PCP General Secretary accuses PS, PSD and CDS of ‘dirty hands’

This Sunday, PCP General Secretary Paulo Raimundo accused PS, PSD and CDS of “tainted hands” regarding TAP’s management, arguing that “a lot needs to be explained” in the Portuguese airline’s privatization process.

“PS, PSD and CDS hands are dirty. Everyone has their hands dirty in this,” said the general secretary of the PCP on the sidelines of a dinner dedicated to the memory of the April Revolution in Vila do Conde, in the Porto region.

Speaking to reporters, Paulo Raimundo mentioned an agreement between the government and TAP’s private shareholder in 2017.

“The former administrator bought TAP with TAP money, with the consent of the PSD and CDS. And here they come [PSD] ask PS for justifications that are fair for making a deal with an admin who didn’t spend money on TAP and still walked away with 55 million [de euros] in your pocket,” he said.

According to Correio da Manhã News, in 2017, TAP’s original 2015 direct sale agreement was amended to find that the $226 million that Atlantic Gateway (a consortium made up of shareholders David Nieleman and Portuguese businessman Humberto Pedrosa) entered into the company would have to stay with the airline for 30 years.

According to the newspaper, in June 2017, António Costa’s government guaranteed Atlantic Gateway the right to receive funds before the end of a 30-year period in the event of blocking or non-compliance with Parpública, which concentrated the shares. owned by the state in TAP.

Paulo Raimundo said that he still does not understand why PS and BE “derailed” the CDU (PCP/PEV) proposal to extend the current TAP commission of inquiry, arguing that with its extension it would be possible to clarify the company’s privatization process.