Aviation
Commercial /
Europe
dismissal for cause
Portuguese government dismisses TAP CEO after fraud scandal
Airbus A319
CC BY-SA 4.0, via wikimedia commons
Rafael Ramos
3/7/2023
The Portuguese government has fired the CEO of state-owned TAP Air Portugal, Christine Ourmières-Widener, after an alleged payment of 500,000 euros in compensation to a member of the company's board, Alexandra Reis.
The chairman of the board, Manuel Beja, was also fired. Both were fired for cause, which means they will not be entitled to severance pay.
“This episode has shaken the confidence of the Portuguese in TAP and it is fundamental, above all, to recover the bond of trust between the country and the company. It was essential to turn the page in the company's management. to proceed with the implementation of the restructuring plan effectively with a view to the successful completion of the privatization”, said Fernando Medina, Minister of Finance of Portugal.
The decision to resign was taken after the report by the country's General Finance Inspectorate (IGF) on the compensation given to Alexandra Reis during her departure from the airline.
The IGF report determined that it must return around 450,000 euros wrongfully received to TAP. Although Alexandra Reis disagreed with the amount, she agreed to return it. The rest of the amount received was considered legitimate.
Christine Ourmières-Widener was CEO of TAP since June 2021 and was in charge of the company's restructuring plan. The next CEO of TAP will be the current CEO of SATA Air Açores, Luís Manuel da Silva Rodrigues, who previously worked at TAP.
Richard Cartmell/Unsplash
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Rafael Ramos
Aviation enthusiast from an early age, he had his first contacts with the area developing that good old habit of spending dozens of hours in front of the screens of Micrsoft Flight Simulator and other simulators. With a solid background in various technological areas, including engineering and chemistry, Rafael has rejoined aviation as editor and author of articles and materials on our portal, providing invaluable help to the dynamics and expansion of the website and the aeronautical community, bringing us the news and updates so indispensable for us to remain current in our area of operation.
   
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