Golden Visa trial - verdicts delayed for the third time

Paul Rees 21 September 2018

macedo For the third time, the judge’s verdict in the Golden Visa corruption trial has been delayed, this time until December 21st.

The reason each time has been, “a lack of time to take a decision.”

Defendants include the former Minister, Miguel Macedo, (pictured) who resigned over revelations that the Golden Visa system had been abused by those charged with running it as well as third parties.

The presiding judge first pushed the reading of the ruling to May 2019, claiming there had been a lack of time in which to produce a ruling. He now has stepped down but set the December date for the conclusion of the trial which started in February 2017.

Miguel Macedo, the former Minister of Internal Affairs in the Pedro Passos Coelho government did what at first was seen as the honourable thing by resigning. He was arrested shortly after leaving office and made one of the formal suspects in Operation Labyrinth.

Other defendants include António Figueiredo, the former president of the Registry and Notary Office, and the former director of the Aliens and Borders Service.

Figueiredo, said in court that was "just trying to help Chinese friends" with their Golden Visa applications and hadn’t made any money out of it.

Accused of crimes of passive corruption for unlawful acts, undue receipt of advantage, trafficking of influence and prevarication, António Figueiredo decided to make a full statement in court to try and show that "there was no criminal intent" on his part.

There are 21 people keen to know whether they have been found guilty of crimes in a trial that showed many of those paid by the State to provide a public service, in fact engaged in self-service and a range of criminal acts.

Comments

+2 #4 Cicero 2018-09-23 16:12

If the investigators were allowed to follow the money trail unhindered by any political or judicial interference, far more corruption could be exposed but the powers that be in Portugal will never allow that to happen because it would be the thin end of the wedge, what if they were the next to be investigated and couldn't call in any favours from their cronies in public office.

https://www.transparency.org/news/feature/risk_of_impunity_increases_with_outcome_of_portuguese_angolan_corruption_tr

0 #3 nogin the nog 2018-09-22 21:30

Quoting John Stoddard:

Any mention of the Portuguese Judiciary, Legality and Policing only ever serves to emphasise how ill prepared Portugal was to be in the European Union 30 years ago. Much too retarded and driven by self taught inferiority to the northern EU States who did so well following the Treaty of Berlin 1878 that cemented their gains or justified further encroachment on what the Portuguese had seen as their own. The result in EU times being a total absence of the concept of Duty of Care in all Portuguese professions and social levels. As today .. Portugal belatedly forced to pretend to investigate these heavyweights by the major EU states wanting to know why Chinese, Russian and Brazilian Mafia etc are allowed access to them through Portuguese passports.

Hmm.
There is a very fine line between a state of Democracy and a state of Hypocracy.

0 #2 John Stoddard 2018-09-22 20:36

Any mention of the Portuguese Judiciary, Legality and Policing only ever serves to emphasise how ill prepared Portugal was to be in the European Union 30 years ago. Much too retarded and driven by self taught inferiority to the northern EU States who did so well following the Treaty of Berlin 1878 that cemented their gains or justified further encroachment on what the Portuguese had seen as their own. The result in EU times being a total absence of the concept of Duty of Care in all Portuguese professions and social levels. As today .. Portugal belatedly forced to pretend to investigate these heavyweights by the major EU states wanting to know why Chinese, Russian and Brazilian Mafia etc are allowed access to them through Portuguese passports.

0 #1 Peter Booker 2018-09-22 09:04

It is a strange system which allows a presiding judge to step down halfway through a case. Perhaps he has been overworked.

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