The Minister of the Economy, António Costa Silva, is under pressure to withdraw the tourism utility status granted to a company for which the former Secretary of State for Tourism, Rita Marques, who signed this benefit, will work.
The company benefited is called HILODI (Historic Lodges & Discoveries), belonging to The Fladgate Partnership group, and the equipment benefited from tourism utility status called WOW (acronym for World of Wine). It was reported on Friday that Rita Marques – secretary of state for tourism from October 2019 until last November – would take over as trustee of The Fladgate Partnership from January 16.
According to the company, he will be in charge of the Hotels and Tourism division, with the management of WOW, the Taylor” and Fonseca cellars, The Yeatman hotel, the Vintage House in the Douro, the Hotel da Estrela and the Palacete Chafariz d’ El Rei in Lisbon, as well as the stained glass museum, the ferry on the Douro River and the group’s 20 restaurants”.
The news that Rita Marques would now be employed by a company to which she had been awarded benefits was reported by The Observer on Sunday. Yesterday, the Civic Front sent a letter to the Minister of Economy – signed by the president and vice-president of this organization, respectively Paulo de Morais and João Paulo Batalha (former president of the Portuguese section of Transparência Internacional) – demanding the withdrawal of the benefit granted.
It involves an alleged violation of law by Rita Marques. The regime for the exercise of functions by holders of political and senior public offices stipulates that “holders of political functions of an executive nature cannot exercise functions in private companies for a period of three years from the date of termination of the respective mandate ( .. .) for which there has been direct intervention by the political office holder”.
“Having carried out all my professional activities in the private sector, it was clear to me that this resignation meant a return to the business world. That is what is happening.”
For the Civic Front, “to allow this situation to continue is to reward the offender and to condone the violation of the law created to defend public integrity in Portugal”. Rita Marques’ order dates from February 17, 2022, so still in the previous government, with Economy Minister Pedro Siza Vieira. For the time being, the cabinet of the Minister of Economy does not comment, precisely because the benefit was granted when the minister was someone else.
Rita Marques contacted SIC-Notícias and said she was “absolutely sure of the decisions she made as Secretary of State” and also “of the decisions she has made in the private sphere since she left the government”.
“My intervention comes after Turismo de Portugal has considered the request and reconfirmed that all tourist facilities requirements have been met. This is the case in all similar cases.”
Speaking to The Observer, he added the reason why he accepted the invitation from The Fladgate Partnership: “Having carried out all my professional activities in the private sector, it was clear to me that this resignation meant a return to the business world. That is what happens.” As he explained, the benefit he granted came from earlier, having limited himself to extending it, with a prior positive advice from the services: “My intervention comes after Turismo de Portugal has assessed the request and has reaffirmed that all tourist utilities have been met. That is the case in all similar cases.”
Yesterday, Chega asked the Attorney General of the Republic whether the Public Prosecutor’s Office had already opened proceedings to investigate the situation. “We are not just a matter of morality, we are facing a matter of legality,” the party leader defended. It is clear to André Ventura that this is “a scheme of revolving doors”.
Source: DN
