Former minister Pires de Lima said this Wednesday that if governments were misled with the capitalization of TAP through Airbus funds, which he deems “highly unlikely”, consequences should be drawn, according to Pedro Nuno Santos.
“I find it highly unlikely, […] but if tomorrow it turns out that the planes were in fact bought above market price and thus that TAP financed Airbus and in turn [a Airbus deu-o] to David Neeleman, […] an illegal capitalization process has been carried out, I also want to limit myself to what former minister Pedro Nuno Santos said yesterday [terça-feira] here I said: if we have all been deceived and if it happened that way, consequences must certainly be drawn”said the former economy minister of the PSD/CDS-PP government António Pires de Lima, in the airline’s committee of inquiry.
Moreover, the former ruler thought so “it is good that there are judicial institutions and that the Public Prosecution Service is doing its job”.
At issue are the so-called Airbus funds, which arose from a deal made by former private shareholder of TAP David Neeleman with the aircraft manufacturer, which saw an order for 12 A350 aircraft exchanged for 53 of a new range and a “contribution” more than 200 million euros from the manufacturer to the businessman, who used them to capitalize TAP, as foreseen in the privatization agreement.
Last year, an audit requested by TAP pointed to evidence that the deal had harmed the airline as it allegedly paid a higher amount for the planes compared to competitors, prompting the opening of an investigation by the Public Prosecution Service, whose conclusions have yet to be determined. known.
With regard to that audit, Pires de Lima believed that it was more than an opinion and that he had not been approached by the prosecution.
“I don’t know of audits and I don’t know their conclusions and from what I’ve seen and read I don’t think there is an audit”orphan.
According to the former ruler, the planes were bought 4% below the fair market price.
“The capitalization plan that was presented [pela Atlantic Gateway] paid unless the aircraft were purchased above market price”explained Pires de Lima, in response to BE delegate Pedro Filipe Soares.
The honorable Member says it is very likely [que o preço seja superior ao de mercado]i think it is highly unlikely but if by chance it turns out that it was TAP that advanced the money to Airbus to give it to Mr. David Neeleman then we are in fact facing an operation that was not a capitalization “he added.
Pires de Lima insisted on classifying David Neeleman as an experienced businessman and admitted that it doesn’t bother him if both Neeleman and Airbus made money from the company, not least because it was the businessman who took over the company’s balance sheet, that is, he became the entrepreneur of the company and not the aircraft manufacturer.
“Creating wealth for others doesn’t make me sleep bad. What was important to me – and we can’t agree with this – is that TAP had a solution, it was no longer a company in technical bankruptcy”argued.
Earlier, during the interrogation period of the PCP deputy Bruno Dias, Pires de Lima explained that Atlantic Gateway had made a first binding proposal for the privatization that needed to be improved, as the consortium proposed to capitalize TAP through the purchase of the contract that the airline had with Airbus, which the State did not accept.
Bruno Dias said the reference to the Airbus funds – “which were later baptized by that name, but were born that way” – disappeared from the second binding proposal, leading the deputy to classify the operation as “not very transparent”.
Source: DN
