The Portuguese Police investigate a far-right deputy for stealing suitcases at airports

A Portuguese far-right politician is being investigated by the Police for allegedly stealing suitcases at several airports.

The Portuguese deputy Miguel Arruda, from the far-right Chega party, announced this Thursday that he is leaving this force without renouncing his membership as a parliamentarian to continue as an independent, after being investigated by the police for the theft of suitcases at airports.

Arruda notified his decision in a meeting with the leader of Chega, André Ventura, and other party officials in the Portuguese Parliament, as he himself explained to the press after this meeting.

The parliamentarian defended that he is innocent and that the suitcases that the police found in his house during a search are his. “There is no crime, nor any suitcase that has been stolen,” said Arruda, who maintained that he has decided to continue as an independent deputy to “reaffirm” his innocence. “Now I will disassociate myself from the party so that this process can develop normally within the courts,” he remarked.

Chega leader says he demanded explanations

For his part, Ventura told journalists at the end of the meeting with Arruda that the party demanded that the deputy give explanations as soon as this case came to light.

“As has become clearly evident, these explanations have not been given and in this scenario, as president of the party, I do not have the conditions to allow the deputy to continue in office,” said Ventura, who alluded to the campaign. that since Chega has been done against corruption.

The far-right leader pointed out that the party considered either that Arruda would resign from his membership or that his mandate as a deputy would be suspended until the investigations were completed, although finally the parliamentarian has decided to continue in his seat as an independent. Asked if he asked Arruda to separate himself from Chega, Ventura indicated that rather than forcing him, he conveyed to him that there had to be consequences.

The Portuguese Public Security Police (PSP) confirmed to EFE two days ago that it was investigating Arruda for a case that had nothing to do with his political function. According to Portuguese media, he is suspected of having stolen suitcases for several months from the baggage claim carousels at the Lisbon and Ponta Delgada airports (in the Azores archipelago).

Arruda was elected in March 2024 for the Azores electoral constituency, so he has parliamentary immunity that must be lifted by the Assembly of the Portuguese Republic itself.

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