Operation Influencer

[4][5] The statement Five people were apprehended, including the Prime Minister's chief of staff, Vítor Escária, and the Mayor of Sines, Nuno Mascarenhas.

[15] In June 2019, Portuguese ENGO Quercus denounced the lithium mine project to UNESCO alleging a "severe threat to the agricultural system of the Barroso region".

[15] In June 2020, Savannah Lithium submitted an environmental impact report for the Barroso mine, which received in 2022 a unfavourable review from the evaluation commission of the Portuguese Environment Agency (APA).

[15] The H2Sines is a project for an industrial cluster in the port city of Sines for production of green hydrogen, backed by several companies in the energy sector, including EDP, Galp, REN, Martifer, and Vestas.

[16] Pedro Siza Vieira, Minister of State, Economy, and Digital Transition, and João Galamba were then allegedly being investigated over traffic of influence and corruption, amongst other economical-financial crimes.

[20] On 7 November 2023, the Public Prosecution Service ordered searches in seventeen private properties, five lawyer offices, and twenty public and company offices in order to investigate possible active and passive corruption and malfeasance in the deals regarding the Romano mine in Montalegre, the Barroso mine in Boticas, and the H2Sines and the Sines 4.0 data centre projects in Sines.

The public offices raided included the office of the Prime Minister's chief of staff in the São Bento Mansion (official residence of the Prime Minister), the Ministry of Infrastructure, the Ministry of Environment and Climate Action, the State Secretariat of Energy and Climate, the câmara municipal of Sines, and the national headquarters of the Socialist Party.

[23] António Costa, the prime minister, is the target of an autonomous investigation by Portugal's Supreme Court of Justice over suspicions of intervening in the unblocking of procedures regarding the lithium mines and green hydrogen plant deals.

[30] The announcement of the investigations on 7 November 2023 caused immediate political turmoil, with some opposition parties asking for the resignations of João Galamba and António Costa.

[6][34][35] On 9 November, after meeting with the Council of State and talking with the political parties represented in the Assembly of the Republic, president Rebelo de Sousa announced snap elections to be held on 10 March 2024.