Offering a taste of things to come, Expresso boldly announced on Saturday that the Portuguese prosecutor's office formally is to accuse former Portuguese PM, José Sócrates, of corruption and money laundering, among other less serious crimes.
According to sources close to the trial cited by the media, 80% of the accusations are already written up and will be presented well before the November 20th deadline set by the prosecutor’s office.
If these accusations finally are confirmed, this would be unprecedented in the history of Portuguese justice - the first time a prime minister has been the central figure in a judical process.
Sócrates was arrested in November 2014 at Lisbon airport on suspicion of corruption, money laundering and tax fraud. He was held in Évora prison for almost 10 months and then allowed home under house arrest for six weeks before being allowed free movement.
The last letter rogatory, sent to the Swiss authorities, was not answered until last month but has set the 90-day clock ticking before which the former PM must be charged, if he is to be charged at all.
The former prime minister and his team of lawyers repeatedly have complained at the delays and have accused the Public Ministry of breaching legal deadlines for such investigations.
Sócrates is but one of the thirty plus accused in Operation Marquês, among them the former president of Banco Espírito Santo, Ricardo Salgado; two former presidents of the Portugal Telecom, Zeinal Bava and Henrique Granadeiro, and several prominent businessmen.
Leaks to the press indicate that Sócrates, who headed of the Socialist administration from 2005 to 2011, controlled a fortune of more than €20 million concealed in a complex web of overseas bank accounts, with the help of front men.
