Lisbon, Sept. 11, 2025 (Lusa) - Portugal's General Inspectorate of Finance (IGF) is awaiting a meeting with the Bank of Portugal (BdP) to clarify the issue of the organisation's new headquarters, the inspector general, António Ferreira dos Santos, stated in parliament on Thursday.
During a hearing in the Budget, Finance and Public Administration Committee, he was questioned several times on the subject and pointed out the central bank's "willingness" to provide clarification.
"We received an indication from the Treasury for an audit of the process of acquiring the new headquarters [in Entrecampos, Lisbon]," he recalled, emphasising that "the process has been slower" than might have been expected.
Even so, he emphasised, "several contacts have already been made with the BdP", and the IGF has noted "the BdP's willingness to provide clarification".
"But we still haven't managed to have a meeting with the governor or whoever he mandates to move forward with this clarification. We think that could be soon," he said, explaining that the letter to arrange the meeting was sent to the BoP after the holidays.
In May, the Bank of Portugal announced that it had signed a contract with Fidelidade to acquire a building on the site of the former Feira Popular, in Entrecampos (Lisbon), for the institution's future premises, for €191.99 million, and that the transaction should be finalised by the end of 2027.
The online newspaper Observador reported on 21 July that the value of the future facilities will be higher than announced, as the value refers only to structural works, with the newspaper estimating that the total cost could rise to €235 million.
The newspaper also reported that there were warnings from BdP consultants, namely about licensing and the possible need for an environmental impact assessment on the construction of the car park.
The BdP said that it complied with all the rules and regulations in the process of buying the new headquarters, and that this was guaranteed in the contract made with Fidelidade.
"The Bank of Portugal fully complied with the applicable laws and regulations when it signed the promissory purchase agreement, and will continue to do so until the respective definitive agreement is signed," an official source at the Bank of Portugal told Lusa.
Asked if the IGF had the power to intervene in this case, the inspector general said that it was not his place to take a position, but that he could not "ignore" the order from the Treasury to analyse this issue.
On Wednesday, parliament approved two requests from the CDS-PP to hear the still-governor of the BdP, Mário Centeno, and for documents to be made available, both related to the central bank's new headquarters.
At issue is the discussion and vote on requests presented by the CDS-PP parliamentary group back in July, which have since been postponed due to the interruption of the Budget, Finance and Public Administration Committee's work during August.
The first request asks for an urgent hearing of Mário Centeno on the new headquarters, while the second asks for documentation on the project to be made available by the Bank of Portugal.
The two requests were unanimously approved by the parties present at the Budget, Finance and Public Administration Committee's ordinary meeting.
ALN (IM/JO) // JNM
Lusa/Fim
