“We have no substantial comments to make, except, of course, that the expressed bewilderment is our bewilderment, but we have no details about the operation itself,” said Eurico Brilhante Dias to reporters at the end of a press conference in parliament on the November 25 celebrations.
The PS parliamentary leader expressed “absolute bewilderment,” citing a parliamentary inquiry, an audit report from the General Finance Inspectorate, and “various stages of clarification.”
“Bewilderment is evident, because almost three years have passed, but I can’t say more than that,” he emphasized.
When asked if the bewilderment was related to the timing of the ‘cheque in’ operation searches, Eurico Brilhante Dias stated it was about “the process itself.”
“But I have no further information, but yes, almost three years have passed in a highly scrutinized process, but I can’t elaborate more than that,” he added.
Regarding the new version of the foreigner’s law entering parliament, the PS parliamentary leader acknowledged not knowing “the parameters of the proposal” yet.
“We are going to have a leaders’ conference, and we will still see if, from the scheduling point of view, this will be scheduled for the plenary sessions on Monday and Tuesday. I think that will be the possibility,” he mentioned, noting that dialogue with the PS on this matter occurred in public meetings with the government on various topics this month.
Meanwhile, former minister Pedro Nuno Santos also responded to these searches on Tuesday via social media, asserting that “no crime was committed” by the Government concerning the compensation paid by TAP to Alexandra Reis, a situation where “not everything went well,” and expressed hope for a swift investigation.
The ‘Cheque In’ operation, which prompted searches at TAP and a law office today, is connected to the compensation to former airline executive Alexandra Reis, resulting in one defendant, according to a source linked to the investigation on Tuesday.
The same source specified that the defendant belongs to the law firm where searches were conducted.
The investigation involves suspicions of crimes such as breach of trust, undue receipt or offer of advantage, economic participation in a business, and abuse of power.
The inquiry is led by the Department of Investigation and Penal Action (DIAP) of Lisbon, focusing on “facts related to the compensation awarded upon the resignation of a member of the Board of Directors and Executive Committee of TAP.”
In December 2022, TAP was embroiled in controversy over the payment of a 500,000-euro compensation package to then-executive Alexandra Reis for her early departure from the company.
On May 31, 2023, the executive reported having returned 266,412.76 euros to the company, “the total net amount indicated by TAP.”
