Portugal Defense Ministry to release frigate purchase documents

The Portuguese Ministry of Defense has guaranteed that the Assembly of the Republic and relevant auditing bodies will have access to all official documents regarding the purchase of three frigates from an Italian company. Defense Minister Nuno Melo stated he is available to provide clarifications to Parliament as requested.

The announcement follows controversy involving André Ventura, deputy Pedro Frazão, and the newspaper ‘24 Horas’. The Minister previously threatened legal action against them following reports alleging that a Portuguese company was excluded from the deal, which reportedly resulted in a loss of approximately €90 million in commissions.

In response to the scrutiny, the Ministry clarified that all maintenance for the acquired frigates will be conducted in Portugal. Additionally, the Ministry stated it has no knowledge of any relationship between the Italian shipbuilder and the Portuguese company NTG, denying any intermediation by the latter in the transaction.