Portugal's Ministries of Defense and Finance are not revealing the total cost of interest associated with the purchase of the multi-mission frigates. The two ministerial departments refer questions to each other, but neither provides the information on the value of interest that will be paid by the country.
The frigate contracts, signed during José Sócrates's government, have been subject to public scrutiny. The overall program cost, including long-term interest, has never been fully transparent to Portuguese taxpayers.
Questions on the matter were directed to both ministries, but the responses were evasive. The Ministry of Defense refers to the Ministry of Finance, and vice versa, with neither providing the requested clarification.
The case is part of a series of controversies regarding military purchases in Portugal, where the lack of cost transparency has been a recurring concern. Without the interest data, it becomes impossible to calculate the true final cost of the frigate program for public coffers.
