Request for the waiver of the immunity of António Marinho e Pinto

The Committee on Legal Affairs unanimously adopted the report by Gilles LEBRETON (ENF, FR) in which it recommended the European Parliament to waive the immunity of António Marinho e Pinto (ALDE, PT).

Members recalled that the judge of the Lisbon West (Oeiras) District Court requested the waiver of the parliamentary immunity of António Marinho e Pinto, Member of the European Parliament, in connection with judicial proceedings concerning an alleged criminal offence of aggravated defamation, punishable by up to two years’ imprisonment, and an offence of undermining the reputation of an organisation, service or collective body.

The complaint was lodged by a charitable association, Santa Casa de Misericórdia de Lisboa.

Given that the alleged acts have no obvious or direct connection with the performance of António Marinho e Pinto’s duties as a Member of the European Parliament and that they relate rather to activities of a purely national nature, and do not concern opinions expressed or votes cast in the performance of his duties as a Member of the European Parliament for the purposes of Article 8 of Protocol No 7 on the Privileges and Immunities of the European Union, the committee recommended that the European Parliament waive the immunity of António Marinho e Pinto.