The so-called ‘Galpgate’ inquiry is steaming ahead with two new official defendants named today: the Galp president and a former secretary of state, no less.
Galp’s chief, Carlos Gomes da Silva and Carlos Costa Pina are the seventh and eighth defendants in the investigation into the freebies dished out to politicians and high-up State employees by Galp to watch the Portuguese national team play in euro2016 football matches.
Carlos Costa Pina is responsible at Galp for renewable energy and the vaguely named ‘corporate services’ and was the Secretary of State for the Treasury in the José Sócrates government, which should set alarm bells ringing.
The investigation is looking into whether or not anyone is guilty of the crime of ‘improper receipt of advantage by holders of political office or public office in the performance of their duties.’
If Galp’s unfettered largesse over the years has dropped the willing recipients in the merde, it may have been party to a crime that carries a sentence of up to five years inside plus a whopping fine of nearly two year’s salary.
The Public Prosecutor's Office has been busy and already has lined up as defendants the former Secretary of State for Internationalisation, Jorge Costa Oliveira, the one for Fiscal Affairs, Fernando Rocha Andrade, and the Industry Secretary of State, João Vasconcelos.
Fernando Rocha Andrade, Jorge Costa Oliveira and João Vasconcelos all resigned over the affair, ‘to spend more time with their lawyers.’
Others in the frame include Vítor Escária, former adviser to the current Prime Minister, Jorge Bezerra da Silva, the former chief of staff to Rocha Andrade, and Pedro de Almeida Matias, the former chief of staff to João Vasconcelos.
Cristóvão Norte, the Algarve Social Democrat MP, who also accepted an expenses paid freebie trip to euro2016 courtesy of “a friend at Galp Energia,” may have his parliamentary lifted so he too can face questioning.
Norte’s wafer-thin excuse is that he accepted the invitation because it came from a friend of his who worked at Galp and therefore this was not an invitation of an ‘institutional nature.’
When asked if the oil company, rather than the friend, had paid for the trip, Norte said, "yes, I suppose it was."
Galp is a serial non-payer of taxes and is involved in the oil and gas exploration concessions, both of which should have made it clear to civil servants and politicians that they should steer well clear of the company’s legendary corporate hospitality.
Carlos Gomes da Silva, as vice-chairman of the Board of Directors and Chief Executive Officer of Galp, may feel he has better things to do than answer questions put to him by the public prosecutor, but he is in charge and if the level of corporate hospitality offered by Galp breaks the law for those accepting it, many will ask what else is Galp up to that is playing fast and loose with legislation?
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Carlos Gomes da Silva is vice-chairman of the Board of Directors and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Galp since April 2015.
Executive director (CCO) | Carlos Costa Pina who has been a member of the Board of Directors and of the Executive Committee of Galp since April 2012
and is responsible for corporate services and New Energies business unit.
