The prime minister considers the email that former secretary of state Hugo Mendes sent to the executive chairman of TAP about the head of state to be very serious and states that it would have forced him to resign on the spot.
This statement by António Costa was sent in response to the Lusa agency before it left for a two-day visit to South Korea after being questioned about the content of the former Secretary of State for Infrastructure’s controversial email, which became public in the parliamentary inquiry committee into the management of TAP.
“Since I have not left yet, I will answer this question about internal politics. Each institution has its time and this is the time for the Assembly of the Republic to find out the truth, the whole truth, as I said, it is doing pain no matter what”declared the leader of the executive branch.
António Costa said he “didn’t know” this email. “and had he known, he would have compelled the minister [das Infraestruturas, Pedro Nuno Santos] to fire him on the spot”.
“It is very serious from the point of view of the institutional relationship with the President of the Republic and unacceptable in the relationship that the government must maintain with public companies”he stressed.
On Tuesday, Liberal Initiative deputy Bernardo Blanco confronted Christine Ourmières-Widener at the parliamentary committee of inquiry for TAP over an email exchange with then-Secretary of State for Infrastructure, Hugo Mendes, about a possible change to the date of a flight that had taken place . the head of state, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, as a passenger.
In that email he sent to TAP’s executive president, former Secretary of State for Infrastructure Hugo Mendes argued that it was important to maintain Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa’s political support as he was the government’s “key ally” , but that he could become the “worst nightmare”.
At this point, still responding to the Lusa agency, the prime minister claimed that Hugo Mendes’ performance “in no way” matches his executive’s pattern of relationships with public companies.
“I do not confuse the public character with political management. The shareholder sets the strategic guidelines and evaluates the management in reviewing the accounts. He cannot interfere with the current management of the company”he added.
Asked about his institutional relationship with TAP’s outgoing board, the executive said he had only once met with the chair of the executive committee, Christine Ourmières-Widener, to present the national carrier’s restructuring plan.
“And with the other companies, I appreciate the strategic relationship that the ministers maintain with, for example, Metro, Caixa Geral de Depósitos or Águas de Portugal”completed.
Source: DN
