The controversy surrounding the July appointment of José Guerra as Portugal’s European prosecutor has come to the fore as Portugal has just taken over the EU Council’s helm for the next 6 months.
Several local media reported that in a letter sent to the Council of the EU, the Portuguese government allegedly misrepresented information on Mr Guerra’s curriculum vitae in order to favour this candidate, although the selection committee of the members of the European Public Prosecutor’s Office considered Ana Carla Almeida as the best candidate for the post.
The scandal has taken on even greater proportions with the resignation on Monday 4 January of Miguel Romão, a senior official in the Justice Ministry, and the call for the resignation of Justice Minister Francisca Van Dunem by the opposition.
For its part, the Portuguese Ministry of Justice admitted that mistakes were made, but assured that they had not been decisive in Mr Guerra’s appointment, local newspapers reported.
Last October, a group of MEPs asked the EU Council to shed light on the reasons why it chose to deviate from the selection committee’s choice for the Belgian, Bulgarian and Portuguese candidates and why it chose not to disclose them (see EUROPE 12578/5).
“Although the EU Council is not legally bound by the Independent Committee’s ranking, such action may raise concerns about political pressure from national governments on the selection process”, they explained at the time. (Original version in French by Marion Fontana)