Asked whether the government was isolated, faced with the criticisms of the Communists and Left Bloc who want the bank to be nationalised, Santos Silva refused to make any further comments.
“The negotiation process of the sale of Novo Banco is proceeding, it is in the final phases, let’s wait for the conclusion and then we can debate whatever is necessary”, he said.
Earlier, Portuguese Prime Minister António Costa had said that he expected the sale of the Novo Banco bank to be concluded by the end of this week.
Last week, Portugal’s Finance Minister, Mário Centeno, said negotiations for the sale of Novo Banco were going well, adding that conditions were in place for an agreement, although the deal had not been closed.
“Negotiations as part of the process for the sale of Novo Banco are going well, we consider that there are conditions for an agreement,” said Centeno at a press conference, declining to give further details.
Since February, the Government has been negotiating the sale of Novo Banco exclusively with US fund Lone Star.
The Governor of the Bank of Portugal, Carlos Costa, said in parliament that exclusive negotiations were underway with US fund Lone Star for the sale of Novo Banco, noting the complexity of the process.
“My hope is that after this process ends the transitional bank can be considered a case study on a European level,” Carlos Costa said, noting he believed the deal would go ahead.