CDS urgently requests a hearing with the Governor of the Bank of Portugal

The CDS-PP submitted a request this Monday for a hearing at the Budget, Finance and Public Administration Committee, of the current Governor of the Bank of Portugal, Mário Centeno.

In the document, the Christian Democrats point out that "the Bank of Portugal, just over two months before the end of the current Governor's term, Mário Centeno, has opted to bind the institution to a promissory contract with four companies in the Fidelidade Group. The contract covers the construction of the central bank's new headquarters, which will be located on the former Feira Popular site."

"Publicly, the Bank had reported a cost of €192 million for signing the promissory purchase and sale agreement with Fidelidade. But according to news reports released today, it is now known that this cost could ultimately amount to €280 million, due to the omission of expenses for essential elements such as finishing, painting, final flooring, interior finishes, installation of elevators and platforms, and other interior infrastructure, furniture, and fixtures," the party led by Nuno Melo emphasized.

Additionally, " due diligence reports highlighted 16 serious or very serious contingencies, including the fact that Fidelidade's projects did not guarantee the autonomous operation of the facilities, a requirement for security reasons, which necessitated a request for modifications to the original project. It is also worth noting that, according to the signed contract, any additional costs arising from the project modifications already proposed by the Bank of Portugal, both in terms of cost and deadline, must be fully covered by the Bank. Despite these 16 contingencies, the Bank of Portugal signed the purchase and sale agreement with Fidelidade."

For the CDS, “it is imperative to determine the risks inherent in these contingencies, and the costs they may have, especially in the context of the high losses that the Bank of Portugal recorded in 2023 (1054 million euros) and 2024 (1142 million euros)”.

The Bank of Portugal said this Monday that it complies with all rules and regulations in the process of purchasing its new headquarters in Lisbon, and that this was assured in the contract signed with Fidelidade.