Collecting all possible information in order to analyze the facts in the best possible way and to ensure timely guarantees are the challenges that led the Parliamentary Committee of Inquiry (CPI) to ask the Political Guardianship of TAP’s Management to lift the Supreme Court from professional secrecy to lawyers who represent the parties involved in TAPgate.
It concerns the compensation of half a million euros for the departure of Alexandra Reis from the administration, as well as the management of Christine Ourmières-Widener. And the decision was made after the documents requested by the CPI were denied, a source familiar with the process tells DN.
“The decision of the deputies was taken unanimously,” emphasizes the same source, explaining that requests to lift the secrecy regarding three law firms have been sent to the Supreme Court. “One of the offices even asked for it motu proprio – the district council has decision-making power – but it was refused, so for the sake of the effectiveness of this process, the CPI, in conjunction with the statutory auditors of the Assembly, chose to go to go to the Supreme Court.”
The process has been forwarded urgently – a possibility provided for by the legal regime of parliamentary inquiries – and will already have been delivered and distributed, the same source confirms, adding that it has “good prospects” for a decision to be reached quickly.
The question now is whether it will arrive within the tight deadlines of the CPI, which the calendar indicates ends on May 23, but which some already admit could shift. Of the 59 scheduled hearings, only four have been held so far – with the Inspector General of Finance, with TAP’s CFO and CEO and the most recent, last Wednesday, with Alexandra Reis. “These were long and grueling sessions,” notes a source close to the trial, who expects the remainder to last until just before the court holiday (late June or even July).
Next Tuesday there will be a meeting of coordinating delegates and the hearing with the also fired company president, Manuel Beja.
Source: DN
