“I don’t know how many chapters this particular story will have,” he said. “But I’m sure that the last one will involve the recognition that I have done nothing illegal, that I did not witness anything illegal, and that there was nothing objectionable regarding my involvement in any of these processes.”
Rui Gustavo, a veteran judicial reporter with Portuguese weekly Expresso, said that what is known about the allegations against Costa suggests they are “very, very weak;” however, he dismissed the notion that this was a “nonsense case.”
“If the prime minister interfered to favor a company, if he’s been involved in influence-peddling, it’s tremendously serious and it has to be investigated,” he said.
If Costa isn’t cleared, socialist support will likely coalesce around Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen to preside over the Council. But Frederiksen isn’t an ideal choice: Her country’s tough immigration policies are disliked by other European socialists, and there’s a desire to have a southern European occupying at least one of the EU’s top jobs.
“Having Costa as European Council president would be an honor for Portugal, and having such an obvious Europhile in the post would be good for Europe,” said commentator Marques Mendes. “Everyone knows he wants the job, and he definitely has the negotiating skills to strike deals between left and right.”
“This case is a shame,” he added. “I don’t think he’ll ultimately be indicted, but if this investigation is ongoing when it comes time to make the choice, I don’t think he’ll be able to occupy that post.”