“On behalf of the government, I apologize to the Portuguese,” Mr. Costa said in a speech, adding that “his conscience did not allow (him) to accept the resignation.” João Galamba, who oversees TAP, submitted a little earlier.
Conservative President of the Portuguese Republic Marcelo Rebelo de Souza responded immediately to express his disagreement with the Prime Minister’s “position” and his “political reading” of the issue and the way the Portuguese viewed it.
Tapgate has seen a new development following the sacking of a member of Mr Galamba’s government last week.
This advisor accused the minister of concealing documents from the parliamentary committee responsible for assigning responsibilities in the “Tapgate” scandal, which erupted in December after it was revealed that severance compensation of 500,000 euros had been paid to an official.
This former member of Mr Galamba’s government reacted violently to the announcement of his departure, in particular by confiscating a laptop computer with classified documents. The minister then informed the Security Intelligence Service, who recovered the computer.
Costa, who spoke throughout the day with several members of his cabinet and the head of state, said: “The attitude of this collaborator is unfortunate,” but we cannot blame the minister.
Mr. Galamba, who claimed he had done nothing illegal, justified his request to resign in order to preserve “institutional calm”.
The case has already led to a series of resignations, including that of former infrastructure minister Pedro Nuno Santos, leader of the left wing of the Socialist Party and among the contenders to succeed Antonio Costa.
