RTP suspends disputed subsidies as IGF audit scrutinizes board remuneration

The Portuguese public broadcaster RTP has halted the allocation of new subsidies that the Inspeção‑Geral de Finanças (IGF) flagged as potentially improper in its draft audit report covering 2018‑2024. The audit examined RTP’s financial and human‑resource management and identified hundreds of subsidy payments, amounting to less than 2 % of personnel costs, that were created before the audit period and are intended to attract and retain talent.

RTP’s Council of Administration, led by former chair Gonçalo Reis and current member Nicolau Santos, disagrees with the preliminary conclusions, noting that the draft report is not final and that the broadcaster and former administrators have submitted detailed defenses. The council emphasizes that the subsidies are largely grounded in the 2006 company agreement and internal regulations predating the 2011 public‑sector remuneration limits. RTP also points to a positive cumulative budget execution of €17 million over the audited period, with its accounts annually audited by the Fiscal Council, external auditors PWC and Deloitte, and approved by shareholders.

The controversy also brings the remuneration of three board members, totalling €334,000 for 2025, into focus, as the IGF audit spans two administrations, the first under Gonçalo Reis (2015‑2021). RTP says the suspension is a precautionary measure to protect the institution’s interests, not an admission of wrongdoing.