New date set towards Portugal’s “trial of the century”

A new date has been set on the bumpy road towards Portugal’s ‘trial of the century’, focusing on the alleged corruption of former prime minister José Sócrates.

Almost four years since the 60-year-old was arrested and later held in preventive custody - first in jail and then ‘under house arrest’ in Lisbon - superjudge Carlos Alexandre has finally scheduled September 3 for the so-called opening of judicial instruction, the final date by which Sócrates and the other 28 defendants can request an optional procedural phase, directed by a magistrate.

It is a moment, say reports, where the basis of the Public Ministry’s case could be given a form of ‘mini-trial’.

Hours after Lusa broke the news, SIC television was pre-releasing clips of Sócrates ‘exploding’ on camera during questioning ahead of its exposé this evening “O Confronto”.

José Sócrates has refuted all the claims against him (click here) since the very beginning, and there are many who believe Operation Marquês and all the razzmatazz and allegations that have filled newspaper columns since 2014 will amount to nothing.

Certainly the convoluted case has taken its time to get to court, and it is still not there. But at least we have a new date to work towards.

As Lusa recaps: the inquiry relates to the practice of almost 200 crimes of an economic-financial nature. Sócrates himself is accused of three crimes of passive corruption while holding political office, 16 of money-laundering, nine of falsification of documents and three of qualified fiscal fraud.

Salient points of the prosecution are that Sócrates received “around €34 million between 2006-2015 in return for favourable decisions extended to former banker Ricardo Salgado of Group Espírito Santo, Portugal Telecom, the Algarve’s Vale do Lobo resort and construction company Group Lena.

Defendants accused alongside Sócrates include Salgado, former PT directors Henrique Granadeiro and Zeinal Bava and former CGD director Armando Vara.

And the State is gunning for a total of €58 million in damages.

Article by kind permission of http://portugalresident.com/

Comments  

-1 #4 Plain Speaking 2018-04-20 14:08

I do believe that the financial crisis and subsequent bankruptcy of the country together with stern words from the BCE and its EU paymasters has sharpened minds and, hopefully, ethics in Portugal. I expect to see most of these individuals, contrary to popular opinion, doing heavy jail time.

+1 #3 nogin the nog 2018-04-19 12:03

hmm
The State is looking to get 58 Million in
damages. How much has all this cost the tax payer to date. Seems to me If Mr Socrates has earned X and has Y, surely the difference is up for grabs..

+2 #2 Guido 2018-04-19 11:50

As long as there will be be socialist governements... there will be NO SOCRATES TRIAL at all ! Believe me.

+8 #1 Jeff Brown 2018-04-17 20:04

If any of us foreigners have direct, or through supporting a friend, indirect experience of Portugal's judicial system you will be well aware that it was never intended to prosecute Portuguese VIP's. All this careful sifting through the evidence and, as in Socrates Freeport hubbub, giving ample opportunities for the defence to get serious evidence disallowed. The elite were always assumed to have 'honour' and so discipline themselves. Like in all Graeco-Roman countries the law is to be applied vigorously on low life's and foreigners. Who have no honour and many of the latter don't even speak the language. So these extra stages don't in reality exist.
Expect Socrates to finally be done for parking on a yellow line and being late re-licensing his dog. For which his lawyers will pay 100 euros in full and final settlement without any admission of guilt by their esteemed client.

Refresh comments list

You must be a registered user to make comments.
Please register here to post your comments.