To be heard by the Committee on Labor, Social Security and Inclusion, at the request of the Liberal Initiative party, about the financial situation of the Santa Casa da Misericórdia de Lisboa (SCML) and about the internationalization of social games, Francisco Pessoa e Costa began his speech by stating that he was dismissed on November 29, 2023, "in a rude, arrogant and slanderous manner".

"In my case, also illegal and unfair", he said, adding that, regarding the illegality, he has already filed "the appropriate legal actions" and pointing out that, with today's hearing, it is the first time that he is being heard and has the opportunity to restore the truth and the right to a good name.

Regarding the internationalization project of social games, the former administrator stressed that Ana Jorge's administration "has the legitimacy to say that it was not the right project to face the difficulties of the Santa Casa and that it was a project that had no future viability".

"What is being questioned is the way the project ended. The companies in Brazil were not closed, they were abandoned", criticized Francisco Pessoa e Costa, giving as an example of this fact that Ana Jorge's board stopped paying the rent of offices, stopped paying accountants, as well as other workers.

For Francisco Pessoa e Costa, it was the actions of Ana Jorge's administration that "killed the internationalization project" and was "the author of much of the current and future losses".

The former administrator added that Santa Casa Global invested 43 million euros in the internationalization project between 2020 and 2023, "of which more than 20 million euros were in investment".

"The previous board [of the provider Ana Jorge] sank more than 30 million euros in one year, in addition to what may still be known", he pointed out, arguing that the internationalization project was strategic for the "survival of the Santa Casa".

He denied that his administration was responsible for losses of 50 million euros or that a loss of that level was caused by the activity in Brazil, stressing that until June 2023, the total investment was 41.6 million euros, with Brazil corresponding to a value close to 30 million euros.

The former administrator stated that he was convinced of the internationalization project and argued that if the Santa Casa no longer wants this option, it has two alternatives: to change the ordinance for the distribution of social games and for the State institutes to start contributing to the Santa Casa's budget.

The former administrator argued that the internationalization project of social games "was not a strange idea", but was based on the development of a strategic plan "that involved many internal services of the Santa Casa, was led by the board itself and approved by two ministers, Vieira da Silva and Ana Mendes Godinho".

He pointed out that it was "a possibility of finding an alternative to the financially difficult situation" that the institution was heading towards, "greatly aggravated" by the pandemic and "by everything that the guardianship understood, giving the Santa Casa additional work, without the due financial return".

Regarding the sustainability of the institution, Francisco Pessoa e Costa warned that "for some time now" current revenues have not covered current expenses, to which is added a "structural problem in finances", aggravated by the pandemic and by the growth of online gambling.

According to the former administrator of Santa Casa Global, SCML spends 162 million euros annually on personnel costs, while the revenues from social games "are close to 190 million euros".

He also drew attention to the fact that, in the event of a possible surplus situation, in which revenues exceed expenses, the transfer of 39 million euros by the Social Security Institute may have contributed.

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