Miguel Relvas to be questioned over sale of Efisa Bank

relvasThe Efisa investment bank was sold in 2015 for €38.3 million to a company of 'Angolan and Portuguese investors' who were approved by the Bank of Portugal.

Before Efisa was sold, the State company Parparticipadas pumped €90 million of taxpayers’ cash into the ailing company which was part of Banco Português de Negócios, which already had been bailed out by the taxpayer.

British impersonator detained in Spain

interpolA British man in Spain has been arrested for posing as an officer from Interpol.

The 29-year-old, who has not been named, was said to have T-shirts and jackets bearing the Interpol logo along with a badge to identify him as an agent.

Monchique's Longevity Hotel and Spa taken over by Scottish leisure group

longevityNews yesterday that Monchique’s Longevity Wellness Resort, closed since 2014, has been taken over by a consortium with future management by a Scottish hotel and leisure group, invigorated the Algarve's leisure sector but further details of the investment revels that two further hotel puchases are soon to be announced, according to the Publituris news service.

Vale d'Oliveiras Quinta Resort and Spa near Carvoeiro may also be part of the package as may Vale de Ribeira in Portimão.

As for the plans in Monchique, Macdonald Hotels & Resorts is to rebrand the old Longevity Wellness Resort as the Macdonald Monchique Resort & Spa with management keen to reopen the hotel in the second half of 2016 after a refit.

State sheds 70,0000 employees in four years

citizensshopThe taxpayer-funded State payroll has reduced 9.5% between December 2011 and December 2015, according to the Public Employment Statistics Summary published today. 

As at the end of December 2015, employment in the central, regional and local government sectors stood at 658,565 people, an increase of 0.4% year on year, or 2,509 jobs, but a decrease of 9.5% compared to December 31, 2011.

Portuguese State condemned for forced adoption of a mother's seven children

teddybearonfloorThe European Court of Human Rights has instructed the Portuguese State to award a Cape Verdean woman living in Portugal, €15,000 in compensation for the forced adoption of her seven children.

The European Court's judges considered the adoption decisions taken by the court in Sintra as illegal, even though these later were confirmed by Portugal's Supreme Court, as they forced Liliana Melo to hand over her children for adoption.

High value bank notes come under spotlight

swiss1000francnoteSwitzerland has declared its intention to keep its 1,000-franc note.

The SFr1,000 bill is worth about €900 (£700) and is the most valuable single-denomination note in the world.

Russian vodka exports plunge

vodkaWestern consumers are steering clear of Russian vodka.

Sales of the country’s vodka and liquors have plummeted by 42% to 43.5 million litres in 2015, official figures reported by Kommersant newspaper.

Bank of Portugal's €2 billion BES 'bond dump' ruled as OK

bop2The committee members of the International Swaps and Derivatives Association have ruled on the status of the €2 billion in Novo Banco bonds controversially transferred back to BES where their value plummeted.

Heavyweight global asset management funds have been highly critical of the decision of the Bank of Portugal to move five classes of senior bonds from the relative safety of Novo Banco, back to BES where their value plummeted overnight.