In this communiqué, dated December 20, 2015, the Bank of Portugal announces that it has decided to sell Banif to Banco Santander Totta in the context of a resolution action “taking into account, among other things”, the position of European bodies vis-à-vis the sale of Banif, with state aid, is only viable in a resolution scenario”.
According to the Prime Minister’s office, “Yesterday in the face of doubts [terça-feira] expressed public concern about the Banif sale process, we recall what was then publicly communicated and clarified by the Bank of Portugal”.
On Tuesday, during the presentation of the book “O Governador”, on the terms of Carlos Costa at the head of Banco de Portugal, between 2010 and 2020, former PSD president Luís Marques Mendes said he hoped that “the Public Prosecution Service will chapters of the book dealing with Banif, and when you read it, you can’t help but open a criminal investigation.”
“It is a typical case of abuse of power and benefiting society. For much less, I have already seen the Public Prosecution Service open investigations and name defendants,” he claimed.
In the 2015 statement, the Bank of Portugal states that it was informed on December 19 by the Ministry of Finance that “it had not been possible to complete the sale of Banif’s assets and liabilities within the framework of the voluntary sale process because all proposals presented by potential buyers implied additional state aid, which showed that the sale took place in the context of settlement”.
In conclusion, the Bank of Portugal considered at the time that “given the circumstances and restrictions imposed, the sale of Banif’s activities is the solution that ensures the stability of the national financial system and protects the savings of households and companies, as well as the financing the economy”.
Source: DN
