Luís Bernardo in defense of the restoration of the truth
1. The insinuations made in the SIC and Expresso reports that I would use Tal e Qual to persecute and denigrate public figures and protect some clients, in a concerted strategy with its former director, José Paulo Fafe, are false. At no point were the aforementioned reports proven by any concrete fact or testimony.
2. Over the course of eight months and of the more than 60 contacts mentioned by the investigation, the only person – the only one – from whom the journalists were able to obtain statements, alleging a possible intervention on my part in the aforementioned newspaper, was Dr. Ana Gomes. Even so, she did so without any evidence to corroborate the accusation, as Dr. Ana Gomes only invoked what “someone told her”. No one else, not even through “say what he said”, testified about my possible intervention, direct or indirect. No support was provided for the assumptions of the investigation and the journalists, and it is important to emphasize that I do not have, either personally or professionally, any conflict with the names presented in the reports.
3. Regarding Dr. Ana Gomes’ statements, I clarify that at no time did I participate, not even indirectly, in the publication of news against the aforementioned collaborator of Grupo Impresa. Furthermore, the statements I made in court, as mentioned in the SIC and Expresso reports regarding the works at Dr. Ana Gomes’ house, were reproduced in a decontextualized way, in terms that cast false impressions on my statements. The testimony in question took place as part of a process in which it was discussed whether or not Dr. Ana Gomes was aware of the public repercussion of her television statements. It was in the context of responding to this topic that I highlighted the issue of the swimming pool, to demonstrate that Dr. Ana Gomes is well aware of the negative public repercussion of what she says, since, having been the target of news about a personal situation such as the illegal works in her house in Sintra, in years of weekly commentary on SIC Notícias she never spoke about the topic.
4. I never had any intervention in the editing of any “Tal e Qual” cover. To confirm the falsity of these insinuations, it is enough to verify that, in the years that the investigation considers, between 2021 and 2024, there were dozens and dozens of pieces of news that appeared in that newspaper with a negative and critical content for personalities and organizations that are or were part of the client portfolio of the communications company that I manage.
5. The service provision contract with ALTICE Portugal covered several areas and was even renewed after the new CEO for Portugal, Dr. Ana Figueiredo, took office. The suggestion that the contract was only in force during the period in which Engineer Alexandre Fonseca and Dr. André Figueiredo at Altice Portugal exercised their duties is therefore false. Dr. Ana Figueiredo joined on April 2, 2022, the contract with ALTICE was renewed on April 21, 2022 and only ended in August 2023. It was by mutual agreement between the parties that the collaboration with Altice ended, on the date of termination of the contract.
6. The insinuation, also made within the scope of the reports shown by SIC and Expresso, that I am “at the center of a scheme that protects friends and destroys enemies” and that there is a network of influence with dozens of local authorities, especially the PS, is false and has no basis. Referring to December 2024, the last year with the closing of accounts and balance sheet, in a universe of 80 clients, there are only four municipalities: three municipal councils and one parish council. These contracts represented only 6.07% of the company’s turnover in 2024. The facts speak for themselves and I believe that it will not be difficult to find communication agencies on the market for whom the weight of the public sector and politics is much more decisive – not only in the activity they carry out, but also in the accounts they present.
7. SIC and Expresso have also alluded to the alleged existence of a universe of communication companies linked to me. The existence of some of them was not even known to me until the news broke about the searches carried out last summer and the ongoing legal process, which resulted from an anonymous tip. The companies in which I hold shares are duly identified with the competent authorities and are the only ones from which I receive income.