The President of the Republic, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, today appointed, on a proposal from the Prime Minister, the adviser judge José Tavares president of the Court of Auditors, a position in which Vítor Caldeira succeeds.
“On a proposal by Prime Minister António Costa, the President of the Republic today appointed the President of the Court of Auditors, Judge Counselor José Tavares of the same Court”, reads the site the Presidency.
Counselor judge José Fernandes Farinha Tavares, according to the website of the Court of Auditors, has a master’s degree in law from the University of Lisbon.
José Tavares was director-general of the Court of Auditors and member and secretary-general of the Council for the Prevention of Corruption.
The Prime Minister, António Costa, confirmed today that he would not propose the reappointment of Vítor Caldeira as President of the Court of Auditors, alleging that he fixed with the President of the Republic the non-renewal of the mandates as a principle in appointments to judicial positions.
Speaking to journalists in Lisbon, António Costa rejected any relationship between the option not to return Vítor Caldeira and the criticisms of the Court of Auditors to the executive’s proposal to review public procurement.
“This suspicion does not make any sense. The current President of the Court of Auditors has known for four years what the end of his term was: on September 30, 2020. There was no change,” he reacted.
Adviser judge Vítor Caldeira took office as president of the Court of Auditors on October 1, 2016.
On Sunday night, in Lisbon, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa told journalists that he had not yet received any proposal for the appointment of the President of the Court of Auditors from the Government and that he knew nothing about this subject beyond what was public knowledge.
“What I know is public knowledge: that the functions [de Vítor Caldeira] ceased under the law, during the term of office, on 30 September. I don’t know anything else, “he added.
According to the Constitution, it is incumbent upon the President of the Republic to nominate and dismiss, on a proposal from the Government, the President of the Court of Auditors, who has a four-year term.
–
