PSD Demands Government Accountability for ‘Violations’ at TAPs

SDP President Luis Montenegro suggested this Sunday that the party will demand political accountability for alleged irregularities in the TAP compensation process and wants to know how many more there were and who solved them.

“First, we need to know how many violations were committed, in how many compensation processes, who made decisions and approved these processes, and which political trustees are politically responsible for these decisions,” he asked.

Luis Montenegro said that “policies and decisions have consequences”, and therefore believes that the alleged violations in compensation to Alexandra Reis, a former director of the company and a former secretary of state, are “the consequence of 100% renationalization of capital.” TAP.

The President of the PSD was referring to the preliminary report, which the Minister of Finance and the Minister of Infrastructure requested from the General Financial Inspectorate, regarding “the policy of the administration of TAP, 100% Portuguese and 100% state”, which points to “irregularities in awarding compensation to former members of the Board of Directors and, ultimately to the other directors of the company.”

In a closing speech at the 12th University of Europe in Anadia, the Social Democrat president recalled that the process began in 2016, when António Costa’s government committed a “political and financial crime” by renationalizing the airline.

“This is a transfer of financial responsibility for the management of TAP from private investors to the state, as a result of which our treasury, our money, from taxpayers, 3.2 billion euros were invested in this company,” he said.

In addition to the restructuring process, Luis Montenegro believed that the airline was affected by the labor and operational consequences and, in this sense, defended that PSD should “beg for accountability” and “say that the government should take responsibility for the decision.” it took it back.”

Luis Montenegro stressed that it is necessary to know whether “these violations were exceptional in the most famous case involving a former TAP administrator who later became President of NAV and then Secretary of State for the Treasury, or [se] there are still cases where these violations have been committed.”

In this sense, he defended that “they make even more responsible those who committed them and who gave them political coverage”, and therefore emphasized: “Those who should take responsibility are not only managers who are in the company “.

“This is the one who also provides political support, who oversees the company, and therefore we will wait for the final results of this report,” suggested Luis Montenegro, recalling that the company belongs to the state “by the will of this government, this Socialist Party of this Prime Minister , this Minister of Finance.