Francisco Gomes, the Chega-Madeira deputy in the Assembly of the Republic, strongly criticized the PS and PSD for rejecting a request to summon the executive administration of the Madeira Development Company to the Budget and Finance Commission. The proposal, put forward by Chega’s parliamentary group on the 26th of November and voted on in committee yesterday, was turned down with both parties voting against it.
The initiative aimed to question the entity responsible for managing the International Business Centre of Madeira (IBCM) on issues related to suspicions disclosed in the media and irregularities pointed out by European bodies in recent years.
For Francisco Gomes, the vote in the committee was “living proof that PS and PSD do not want transparency, do not want interference, and do not want the country to know what is really going on in the IBCM.” The deputy considers it unacceptable that, in the face of European news and court decisions involving companies installed in the Free Trade Zone, the two largest parties choose to prevent parliament from hearing those responsible for managing the regime.
“PS and PSD have come together to ensure that nothing changes, that nothing is known, and that everything remains in the same opacity as always. They are afraid of the truth. They are afraid of inspection. This is the only way to understand this brazen attempt to protect a system that can never be exempt from scrutiny,” claimed the deputy.
Francisco Gomes accuses the two parties of acting as “guardians of fiscal opacity,” blocking mechanisms that would allow parliament to assess compliance with the rules, the effectiveness of supervision, and the reputational risks associated with the IBCM.
The Chega parliamentarian stressed that the party defends the strategic role of the Free Trade Zone, but states that any potential is weakened by a lack of transparency or lingering suspicions.
“What the PS and PSD did yesterday was shameful! They refused to allow the IBC administration to be confronted with legitimate questions about money laundering, about compliance with European rules, and about real job creation. This is blocking the country! This is sabotaging Madeira!” He ferociously concluded.
Samantha Gannon
info at madeira-weekly.com
