José Paulo Pinto de Sousa so far has managed to escape the Portuguese Justice system. He was destined to be the 29th defendant in the wide-ranging Operation Marquês inquiry into corruption and money laundering involving the former prime minister and many of Portugal’s hitherto untouchable elite.
The letter rogatory sent to Angola, where José Sócrates's cousin lives and has worked for many years, has not been answered by the Angolan authorities as, rather conveniently, they can’t seem to find out where Pinto de Sousa is living these days, so have been unable to notify him that the Portuguese authorities would like a word.
The Angolans admit the letter arrived a while ago but when José Paulo Pinto da Sousa, aka ‘Bernardo’, was tracked to his last given address at a clinic in Luanda, where he said he was undergoing treatment, the clinic director said that the Portuguese businessman indeed had been there for a consultation, but had never been hospitalised.
The businessman later supplied an address in the province of Benguela, where he lives and has business interests, but this proved to be an address at which no one lives.
The Portuguese Public Prosecutor's Office believes that José Paulo Pinto de Sousa acted for José Sócrates (both pictured above in a cousinly embrace) and handled at least €5.5 million from the Portuguese-Angolan businessman Helder Bataglia which was transferred to Carlos Santos Silva - José Sócrates's friend and co-defendant. The prosecutors say this was the same as handing over the money to Sócrates himself.
To establish links between Carlos Santos Silva and José Paulo Pinto de Sousa, this week's Sábado" magazine claims that José Paulo Pinto de Sousa was to get 80% of the €9.8 million bank balance held by an offshore company, the Belino Foundation, if Carlos Santos Silva died.
José Sócrates's denied to the attorney general Rosário Teixeira, that José Paulo would act for him in this way and that if Carlos Santos Silva died, he (Sócrates) would inherit the funds.
The hold-up caused by this elusive character is one of the reasons that the Attorney General, Joana Marques Vidal, allowed the prosecution deadline to be pushed back for the fifth time, stating at the time that the lack of response to the letter rogatory sent to Angola was one of the reasons for the postponement.
Time again is running out for the prosecution team as it has to report back to the Attorney General by the end of April on how its collection of evidence is going and whether all will be in place by the end of June so that formal charges can be announced.
José Sócrates' legal team has spend much time complaining about the length of time it is taking to charge their client, whom they claim is innocent as the driven snow.
As it is their client's cousin that is holding things up, maybe the former PM could persuade 'cousin Bernado' to come forward from his hiding place and answer some questions. After all, if everyone is as innocent as they claim, what is there to worry about...?
Comments
He can be tried in his absence, and if found guilty sentenced . The problem with corruption at this level is somewhat deeper than these puppets, ( its a bit like peeling an onion). As you peel back one layer you exspose another..