The presidential candidate Jorge Pinto today declared that the privatization of TAP “has always been a tainted process, which raised many questions,” advocating that lessons should be learned “from past privatization errors.”
Addressing the measures taken by the Judiciary Police concerning the 2015 TAP privatization, the candidate supported by Livre expressed hope that this process “might positively influence” the partial reprivatization of the airline.
“When it comes to selling a strategic asset of our country, which quite literally carries our flag worldwide, it is important to learn from past privatization errors. And this privatization, which is now under investigation, has always been a tainted process that raised many questions,” he affirmed.
In statements to Lusa on the sidelines of a meeting with university students in Lisbon, the candidate questioned “with what money, after all, TAP was bought,” and what “commitments might have been made with Airbus concerning orders that were placed for aircraft that ultimately did not come to TAP.”
“These investigations are essential, firstly, to clarify all existing and persisting doubts regarding the 2015 process, but they are also essential to avoid repeating mistakes in this privatization, which will very likely proceed, as that is also the Government’s intent,” he argued.
The Livre deputy stated that “TAP is a strategic asset of the country and should remain public,” but “as that is not the Government’s intent and there is no parliamentary majority to prevent it, it is absolutely essential that there be no doubt regarding legality or any deals that may be behind this privatization.”
Jorge Pinto also urged the Government for “more caution” in how it wants to proceed with the partial reprivatization process of the company and questioned “the rush to sell an asset that is profitable for the country.”
“After these investigations, perhaps it would be wise to wait for their results, for their conclusions, to understand what happened and to avoid repeating any issues in this new privatization process,” he added.
TAP, Grupo Barraqueiro, and Parpública are today targets of PJ investigations, with various media outlets pointing to alleged crimes in the privatization concluded in 2015.
The Attorney General’s Office (PGR) confirmed in September last year the receipt of the report from the Inspectorate General of Finances (IGF) on the TAP privatization in 2015 and forwarded the document to the Central Department for Investigation and Penal Action (DCIAP).
The inquiry in question was opened in February 2023 and resulted from the involvement of Fernando Medina and Pedro Nuno Santos, then Ministers of Finance and of Infrastructure and Housing (PS), respectively.
