Portugal: the government in turmoil after the very cumbersome “TAPgate” affair

Here the Prime Minister, Antonio Costa, of which several members of the government have tendered their resignation following a controversy over the severance pay received by the Secretary of State for the Treasury.

AFP - KENZO TRIBOUILLARD

Text by: RFI Follow

1 min

Several members of the Portuguese government have tendered their resignation after the controversy over the severance pay received by the Secretary of State for the Treasury when she left her former position at the head of the national airline TAP.

The case, already dubbed "TAPgate" by the press, has gained momentum in recent days.

Publicity

Read more

€500,000.

This is the amount that Alexandra Reis received when she left her place on the board of directors of TAP Air Portugal last February.

She then joined the company in charge of air traffic control, before entering the government as Secretary of State for the Treasury.

Alexandra Reis and the company TAP claim that the director received compensation to which she was entitled, and that no illegality was committed.

But the Secretary of State had voluntarily left a public company for another public company, pocketing half a million euros of public money in the process, and while TAP Air Portugal was urgently renationalised in 2020, in the midst of a crisis.

The company had to cut jobs and reduce wages, as part of a restructuring plan imposed by Brussels.

Alexandra Reis tendered her resignation on Tuesday, December 27.

This Thursday 29, without further ado, the Minister of Infrastructure did the same: Pedro Nuno Santos believes that "

" obliges him to assume, by this gesture, the political responsibilities which are incumbent upon him.

Hugo Santos Mendes, its secretary of state, has also resigned from his duties in the government.

Newsletter

Receive all the international news directly in your mailbox

I subscribe

Follow all the international news by downloading the RFI application

• Portugal