During a hearing at the Committee on Budget, Finance, and Public Administration, the official was repeatedly questioned on the matter, indicating the central bank’s “availability” to provide clarifications.
“We received a request from the Finance Ministry for an audit regarding the acquisition of the new headquarters in Entrecampos, Lisbon,” he recalled, highlighting that “the process has been slower” than expected.
Nonetheless, he emphasized, “several contacts have already been made with the Bank of Portugal (BdP),” and the Inspectorate General of Finance (IGF) noted “the BdP’s readiness to provide clarifications.”
“However, we have not yet been able to meet with the governor or his appointed representative to proceed with this clarification. We believe this meeting may be imminent,” he noted, explaining that the request to schedule the meeting was sent to the BdP after the holidays.
In May, the Bank of Portugal announced it signed a contract with Fidelidade to acquire a building on the grounds of the former Feira Popular in Entrecampos (Lisbon) for its future headquarters, with the transaction valued at 191.99 million euros. The final completion of the transaction is expected by the end of 2027.
The Observador reported on July 21 that the cost of the future headquarters would exceed the announced amount, as the figure only pertains to structural works. The report estimates the total cost might rise to 235 million euros.
The report also mentioned alerts from BdP consultants, particularly concerning licenses and the possible need for an environmental impact assessment for the construction of the parking facility.
The Bank of Portugal stated that it is complying with all rules and regulations in the purchase process of the new headquarters, as confirmed in the contract with Fidelidade.
“The Bank of Portugal assured full compliance with the applicable legal and regulatory standards at the time of the preliminary purchase and sale agreement and will continue to do so until the execution of the definitive contract,” an official BdP source told Lusa.
When asked whether the IGF had the authority to intervene in this case, the inspector general said it was not within his remit to take a position, but he could not “ignore” the Finance Ministry’s directive to examine this matter.
On Wednesday, the parliament approved two CDS-PP requests to hear the current governor of the BdP, Mário Centeno, and to make documents available, both related to the new central bank headquarters.
The issue concerns the discussion and voting on requests presented by the CDS-PP parliamentary group in July, which were postponed due to the interruption of the Committee on Budget, Finance, and Public Administration’s work during August.
The first request calls for an urgent hearing of Mário Centeno on the new headquarters, while the second requests the Bank of Portugal to provide documentation on the project.
Both requests were unanimously approved by the parties present at the regular meeting of the Committee on Budget, Finance, and Public Administration.
