Government consider it ‘inappropriate’ to provide the opposition Socialist party executive with its detailed studies on the privatisation of national airline TAP.
In fact the government simply refused to share its studies and assessments that have been undertaken for the privatisation process, saying that they are confidential.
The Ministry of Finance issued a true-to-form and somewhat snooty rebuttal of the Socialists' request, saying “In view of the stage we are at with the current TAP privatisation process and the confidential nature of the requested documentation and the obvious consequences of any disclosure of such information, it seems inappropriate to proceed at this stage to disclose details."
The Socialist MP Rui Paulo Figueiredo said that the Government's response "is a disgrace to democracy" adding that the Socialist Party executive will ask the chairman of the Commission of the Economy and Public Works, Pedro Pinto, to set up a hearing of the special monitoring committee as a matter of urgency.
This monitoring committee was set up to ensure complete transparency in the privatisation process and may be a way of obtaining the information the Socialists are after as it would be hard for the committee to hide financial details when the remit for the committee is for openness and accountability.
"We have had no access to any financial evaluation of TAP or any of the other documents. We think it is a disgrace to democracy," said Figuerido who has not given up and will look at other ways of forcing the government to divulge information to which he thinks his party is entitled.
The Socialists have questioned the Ministry of the Economy on the future of the service company Groundforce, owned 49.9% by TAP and 50.1% by Urbanos, after the privatisation of TAP but are preparing for another brish-off.
Those interested in bidding for TAP have until May 15th to deliver their binding proposals for buying up to 66% of the share capital.
