Fraud, corruption and money laundering: Portugal’s former Prime Minister José Sócrates sits now officially in custody. With him three more suspects were arrested.
The former Portuguese Prime Minister José Sócrates is in custody. Against the 57-year-old socialists will now be officially identified, said the Portuguese judiciary after the decision of the trial judge. He is accused of tax fraud, corruption and money laundering. The former prime minister was arrested unexpectedly on Friday. He was from 2005 to 2011 head of government of the country.
Besides Sócrates and the entrepreneur Carlos Santos Silva and Sócrates’ chauffeur João Perna were arrested. The lawyer Gonçalo Ferreira Trindade, however, was released conditionally. The three men were also arrested in connection with the affair of Socrates.
Trial detention may be imposed only when there is danger of escape of the accused, or if the judiciary is assumed that the suspect could compromise the investigation. Sócrates’ lawyer Joao Araujo described the decision to remand as “deeply unfair and unjustified”. He would appeal against it, he said.
Corruption scandal in Portugal:Luxury Apartment in Paris
The investigation of the Socialists rotate according to the prosecutor’s office to banking transactions and transfers of money of unknown origin. According to media reports, the investigators are mainly interested in buying a luxury apartment in Paris. Thus, it is unclear how Socrates had the money for the three-million-euro property.
As Portuguese media reported the state bank Caixa Geral de Depósitos had alerted the authorities after large sums were paid to the account of the politician. This could not be explained by Socrates’ undeclared income.
Against Sócrates had already taken place in the past allegations of corruption. As Environment Minister he approved shortly before the general election in 2002 the construction of a huge outlet center in a nature reserve south of Lisbon. Here bribe to be flown, the investigation was subsequently closed in 2010.
During his tenure Sócrates launched in the wake of the euro crisis unpopular austerity measures to restructure the budget. When the Parliament of his minority government refused to consent to the fourth austerity package within a year in March 2011, Sócrates resigned.
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