The former health advisor in Belém confirms the meeting, but denies talk about the twins, despite his admission that he described the presidency as a “house of secrets.”
The former Secretary of State for Health, Lacerda Sales, met with Mario Pinto, advisor to the President of the Republic at the time, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, the day before the then government official met with Nuno Rebelo de Sousa to talk about the condition of the twins, at a time when the family faced resistance in Santa Maria Hospital to schedule the children’s first appointment.
The confirmation of this meeting was written by Lacerda Sales himself in a response sent to the General Inspection of Health Activities (IGAS), which did not include this point in the report he submitted on the case.
Lacerda Sales’ responses, to which Exclusivo da TVI, from the same group as CNN Portugal, has full access, speak specifically of the meeting with Belém’s advisor for health affairs, Mario Pinto, the day before the meeting with Nuno Rebelo de Sousa.
When asked in writing by IGAS whether he had been contacted by the “Civil House of the Presidency of the Republic in the context” of the twins’ case, Lacerda Sales replied that “I cannot determine this scope or specific situation, however, there have been several meetings with the deputy for the health of the Civil House, related to issues Multiple health care cases, the first of which was on November 6, 2019, that is, the day before the meeting with Marcelo’s son.
The former Foreign Secretary is not clear in saying that they spoke about the twin issue in the IGAS responses, but in the next question, when asked “If yes [falaram sobre o caso das gémeas?]Who was the interlocutor in these communications? “, Lacerda Sales explicitly mentions Mario Pinto’s name.
TVI found that Lacerda Sales intended to reveal that he had already spoken to this consultant from Belém about the twins, something he had not said before – neither to IGAS nor to journalists.
Recall that it took Lacerda Sales almost two months, after the first TVI report, to admit that she had met with Nuno Rebelo de Sousa to talk about the twins.
The former advisor denies talk about the twins
Mario Pinto, the former health advisor to Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa who was the target of Lacerda Sales’ response, agreed to respond to TVI Exclusive and guarantees that he never spoke with the former Secretary of State about the twins.
Emphasizing that he is a good friend of Sales and admitting that he had been with him several times at that time, Mario Pinto asserts that “it is not true” – “I never had it” that he was “with Dr. María João Ruella”; “I didn’t know that.”
From what he has since learned about the twins’ story, Marcelo’s former advisor admits that he does not understand how the Public Prosecution Office is not also investigating those responsible for the Presidency, believing that Nuno Rebelo de Sousa’s actions should not have been unknown to Marcelo.
“It will not happen without the president’s approval.”
“Moreover, with the president’s son, things had a different weight, didn’t they?” says Mario Pinto, who adds: “I don’t think it will happen without the approval of the President of the Republic. I think this is the only way it will make sense.”
Asked if there were wedges in his time and if he was surprised by the twins’ case, the former advisor to Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa said: “No.” [me] “Nothing surprising, nothing at all.”
“Things like arranging an appointment,” continues the former counselor from Belém, “was normal, as I do now. If someone asked me for an appointment, I would ask anyone I trust to ask for an appointment now, in this case with the hospital involved, etc., etc., I didn’t know that.
“House of Secrets”
Regarding his experience alongside Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa in health matters, Mario Pinto made the diagnosis: “This house is a house with many secrets, I even call it the ‘House of Secrets’ because there were really many little things, many fights. No, But that is all, but all the processes that existed there are like this,” concludes the former advisor to the Presidency of the Republic.
