New headquarters of the Bank of Portugal: “It was a collective decision and not a decision of the Governor”, says Centeno
When confronted about this decision being made at the end of his term, Centeno responded: "We've been working on this particular project for a year and a half, since the end of 2023. Dozens of people have worked on this project, both inside and outside the bank. It's a collective decision, not the Governor's."
Former Governor of the Bank of Portugal Mário Centeno was interviewed by RTP this Friday to clarify the deal surrounding the new headquarters of the Bank of Portugal. According to Centeno, the decision was "collective" and involved a year and a half of work on the project.
"The bank has almost 180 years of history, and the bank is not its governor. The bank has been waiting decades for this investment. It's an investment, not a cost. It took eight governors and twenty-two finance ministers to get to this point today," emphasized Mário Centeno.
Mário Centeno assured that "the bank views this step with great anxiety and expectation." "It is very important to respect it; the bank always follows best practices and maintains financial rigor in all its decisions. We are talking about a contract between the central bank and Portugal's largest insurance company. Most Portuguese people have, or have had, at some point in time, a contract with Fidelidade. I think it is very reckless to raise doubts about these contractual relationships established by the central bank."
“The board of directors decided so, it was more than 50 years ago,” he said.
When confronted about this decision being made at the end of his term, Centeno responded: "We've been working on this particular project for a year and a half, since the end of 2023. Dozens of people have worked on this project, both inside and outside the bank. It's a collective decision, not the Governor's."
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