The Public Prosecutor's Office has acknowledged during the instructional debate of a mini-trial stemming from Operation Marquês, taking place this Tuesday at the Justice Campus in Lisbon, that half of the 12 crimes charged against former Prime Minister José Sócrates and his friend Carlos Santos Silva have expired. Among the expired crimes is the rental of a Paris apartment by the businessman to the former government official.
In April 2021, Judge Ivo Rosa nearly dismantled the prosecution's case in this mega-trial—a decision later overturned by the Lisbon Court of Appeal, which in January 2024 revived the charges. However, the magistrate concluded that Sócrates and Santos Silva had committed some offenses: document forgery and money laundering, notably due to the alleged fictitious rental of a Paris apartment where Sócrates lived and the use of bank accounts belonging to Santos Silva's wife and Sócrates' driver for transferring illicit funds.
The forgery extended to service contracts between an alleged front man for Santos Silva and individuals actually working for Sócrates, including payments for writing his book A Confiança no Mundo and supporting a pro-government blogger. Prosecutor Rosário Teixeira admitted that, unlike money laundering, the forgery crimes—related to the Paris apartment rental and service contracts—have expired.
With Judge Rosa now at the Lisbon Court of Appeal, Judge Sofia Marinho Pires presided over the new instructional debate to decide whether to send Sócrates and Santos Silva to trial for the non-expired crimes. While the prosecution admits six crimes have expired, Sócrates' lawyer argues all 12 have, citing the decade-plus since his client's arrest.
The main Operation Marquês trial, involving 22 defendants including Sócrates, Santos Silva, and Ricardo Salgado, starts next month, with Sócrates charged with 22 crimes, including passive corruption, and calling the current Council of Europe president as a witness, despite recent criticism of António Costa.
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