VIDEO | Right-wing MP from Portugal charged with airport luggage theft
A far-right Portuguese lawmaker has been accused of stealing suitcases from baggage claim belts at airports in Lisbon and Ponta Delgada in the Azores archipelago, leading to his expulsion from his parliamentary group, his party said today.
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At the beginning of the parliamentary session, Assembly President José Pedro Aguiar-Branco asked MP Miguel Arruda to sit in the last row of the semicircle, as is the practice for MPs who do not belong to a parliamentary group.
Due to the disapproval of his former colleagues from the Chega party, the 40-year-old MP decided to remain in the Parliament despite the scandal in which he is allegedly involved, and at the same time called for his parliamentary immunity to be lifted.
"They are publicly crucifying me... but until proven guilty, I am innocent," the Azores MP said on TVI television on Thursday evening.
Miguel Arruda, suspected of stealing malas, stated in Jornal Nacional that "até podem aparecer imagens de intelligencia artificial a demonstrarem isso", when questioned about the possibility of surgirem evidence against the deputy.pic.twitter.com/UzMv0G2Khe
— Mundo Vivo (@mundo__vivo) January 23, 2025
According to various local media, police arrested him on Tuesday at Lisbon airport and accused him of stealing luggage, some of which was found at his home.
"Given this situation, as party president... I cannot allow him to remain in this parliamentary group," Chega president André Ventura said yesterday.
Miguel Arruda não me parece o mais inteligente a fugir às conventros 😆 pic.twitter.com/BkJbS7i8VT
— Bilbia mt engarsada (@BilbiaOfissial) January 23, 2025
Caught on security cameras
According to the press, investigators have access to surveillance footage showing the MP taking other passengers' bags and taking them to the restrooms to put them in his own bag.
He defended himself by saying that they could be artificial intelligence images. Some media outlets reported that Arunda was selling the contents of the suitcases he stole on a platform for buying and selling second-hand clothes and items.
