According to Lusa, in the bill, which is signed by the leader of the party, André Ventura, Chega proposes to change the Penal Code with the objective of creating a “new normative provision that attributes to whistleblowers, in cases of crimes of corruption and illegal influencing, 10 percent of assets or income seized or confiscated as proceeds of criminal acts”.
Ventura considers this to be “essential to properly protect whistleblowers of crimes of corruption”, while the party also emphasises that an “economic stimulus that helps to break ties of institutional loyalty or even financial dependence” must be enshrined.
“It is important to create additional motivational factors that free the whistleblower from the criminal network and the set of associated dependencies”, the diploma reads.
Chega proposes to amend articles 335 and 374B of the Penal Code - which legislate, respectively, influence peddling and the exemption or mitigation of punishment - so that they provide, in both cases, that the whistleblower is "fundamental for the discovery and punishment of crimes” of passive or active corruption and benefit from an “attribution of 10 percent of the seized or confiscated revenue as a product of criminal activity”.
According to the bill, the amount that would be awarded to the complainant would be determined "by the court" and would become "an integral part of the final judgment”.
In the document, Chega considers that the "fight against corruption has been, in Portugal, manifestly insufficient" and, despite recognising that the Government "has already approved a series of norms on the matter", it alleges that "there is an excessive guarantee of procedural and material norms in criminal matters", as well as a "disinterest of some public agents" in the phenomenon.
"There is still a long way to go in this area but with political will and legislative imagination, it is possible to take certain safe steps towards the elimination of corruption in Portugal".