The PSD parliamentary group addressed 12 questions to the President of the Government to clarify the statements of the former governor of the Bank of Portugal, Carlos Costa, both on the Banif resolution and on the departure of the businesswoman Isabel dos Santos from the BIC.
In the request, which the president of the PSD announced on Tuesday night in Guarda and to which Lusa had access, the Social Democratic deputies mention that Carlos Costa made recently – in the book “O Governador”, and in the presentation and subsequent interviews – “accusations about alleged political meddling of the Prime Minister, António Costa, in the context of the dismissal of the Angolan businesswoman Isabel dos Santos from the EuroBIC bank, as well as in the hastening of the resolution of the Banif bank”.
After these statements, which he described as “false and offensive”, the prime minister has already announced that he will sue the former governor.
António Costa reaffirms that he will sue Carlos Costa for offense to honor and good name
The PSD Parliamentary Group justifies the set of questions that it addresses directly to António Costa by considering that it is “of the utmost importance that a deep clarification of the interactions between the prime minister and the former governor”, saying that it is “of national interest” that the head of government provide “as soon as possible the necessary clarifications”.
PSD deputies ask António Costa four questions “about the intervention in the Isabel dos Santos suitability assessment process to manage EuroBIC????????
In the first place, if the President of the Government confirms the telephone contact with the then governor of the central bank “addressing him about a possible decision by the Bank of Portugal on the suitability of the engineer Isabel dos Santos for the purposes of authorization to perform functions in the EuroBIC Bank Management”.
It was “inappropriate” to dismiss Isabel dos Santos. The president sends an SMS to Carlos Costa confirming the call about EuroBic
On the other hand, if in that contact “he expressed disagreement regarding a possible non-recognition of the suitability” of the Angolan businesswoman “for being the daughter of a President of a friendly country or for being understand being importunate do it right now.”
“It was Vexa. contacted by the engineer Isabel dos Santos and/or by Dr. Fernando Teles after the meeting they had with Dr. Carlos Costa and in which the assessment of the respective suitability for the purpose of exercising management functions at the Bank was discussed EuroBIC?” they also ask.
If the answer to this last question is negative, the PSD deputies want to know how António Costa found out that the Bank of Portugal “the suitability assessment process for these individuals was underway and that it was seriously considering a decision of lack of suitability and consequent denial or revocation of the authorization”.
The remaining eight questions directed at the prime minister are about Banif’s resolution process, also addressed in the book, beginning with the PSD questioning whether he confirms that he “contacted with the European institutions (in particular, the European Commission and the ECB )”. after taking office as Prime Minister, “to prepare the resolution or sale in a Banif resolution scenario.”
Banif. Former governor accuses Costa of sending a letter to Brussels without his knowledge
“He confirms that, on the morning of December 14, 2015, he sent a written communication to the President of the European Commission and the President of the European Central Bank in which he stated that Banco Banif was in a “resolution process” and /¿ Or in the “pre-resolution phase”? Ask the Social Democrats.
Members still want to know if this communication was articulated with the Bank of Portugal and as explained by the reference to “a phase prior to the resolution” of the bank, when “what was underway at that time was the sale process, in which there were candidates and proposals, and whose conclusion would have avoided the resolution scenario ”, at much higher costs.
“As you explain that TVI reported, at 10:00 p.m. the night before the letter was sent, information that coincided with what was contained in it and that it was, presumably, Only your knowledge and that of your Government?”, Consult.
The PSD bench also wants to know if, before sending the letter, there was any contact between the possible buyers of Banif and the Government and if there were contacts between the executive of António Costa and the DG Com of the European Commission, before sending the letter on sale of Banif.
“It was Your Excellency. informed by the then Minister of Finance, Mário Centeno [atual Governador do Banco de Portugal]that while the sale process was still underway and before the resolution had been decided, the minister himself contacted Banco Santander to negotiate the sale in the context of resolution and contacted the European authorities requesting support and feasibility of that sale when the competitive sale process outside of resolution was underway?”, the PSD finally asks.
In Guarda, Luís Montenegro justified the option of sending these questions to the Prime Minister by saying that his party is not “one of those who propose parliamentary commissions of inquiry for a week”, but without completely ruling out this instrument in the future.
“We may even have a parliamentary inquiry into this matter. I don’t know. But we, for now, today, we ask the prime minister specific questions”, he stated.
Chega entered parliament this week with a project for an Eventual Parliamentary Investigation Commission to “investigate the possible interference of the Prime Minister in the autonomy of the Bank of Portugal to protect the daughter of the President of Angola”, but which would need the support of the PSD to advance in a mandatory manner since 46 signatures are needed and its bench only has 12 deputies.
Source: Observadora
