Sócrates Faces Geolocation Data in Court: Explosive Testimony in Operation Marquês Trial

Seventh Day of Operation Marquês Trial

On the seventh day of the high-profile Operation Marquês trial, former Portuguese Prime Minister José Sócrates continued his testimony in court, facing intense scrutiny from the prosecution.

Confrontation with Geolocation Data

The Ministério Público (Public Prosecutor's Office) began the session by confronting Sócrates with geolocation data from his mobile phone. This data pertained to a day when Sócrates admitted visiting the home of former banker Ricardo Salgado, but he firmly denied having dinner there, maintaining his innocence in the corruption allegations.

Dispute Over Recorded Conversations

Prosecutor Rómulo Mateus insisted on playing a recorded conversation from September 2014, in which Sócrates spoke with then Angolan Vice-President Manuel Vicente. Sócrates had asked Vicente to meet with executives from the Grupo Lena, a Portuguese construction company. Mateus argued that hearing the actual recording was crucial to understand the tone of the conversation, but Judge Susana Seca deemed it unnecessary since a transcript was already in the case files and Sócrates had acknowledged the call.

Sócrates expressed outrage, calling the move "pornography" and accusing the prosecution of humiliation, similar to a previous incident where a conversation with his ex-girlfriend Fernanda Câncio was played. He emphasized that the call was part of normal economic diplomacy to support Portuguese businesses, not linked to any corrupt activities.

Claims of Economic Diplomacy

Sócrates defended his actions, stating that he frequently assisted Portuguese companies by leveraging his good relationships, including with Grupo Lena. He cited this as a duty of a former government official to engage in economic diplomacy. When pressed to provide a list of all companies and individuals he had helped, Sócrates initially agreed but later backtracked, citing confidentiality issues and lack of authorization from the companies.

He contrasted his behavior with that of the current Prime Minister, referencing the Spinumviva case, and denied any wrongdoing, insisting that the support for Grupo Lena was due to a campaign event favor from one of its founders, Joaquim Barroca.

Background and Context

This trial is part of Operation Marquês, a major investigation into alleged corruption during Sócrates' tenure. On the previous day, the prosecution focused on proving that Sócrates lied under oath and denied favoring Grupo Lena in the TGV project, while Sócrates attacked the government of Passos Coelho.

For a detailed summary of earlier proceedings, read the synthesis.