Finance Minister Fernando Medina said this Thursday that “there is no additional opinion” justifying the resignation of the “chairman” and president of the executive committee (CEO) of TAP, other than what follows from the report of the General Inspectorate. finance (IGF).
“There is no opinion, the idea that there will be an opinion … there is no opinion additional to what is the basis for justifying the dismissal, which is more than enough for those who read it, regarding the opinion of the General Inspectorate of Finance,” said Fernando Medina, who are heard in the Budget and Finance Commission under the Stability Program (SP) for 2023-2027.
Responding to a question from Chega MP Rui Afonso, the minister also said that the government will evaluate the request of the Parliamentary Commission of Inquiry (CPI) to TAP when it is addressed, indicating that providing information to the CPI will never be a problem.
The topic was also addressed by Left Bloc MP Mariana Mortagua, who found it odd that Fernando Medina said there was no opinion after the day before, in a note sent to the Luz agency, the office of Minister Ana Catarina Méndez, arguing that “the conclusion in question is not falls within the competence of the Parliamentary Commission of Inquiry (CPI)” and “its disclosure risks the legal defense of the state’s position”.
In response, the minister reiterated that “the basis of the entire process of dismissal is the report of the General Inspectorate of Finance” and that “the basis cited in connection with the dismissal is the commission of an unlawful act.”
“This is an IGF report that justifies illegality. No opinion has been made to justify the illegality that the IGF reflects. It has not been done,” he said.
The minister clarified that “then follows the translation of the IGF report in the form in which the shareholder’s action to initiate the dismissal process approved at the general meeting of the company, the message of intent to dismiss, is basically translated. Then it is the response of those concerned regarding this intention, and then the final decision regarding this process. That’s what exists.”
Declaring that “the work is done […] in transforming what is the basis of the IGF report on the decision,” the finance minister said that the government will wait to receive the request that the commission will send, and based on this request, “analyze what is posted”, guaranteeing: “Of course, we will supply everything, what is available for delivery.
“There is nothing more to substantiate, as you will see when you read the information,” he said, believing that “it would also be surprising if, after the IGF report, very extravagant arguments appeared to justify the dismissal process.”
This Wednesday, the SIC reported that a legal opinion justifying the resignation of the CEO and “Chairman” (Chairman of the Board of Directors) of TAP, requested by the PSD but not provided by the government – arguing that “an opinion on the matter is not within the competence of the parliamentary commission on investigation (CPI)” and “its disclosure is fraught with the risk of legal protection of the position of the state” – it does not exist, there is only a resolution of the general meeting on the dismissal of directors.
According to the ECO, this legal framework was prepared with the support of JurisAPP, the state competence center.
One of the lawyers for former TAP executive president Christine Urmier-Widener, who was fired by the government for good reason, told Lusa on Wednesday that the person in charge was not aware of the existence of a legal opinion supporting the decision.
Author: Portuguese
Source: CM Jornal
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