The Civil Aviation Pilots Union (SPAC) requested this Thursday the resignation of the presidents of the Board of Directors of TAP, Manuel Beja, and of the Executive Committee, Christine Ourmières-Widener, for the controversial compensation that has already led to resignations in the Government.
In reaction to the resignation of the Minister of Infrastructure and Housing, Pedro Nuno Santos, on Wednesday night, to “assume political responsibility” for granting compensation of 500,000 euros from TAP to the former Secretary of State for Finance, Alexandra Reis The president of the SPAC, Tiago Faria Lopes, affirmed that the official “finally assumed” the political responsibility of this case.
“But it is not only political responsibility that is at stake. There is another responsibility, which is an operational, business responsibility, that is, because there is public money” in this TAP compensation case, Tiago Faria Lopes said in statements to Lusa, needing to refer to the “two players” who follow at TAP, the executive director, Christine Ourmières-Widener, and the PresidentManuel Beja.
“For a matter of solidarity, and loyalty to the minister [Pedro Nunes]If the minister resigns, of course, we all hope that the same [CEO e chairman] resign”, he said, listing the reasons why he defends these two resignations in the airline.
First, “for all these scandals” related to TAP; second, because of the lie they wrote” to the Securities Market Commission (CMVM). “If they lie to the CMVM, which is the regulatory body, they have guarantees of lying to the taxpayers and the workers of TAP Air Portugal”, he defended.
Regarding the possible departure of the CEO of TAP, the president of the SPAC says that “there is evidence” that there is an addendum to Christine Ourmières-Widener’s contract that determines that at the end of the contract, or due to early termination, she will have a bonus. “He guaranteed that this bonus, at the foot of the half million euros that the engineer Alexandra Reis received, will be much higher. The scandal will be greater. Now it remains to be seen whether this is true or not,” he said.
The resignation of Pedro Nuno Santos was the third in the Government in two days, after Alexandra Reis, from the Treasury, at the center of the controversy over TAP’s compensation, and the Secretary of State for Infrastructure, Hugo Santos Mendes, who accompanied the decision of Pedro Nuño Santos.
The Minister of Finance, Fernando Medina, dismissed the Secretary of State for Finance on Tuesday, less than a month after the inauguration of Alexandra Reis and after four days of controversy over the compensation of 500,000 euros from TAP, supervised by Pedro Nuno Santos.
Alexandra Reis received compensation for her early departure, in February, as executive administrator of the airline. In June she was appointed by the Government to chair the Portuguese Air Navigation (NAV) and this month she was elected Secretary of State for the Treasury.
Source: Observadora
