“Santa Casa? Minister may not get rid of the accusation of political sanitation”

Luís Marques Mendes, former president of the PSD, warned this Sunday that the next choice for the position of provider of the Santa Casa da Misericórdia de Lisboa will be the “cotton test” for the new Minister of Labor and Social Security, Maria do Rosario Palma Ramalho.

“There is everything to explain in the case of Santa Casa. There was a dismissal and there was no explanation. This minister would not make a decision of this nature if there were no serious issues, just for political reasons”, she began by mentioning in the comment space on SIC’s “Jornal da Noite”.

However, there is a lot to explain in this case: “It is not normal for the Santa Casa ombudsman to resign without an explanation and we need to know what actions led to the dismissal. The idea of ​​political sanitation remains unexplained. Appointment of the next provider is the cotton test regarding the genesis of this decision and if someone from the Government’s political area is chosen, they will not be free from accusations of political sanitation”, he highlighted.

Ombudsman Ana Jorge and the remaining members of the Board were dismissed “with immediate effect” on April 30, through the publication in Diário da República of an order justifying the decision with “seriously negligent actions” that affected the management of the institution.

On the same day, the Ministry of Labor, Solidarity and Social Security (MTSSS) clarified to Lusa that, despite the dismissal having immediate effect, the provider and the remaining team would remain “in the exercise of day-to-day management functions” until the appointment of a new team.

The dismissal of Ombudsman Ana Jorge and the remaining five members of the Board provoked a chorus of criticism, particularly from the various parties with parliamentary seats, who approved a series of hearings, as a matter of urgency, asking for explanations about what has been happening. been passing through the institution.