Alexandra Reis, Secretary of State for the Treasury, resigned 25 days after taking office and after four days of arguing over the €500,000 compensation paid to TAP for leaving company management.
This is the eighth shift in the current government with an absolute majority of the PS, led by António Costa, who has been in power since March 30.
event film
December 24
OUR morning Post reports that Alexandra Reis, the new Secretary of State of the Treasury, has received compensation of 500,000 euros for leaving her position as chief executive of a Portuguese airline ahead of schedule, when she still had to serve for two years.
Alexandra Reis, who took over as Secretary of State for the Treasury on December 2 in the latest government reshuffle, joined TAP in September 2017 and was named airline administrator three years later. She left TAP in February, and in June the government appointed her chairman of the Navegação Aérea de Portugal (NAV).
The PSD was the first to react to criticism of TAP’s €500,000 compensation payment, which the party’s vice president, Paulo Ríos, “frightens” the Social Democrats, according to the party’s vice president.
“These half a million euros do not belong to the minister,” “they belong to the Portuguese,” said Paulo Rios, stressing that TAP is always associated with “bad news, and the way hasty decisions are constantly made is frightening.”
December 25
The President of the Republic said that “there are those who think” that it would be “beautiful” for the Minister of Finance to refuse TAP compensation, although the law allows him to receive 500 thousand euros and perform public functions.
“This is what many Portuguese people think, they say: you left this place, you were legally entitled to have it, but since you are performing a public function, there are those who think it would be nice to do without it, given what you are doing. another function. But from a legal point of view, the law allows this,” said Marcelo Rebelo de Souza.
The parties begin to ask for clarifications. The CDS, through its president Nuno Melo, said that Prime Minister António Costa should give explanations to the Portuguese. In a tweet, People-Animals-Natureza (PAN) spokeswoman Ines Sousa Real called the €500,000 compensation to a company that the government interfered with “incomprehensible”, calling on the government to explain.
December 26
BE urged the government to explain this €500,000 TAP payment to the Secretary of State, deeming the situation “an abuse and, without reasonable explanation, a scandal”, and is asking for an urgent hearing on the case of Finance Ministers Fernando Medina. and Infrastructure Pedro Nuno Santos, as well as the Secretary of State.
“After cutting the incomes of thousands of TAP workers, impoverishing the salaries and pensions of millions, the €500,000 millionaire prize paid to former administrator Alexandra Reis is incomprehensible,” wrote Pedro Filipe Soares, parliamentary leader of BE, on Twitter.
The PKP considered that “clarifications and clarifications” of the situation were “needed” and protested “on these criteria in practice in economic and financial groups”, announcing that it would require the presence in the Assembly of the Republic of two ministers under the leadership of the guardianship of the TAP.
Chega also demanded parliamentary hearings between the two ministers on TAP’s payment of half a million euros in compensation to the finance minister.
In a written statement sent to Luce, Alexandra Reis broke her silence, stating that she would “immediately” refund any amount that had been paid to her that she felt was not in accordance with the “strict law” on her departure from the airline. .
The official stated that an agreement to terminate the functions “as an administrator of companies in the TAP universe” and cancel her “employment contract with TAP SA requested by the company, as well as its public communication, has been agreed between unites the legal representatives of both parties, who are tasked with ensuring the implementation of an advanced experience and strict observance of all legal regulations.
However, in a filing with the Securities Market Commission in February, TAP said that Alexandra Reis had resigned from her post.
The Ministers of Finance, Infrastructure and Housing asked the administration of the TAP to provide “information on the legal framework of the agreement” signed with the Secretary of State, including the compensation paid.
The President of the Republic considered that the clarification on the agreement signed between the TAP and Secretary of State Alexandra Reis is “important for everyone”, including for the two ministers.
“This is important for the President of the Republic, because the President of the Republic appointed her. I mean, I appointed her secretary of state at the Treasury about a month ago. I think it’s important for everyone. For those who nominate, for whom they are nominated, for the Portuguese, it is effective to clarify what happened in this background, that is, in the professional career of a person,” he said.
27th of December
The PSD leader accused António Costa, Fernando Medina and Pedro Nuno Santos of being responsible and accomplices in the compensation case received by Secretary of State Alexandra Reis when she left TAP.
In a post posted on Twitter, Luis Montenegro says that the prime minister and the ministers of finance and infrastructure and housing “are all responsible and involved in another mess”: “Three will say that the opposition is to blame and that the next resignation is just another case… This government has no amendments.”
The President of the Republic argued that it was necessary to “clear up everything” the agreement signed between TAP and Secretary of State Alexandra Reis, in order to remove the consequences in the second stage or not.
“We need to start from the very beginning, that is, from the clarification, and only then, taking into account the clarification, the consequences of what was clarified or not will be removed,” he said.
Luse, the prime minister said he had “absolutely no background” and asked for clarification on the compensation awarded by TAP to the secretary of state, pending a “legal qualification” of the facts.
“As for the Minister of Finance, I declare that she was ready to return any amount that was not due to her and which she received on terms agreed between lawyers,” he said in a written statement.
“For the rest,” he said, “he is waiting for ‘full clarification of the facts and their legal qualification.’
In another statement to journalists, the President of the Republic confirmed that he was “patiently waiting”, as prime minister, ministers and the Portuguese, for clarification regarding the compensation given to Secretary of State Alexandra Reis.
“I am waiting, and above all, the Portuguese are waiting, because in a democracy it is very important that the Portuguese are enlightened,” he said.
The Ministries of Finance and Infrastructure and Housing sent to the General Inspectorate of Finance (IGF) and the Securities Market Commission (CMVM) clarifications from TAP on the functions of Alexandra Reis, Minister of Finance.
A joint ministerial statement stated that “The Government has received clarifications provided by the TAP Board of Directors in response to a request from the Ministers of Finance and Infrastructure and Housing on the legal basis for the termination of corporate and labor functions. Alexandra Reis with TAP Group”.
In response to the government, TAP reports that Alexandra Reis initially claimed EUR 1.47 million in compensation pursuant to her agreement to cease operations with the company, after which the “total amount payable” was set at EUR 500 thousand .
Hours after António Costa said he was going to talk to the two ministers about the “next steps” to be taken, the finance minister announced in a statement that Alexandre Reis had been fired.
The solution, in the words of Fernando Medina, “to maintain the political power of the Ministry of Finance at a particularly difficult moment in the lives of millions of Portuguese.”
December 28th
The solution, in the words of Fernando Medina, “to maintain the political power of the Ministry of Finance at a particularly difficult moment in the lives of millions of Portuguese.”
“It’s very simple: after the clarifications were presented, it became obvious that there was only one decision, which was accepted. but political, and not just legal. And the political conclusion was withdrawn, and well withdrawn,” he defended.
Author: Portuguese
Source: CM Jornal
I’m Sandra Hansen, a news website Author and Reporter for 24 News Reporters. I have over 7 years of experience in the journalism field, with an extensive background in politics and political science. My passion is to tell stories that are important to people around the globe and to engage readers with compelling content.