The Minister of Infrastructure and Housing, Miguel Pinto Luz, said this Tuesday that he was “absolutely calm” with the searches carried out at TAP related to the privatization of the Portuguese air carrier in 2015. “I am absolutely calm. This is one of the most scrutinized processes in Portuguese public life. It has already had scrutiny from the Court of Auditors, it has even had scrutiny from the Courts, because as we already know, there has already been a process that affected the entire privatization process, there has already been a parliamentary commission of inquiry”, Miguel Pinto Luz told journalists, in Leiria.
“For months we all had the opportunity, we were treated to endless hours and hours of healthy public scrutiny in the Assembly of the Republic and, therefore, we are absolutely calm, the Government, myself, all those involved”, declared Miguel Pinto Luz. TAP, Grupo Barraqueiro and Parpública are being targeted by the PJ, with several media outlets pointing out alleged crimes in the privatization completed in 2015.
The government official added that “the Government is following it with great tranquility”. “We live in a Rule of Law, it is good that this scrutiny is carried out, that the Portuguese are enlightened and that Justice can also do its work, with complete peace of mind”, he insisted.
Highlighting that the company is experiencing “a special moment”, as “TAP is in the middle of a privatization process”, the minister said that “in three days, less than four days”, the first proposals are expected. “We know that there is a great desire from many investors, many international groups, to be able to acquire TAP in this privatization process. Therefore, the Government is absolutely committed, focused on this privatization process”, he assured.
The government official also assured that the executive will collaborate “with whatever the authorities need and this is the position that the Government has at the moment”. The Attorney General’s Office confirmed, in September last year, receipt of the report from the General Inspectorate of Finance on the privatization of TAP, in 2015, and sent the document to the Central Department of Investigation and Criminal Action.
The inquiry in question was opened in February 2023 and resulted from the participation of Fernando Medina and Pedro Nuno Santos, then Ministers of Finance and Infrastructure and Housing (PS), respectively. In mid-October 2022, Pedro Nuno Santos revealed that the TAP administration had requested an audit because it suspected it was paying more for the planes than its competitors and that the Government forwarded the conclusions to the Public Ministry.
One of the most discussed topics in the parliamentary commission of inquiry (CPI) into the Political Guardianship of TAP Management, in 2023, was the so-called Airbus funds, a deal made by the company DGN, led by David Neeleman, with the aircraft manufacturer, which involved the cancellation of a previous contract for the ‘leasing’ of 12 A350 aircraft, and the completion of a new one for the acquisition of 53 aircraft from another range. As part of this deal, Airbus provided capital credits to DGN, worth 226.75 million dollars (195.5 million euros at current exchange rates), to be channeled to TAP through the Atlantic Gateway.
Throughout the CPI hearings, several deputies questioned deponents about their knowledge of the operation, considering that the capitalization of TAP in 2015 was made with funds from the company itself. The Atlantic Gateway consortium – made up of shareholders David Neeleman and Portuguese businessman Humberto Pedrosa – won the privatization of TAP, completed in the final stretch of the PSD/CDS-PP Government, an operation that was partially reversed in 2015, by the executive of António Costa (PS).
At that time, the political supervision of TAP was the responsibility of the current minister Miguel Pinto Luz, who was then Secretary of State for Infrastructure, Transport and Communications.