The new provider of the Santa Casa da Misericórdia de Lisboa takes office this Monday, after almost a month of deadlock in the institution.

It is worth remembering that the administration of the Santa Casa de Lisboa was dismissed on April 29, with the Minister of Labor, Solidarity and Social Security justifying the decision to remove Ana Jorge and her team due to "total inaction" in the face of the financial situation in the institution and for not having a restructuring plan to reverse it, having also accused the dismissed Board of having benefited itself with salary increases.

Ana Jorge took office on May 2, 2023, chosen by the previous socialist government of António Costa, and inherited an institution with serious financial difficulties, after years of pandemic and a process of internationalization of social games, carried out by the administration of the provider Edmundo Martinho, which may have caused losses in the order of 50 million euros

Last week, the Minister of Labor, Maria do Rosário Ramalho, accused the dismissed provider of the Santa Casa de Lisboa "of having found a financial cancer, but treated it with paracetamol", pointing out that the financial situation worsened with Ana Jorge.

On the same day, the Government announced the choice of economist Paulo Alexandre Sousa as the next provider of the Santa Casa da Misericórdia de Lisboa, justifying the name chosen with experience in management and in the social area.

The choice immediately generated controversy, with the media reporting that Paulo Alexandre Sousa had been banned four years ago by the Central Bank of Mozambique from holding social positions and management functions in credit institutions and financial companies for three years.

The PS questioned the Government on Friday about the case related to the inhibition that existed on the economist and whether this affects the suitability, capacity and competence of the new provider.

Paulo Alexandre Sousa will assume a three-year term, until 2027. The 56-year-old economist has a degree in Business Management from the Instituto Superior de Economia e Gestão (ISEG), having worked in banking, namely as chairman of the executive committee of Banco Comercial e de Investimentos, S.A and by the Central Directorate of Real Estate Financing of Caixa Geral de Depósitos (CGD).

Internationally, between 2013 and 2019 he represented the interests of CGD in Mozambique, having also been a representative of Portugal in the Economic Affairs Committee, within the European Mortgage Federation.

"He also has experience in the social area, having been vice-president of the Portuguese Red Cross, being part of the board of the Costa do Estoril nucleus for two terms. In the current term, he returned to integrate the aforementioned board. He has experience in matters related to the real estate sector, having been responsible for the creation of the Social Rental Market", said the Government statement announcing the appointment.

Still in the real estate sector, he was also in charge of managing an urban development fund, supervised by the Institute for Housing and Urban Rehabilitation and by CGD.

He also has experience in teaching in higher education, in the areas of Mathematics, Financial Marketing, Management and Real Estate.

Paulo Alexandre Sousa will take office at 5:30 pm, at the facilities of the Santa Casa da Misericórdia de Lisboa. The Prime Minister, Luís Montenegro, will attend the ceremony.

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