José Sócrates has convinced himself that his is innocent of any wrongdoings he may be charged with and blames his continued incarceration on a move by the current government to prevent a Socialist Party victory in the general election on October 4th this year.
The former PM could have spend the weeks since June in the comfort of his own home but a condition of his release was for him to sport an electronic ankle bracelet which he was not prepared to do.
In a letter sent to news services today, Sócrates wrote of his "legitimate suspicion" of being put and kept in Évora prison for political reasons.
Sócrates accused the justice system of having made "a monstrous mistake" by holding him on suspicion of corruption, tax fraud and money laundering because he is innocent of all charges, should he ever be charged of course as currently the state is holding him ‘while investigations are ongoing.’
"At the end of these nine long months, I believe it is time for all to conclude that I was arrested without any evidence against me. A benign interpretation, although still unacceptable, is that my arrest was to enable prosecutors to investigate me. As time goes on, the legitimate suspicion grows that the real motivation for this process is to prevent a Partido Socialista victory. It turns out that my imprisonment is not on the grounds of justice, but is for political reasons."
Sócrates says he has nothing to do with suspected corruption in Portugal, Angola, Venezuela, "perhaps in Algeria" and "again in Portugal in the Algarve,” referring to the latest money trail that seems to have originated in Vale de Lobo and ends up in Switzerland.
In addition to the well covered areas to which Sócrates’ name is being linked, investigators from the Operation Marquês team are looking at his role in various road projects, a school refurbishment programme, and the high-speed train link that cost the state millions in fees before being cancelled by Passos Coelho.
It is not clear how the former PM’s continued incarceration will give the upper hand to the Passos Coelho coalition or any other of Portugal’s political parties but it is convenient for Sócrates to blame a political motive for his current situation.
The media today was not overwhelmed by Sócrates’s arguments, none of which are new, and pointed out that he has not answered the main question, how did he get to be a multi-millionaire on a prime minister’s salary?
In an incident that sums it all up, it was reported today that the buyer of Sócrates’ luxury apartment in Lisbon, Pakistani lawyer Makhdoom Ali Khan, was convinced that he was buying it fully furnished for €675,000 but when his lawyer opened the door he was faced with rooms devoid of all furniture. Contracts are being checked, as is the source of the Pakistani's money in a routine follow up as he has applied for a Golden Visa.
