Members, the information officer of TVI and the fall of Banif – Mad Money

TVI had or no responsibility for the fall of Banif? This was the key issue that the members of the parliamentary commission of inquiry to Banif wanted the information director of the station, Sérgio Figueiredo, responded. Or admit liability, or error in the way the news of December 13 – that realized that the bank closure was being prepared. – Was built

What contacts have been made? There were calls for the Bank of Portugal and the Ministry of Finance? Before or after the information has been advanced in a footnote at 22:13 on Sunday, after being amended seven times? Who was the journalist who received the information?

At a hearing marked by tense moments and the members of the parliamentary commission of inquiry put aside their partisan differences to focus on getting answers Sérgio Figueiredo many questions remained unanswered.

Sérgio Figueiredo began by saying that the information was “strong” and “reliable”, based on sources “fundamentally documentary,” especially a letter of Carlos Costa, governor of the Bank of Portugal, to Finance Minister Mario Centeno, dated December 12 and which stated that the resolution would be the only chance to fail voluntary sale. About who gets to Sergio Figueiredo news says only that the issue was already being long been investigated for all newsrooms. The information officer of TVI reveals that was not in writing this Sunday, December 13, but received a contact by saying that the resolution of the bank was being prepared for the next week.

From this moment TVI was treating the information, forward immediately with a footnote in news, updated seven times throughout the night. It began by noting that the bank would close and then replace the word “closure” for “Resolution”. And although initially advanced that deposits above 100,000 euros were not provided 17 minutes after this information has been changed.

“I do not regret what TVI did,” said Sérgio Figueiredo Members who questioned one after another, the decision to have advanced immediately with the information and wanted to know what phone calls and contradictory exercise had been done. Mariana Mortágua, BE, questioned whether the news was a “mistake” or a premeditated error. Sérgio Figueiredo took the error but refused the possibility of “error premeditated.” And accepted, in part, the correlation between the news and the flight of deposits in the week that followed and reached billion, giving the final blow in the bank’s liquidity: on 20 December, the Bank of Portugal opted for resolution . and sale of healthy assets to Santander for 150 million euros

the TVI information director pointed the finger institutions: Bank of Portugal and the ministry of Finance issued statements but not denied the news “because the news I was right. ” The information officer of TVI left the idea that there could have been more assertive position taken by these institutions to reassure depositors who were raising their savings. But he reminded BES case where until almost the day of the resolution were given assurances that the bank was solid.

While MEPs questioned him on details of the news construction process Sérgio Figueiredo was saying that was not in writing – “for personal reasons, I was a rock concert ‘- and asked António Costa, an economics journalist and commentator TVI, who was in Low Queluz that day, to” come to the aid of writing. ” Contacts were made “before, during and after” but unable to specify to whom the calls were made before. Nor George Thomas, former president of Banif, called António Costa or if it was the other way around.

He assured trust journalists and never asked them who was the source. Refused layoffs of who “wanted to give the body the bullets.” And the regret you have is not having treated the subject differently, introducing an informative special at that time instead of having waited for the midnight news, where information was developed. He admitted that on Sundays, the writing ability is half gas. And refused, the number of times he was questioned on the subject, to say who had received the information first. He argued that naming the journalist could compromise the source. A sports journalist led to a source and a journalist from another section to the other. Several times repeated the argument in a key where the deputies insisted very hit.

About the source that has the information nobody asked. Sérgio Figueiredo stressed several times that not would reveal, even after John Adams have remembered that several responsible had said in the CPI that the news was false. The information officer of TVI just said the news had not come from Santander, responding to a question from Mr PCP Miguel James, on the relationship between the bank and the shareholder of TVI, the Spanish Prisa. Sérgio Figueiredo extolled with Overture and refused to instrumentalization of redaction of TVI. “What are you suggesting insults all writing.”

It was the only time tempers extolled. There were jokes about the delay in the letters referred to – “It may have been the postman,” said Figueiredo – the references to past information on car parks in the Watergate case. Abreu Amorim, PSD, said not hire him as a journalist. This accused him of insulting the intelligence of the committee members. Michael James used the term “negligence”. John Adams, the CDS, accused him of being to blame the previous government. Sérgio Figueiredo lost his temper. “I will not allow you to put words in my mouth.” Forgot committee label and dropped Mr. Deputy, dealing João Almeida for you. He retracted and then claiming exhaustion. Was being heard for more than three hours.

About the fall of the stock price is exalted and says the bank was worth “zero” and that “if an electrocardiogram was dead.” John Galamba, PS, shoots that information on the closure of the bank was false and that there were no documents on deposits. Sérgio Figueiredo admits he did not have any written document and the interpretation of the deposit guarantee “was not the most appropriate.” Mariana Mortágua questions after reading the code of conduct of journalists if “closure” is the same thing as “resolution” to the information officer of TVI rebate with the need to simplify economic terms. In the corrections news that night, went to use the term resolution

Looking abstracting if the heckling of Members -. To Antonio Filipe, president of CPI, had to intervene saying asides do part of political life – Sérgio Figueiredo defended his choice to disclose immediately information. “Journalism has fulfilled its function,” although he acknowledged that the situation is “uncomfortable” for TVI. He admitted the error – the statement of TVI information direction after the news proves that even – but pointed out that the importance given to the news TVI was “disproportionate” in the Banif outcome. “It’s a four-year film and TVI arrived at the last second.”

Still, Low Queluz station will face the process that is being prepared by Banif. Next Tuesday is the turn of Antonio Costa, journalist and commentator who led the process in writing, responding to Members.