Macau (MNA) – Portuguese justice suspects that the former president of Banco Espírito Santo (BES) had transferred some 30 million euros (more than MOP230 million) to Macau seven months before the bank went bankrupt.
The news was broken on Monday by Portuguese daily newspaper Correio da Manhã, which cites an accord from the Court of Second Instance in Lisbon.
Judges cannot find an explanation for the reference ‘arrived at Macau 30m €’ from December 11, 2013 found in the personal agenda of Ricardo Espírito Santo Silva Salgado, seized during investigations.
When questioned by police, the former president of BES said he could not decipher the content of the note.
The newspaper contacted Mr. Salgado’s spokesman, who said he did not comment on any lawsuits.
BES had, since 1995, a bank operating in Macau, BES Oriente – called Novo Banco – following bankruptcy in 2014. In 2017, the licence was sold to Well Link Group Holdings, based in Hong Kong.
The news reported by Correio da Manhã makes no mention of the fate of the money, with the daily noting judicial investigation has been unable to confirm the transfer.
It is only known that the Portuguese court sent letters rogatory to several countries suspected of having received millions from Mr. Salgado, one of them being China.
