Angra do Heroísmo, Portugal, Dec. 29, 2025 (Lusa) - Presidential candidate Gouveia e Melo expressed his calmness on Monday regarding the investigation into direct adjustments made in the Navy, stating that "those who have nothing to hide have nothing to fear," and said he was willing to respond if notified.

"I am completely transparent. Those who have nothing to hide have nothing to fear. If notified, I will respond. We have nothing to hide," he said in response to journalists in Angra do Heroísmo, in the Azores, on the sidelines of a visit to the Start Up Angra business incubator.

Sábado magazine reported on Monday that the Almada Public Prosecutor's Office (MP) is investigating several direct adjustments approved by Henrique Gouveia e Melo while he was Naval Commander of the Navy between 2017 and 2020.

Confronted with this news, Gouveia e Melo said he had never been notified or heard of it in any capacity, adding that he was not even aware of the case at the DCIAP in Almada, having only found out about it through the news magazine.

"If you want to ask questions, please call me, and I will answer any questions you may have about my procedures, about how I decided, and why I decided in a certain way. I am completely at ease," he said.

Gouveia e Melo said that he had "no businessman" who paid him or with whom he was associated, stressing that he was always honest and that he tried "to decide at all times in favour of the state".

"Has anyone ever accused me of that? If anyone accuses me of that, let them accuse me to my face, because I only earned my salary, I never had any contact with suppliers. Come and accuse me to my face and with evidence that I had direct gains, don't just insinuate," he stressed.

The presidential candidate questioned the timing of the news: "How is it that, 15 days before the election, something from 2017 or 2018 appears. Isn't that a coincidence? I find this coincidence very strange."

Gouveia e Melo said he was "the head of the Navy who contributed most to improving administrative and financial procedures" by identifying "many weaknesses in the state that could be exploited".

"I made specific orders to create highly professionalised units to avoid situations that could give rise to proceedings that would in some way compromise the Navy," he assured.

However, he claimed that when he took office, there was "an administrative and financial structure that dealt with acquisitions" that "he had no power to change."

"Although I was the leader of that sector, which was the operations sector, we had a structure underneath that dealt with these processes. I never dealt directly with suppliers, I never talked to suppliers, I don't know the suppliers," he said.

Reiterating that he does not know what is being investigated, the candidate revealed that there were administrative levels that came to him to authorise payments, but "a professional entity prepared the entire administrative process".

"If they want to accuse me of anything, let them accuse me to my face, so that I can defend myself in the right forum. Now, last-minute insinuations that I am connected to processes that I don't even know what they are. I don't know what processes they are referring to. Tell me clearly what it is so that I can defend myself and explain why I made certain decisions at the time," he stressed.

Asked about the inclusion of rejected candidates on the ballot papers, Gouveia e Melo said he believed that "the institution will do its job and avoid this mistake".

"This list of excluded candidates is a list that confuses the voter, so I think there is every chance, because we still have time, to resolve this problem, so that these lists do not have those names that could confuse the voter," he said.

When asked about the peace negotiations between Russia and Ukraine, the candidate considered it "untimely" to talk at this stage about "something that is not clear".

"The situation in Ukraine has had its ups and downs, and there have been many statements, and at this point it is difficult to understand what agreement is actually being sought," he explained, adding, however, that "peace does not seem to be just around the corner."

CYB/ADB // ADB.

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