These two political initiatives were announced by the PS parliamentary leader, Eurico Brilhante Dias, following the closure of the period for aviation groups to express their interest in the privatization process of TAP, which ended today at 5:00 p.m.
On Tuesday, searches were conducted at TAP, the Barreiro group, and Parpública by the Central Department of Investigation and Penal Action (DCIAP) over suspected crimes related to the airline’s 2015 privatization — a period when the current minister Pinto Luz was Secretary of State under the second PSD/CDS government led by Pedro Passos Coelho.
Eurico Brilhante Dias emphasized that the PS decided, “with a sense of state responsibility,” to wait until 5:00 p.m. today to undertake these political initiatives, primarily to ensure that none of its political actions could be misconstrued as devaluing TAP.
“Until the last minute, the PS wanted to respect the period for submitting expressions of interest by the various parties interested in TAP’s privatization. However, something very serious occurred during the week, namely the intervention of the Public Ministry with searches, not only at TAP’s headquarters but also involving other officials, with individuals even being made defendants,” he noted.
Referring to the political situation involving the Minister of Infrastructure, Miguel Pinto Luz, Eurico Brilhante Dias described the developments as “particularly serious, because the person currently overseeing TAP’s privatization process is the Secretary of State who signed the privatization on behalf of the Portuguese Government back then.”
“All this was done in 2015 by a government that was already known to have fallen in the Assembly of the Republic, a government that was ending its functions, and a government that nevertheless issued a comfort letter, signed by then Secretary of State Pinto Luz, to the party that purchased TAP. Today, it is known that TAP was very likely acquired using proprietary funds in a deal with Airbus,” he stated.
Eurico Brilhante Dias further mentioned that the PS considers the clarifications provided so far, especially after the General Finance Inspectorate’s report, “not only insufficient but also that recent developments raise numerous doubts about this deal.”
“The PS will take two initiatives: First, after the budget process, call Minister Pinto Luz to the Parliamentary Committee on Infrastructure to directly ask whether he believes he still has the conditions to oversee TAP’s privatization; second, address the Prime Minister, Luís Montenegro, on whether he considers the current Minister of Infrastructure capable of continuing to oversee such an important and sensitive governmental initiative,” Eurico Brilhante Dias stressed.
In this context, the socialist parliamentary leader recalled that the PS Secretary-General, José Luís Carneiro, sent a letter to the Prime Minister “highlighting some concerns regarding the privatization process.”
“Since sending that letter, new incidents have further amplified doubts about whether this government can continue defending the public interest in the same way, that is, with the same guardianship. We will ask Pinto Luz to come to parliament and will not refrain from questioning the Prime Minister: Does the current Minister of Infrastructure have the political conditions to continue overseeing a process in which he was significantly involved at the eleventh hour?” he questioned.
“We are very concerned that this process continues in the same manner while an investigation is concurrently ongoing, involving the Minister of Infrastructure,” he emphasized.
Eurico Brilhante Dias also referred to the doubts that the PS has always had regarding TAP’s 2015 privatization process.
“This is a matter we will never forget. It stems from a firm position by the PS Government, particularly from Ministers Fernando Medina and Pedro Nuno Santos,” he specified.
