Algarve MP, Cristóvão Norte has been complaining at the Bank of Portugal’s inertia over the Alicoop workers who have been persecuted by the bank, BIC, which has seen fit illegally to pursue debts that are not due.
Norte was at a hearing involving the Governor of the Bank of Portugal, held in Parliament’s Finance Committee, and said that the Bank of Portugal should act to stop the court actions against individual workers.
The Algarve MP stated, correctly, that, "there is a final judgment, dated 2012, which removes workers from having to pay any past, present or future liabilities. The Bank of Portugal must investigate the situation in order to safeguard the rights of these people and prevent them from being added to the Bank of Portugal’s blacklist."
Cristóvão Norte explained that "this is a Kafkaesque process with more than 200 workers in a situation without any legal protection against abusive behavior (by BIC) that must be prevented. I am pleased that all the Algarve MPs are united in the defence of this just cause."
In order to save the Alicoop Group and jobs, the workers took out a loan to finance the company's activity in 2008, a situation that was resolved in 2012 with the acquisition of the company by the Nogueira Group which failed dismally to revive the company which went bust in 2016.
The bank of Portugal, run by 'Mr Magoo' Carlos Costa has done nothing to prevent BIC acting illegally against a court decision, nor is he likely to, such is his inability even to find his socks in the morning.
