is unaware of these alterations – and yes, this could be considered a misdemeanour. But misdemeanours are generally sorted out, in retrospect, when these things happen: people pay their fines, or put the correct paperwork through, a little late. Is this truly such a scurrilous case of … what exactly? Building a 6m by 4m water tank?

What, one wonders, is this fuss really all about?

SIC’s latest report is that Minister Neves “continues without explaining the payments for work on his house in the Alentejo.” Yet, CM says the minister has stressed that he will present all the necessary bills and accounts for press delectation once the work at this particular house has been completed.

SIC insists the case is “provoking increasing discomfort for the prime minister” who has “avoided questions on the subject”. This too seems a little dramatic: Luís Montenegro is already well-known for avoiding questions on most subjects.

For now, we can but watch as this miserable hounding continues.

CHEGA has criticised PS Socialists for what it calls their “absolute silence and concern”. But perhaps the Socialists are just not interested?

UPDATE: As this text went up online, Observador has reported that the Ministry of Interior Administration has supplied it with a “detailed list of 108 bills from 13 companies” for work done at the properties in São Teotónio, Odemira.

Source material: SIC Notícias/ Correio da Manhã/ Observador