Portugal’s former Prime Minister and current President of the European Council, António Costa, was subject to wiretaps without prior court approval as part of the ongoing Operation Influencer, a corruption investigation targeting government officials during Costa’s tenure as PM.
According to Diário de Notícias, Costa appears in 22 wiretaps that were only submitted to the Supreme Court of Justice (STJ) in October 2025, long after the legal deadline, when the court no longer had jurisdiction to review them.
The intercepted conversations involved Costa and key figures under investigation, including João Galamba (then Assistant Secretary of State for Energy), Diogo Lacerda Machado, and João Pedro Matos Fernandes (then Minister for the Environment and Climate Action).
The Central Criminal Investigation Court confirmed that the 22 sessions, conducted between December 2020 and December 2022, were recovered because prosecutors determined they had to be presented to the STJ.
In response, the Attorney General’s Office (PGR) acknowledged seven wiretaps featuring Costa that were initially overlooked due to “technical reasons.” The PGR emphasized that Costa was never the direct subject of surveillance, and that his involvement was incidental, stemming from wiretaps on other individuals.
Wiretaps now invalid as evidence
Portuguese law requires wiretaps involving senior political figures to be submitted to the Supreme Court within 48 hours and renewed every 15 days. Due to procedural delays, the evidence may no longer be admissible.
The Central Department of Investigation and Penal Action (DCIAP) reportedly withheld recordings of Costa for five years, despite acknowledging their potential relevance. After eventual submission, the Supreme Court declined to review them, citing jurisdictional limits, and the Central Criminal Investigation Court refused to validate the evidence due to elapsed time.
Scope of Operation Influencer
The investigation spans four separate inquiries: the “Data Centre” project in the Sines Industrial and Logistics Zone, lithium mining concessions in Montalegre and Boticas, and a hydrogen power plant in Sines.
One probe examines potential interference by Costa in the Data Centre project, but details remain under judicial secrecy. Costa has repeatedly requested access to case files without success.
The resignation and political fallout
Costa resigned as Prime Minister on 7 November 2023, coinciding with searches at several ministries and his official residence. The Attorney General confirmed João Galamba as a defendant and indicated Costa would be investigated independently by the Supreme Court.
In his resignation statement, Costa defended his integrity, stating that “the dignity of the functions of Prime Minister is not compatible with any suspicion of his integrity or the commission of any criminal act.” Following his resignation, President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa dissolved parliament and called for snap elections, plunging Portuguese politics into uncertainty.
