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Portugal’s former Prime Minister: detainees Socrates defends himself against corruption charges / Breaking News

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Portugal’s former Prime Minister is imprisoned for tax evasion, corruption and money laundering in prison – now claims José Sócrates, the allegations were “unfair and unfounded”. However, there remain many questions.

The jailed for corruption Portuguese former Prime Minister José Sócrates has denied the allegations against him as “absurd”. The 57-year-old sitting since Tuesday remanded him to corruption, tax fraud and money laundering accused. These accusations designated Sócratres now in a letter as “unfair and unfounded”.

Shortly after his arrest last Friday had Sócrates, who had ruled Portugal from 2005 to 2011, said in a statement that the case against him was “politically motivated”. His socialist party with whom he had enforced a rigid austerity in his reign, sitting now in the opposition. 2011 was Sócrates resigned as head of a minority government, because Parliament had rejected a fourth austerity package within one year.

Sócrates was arrested unexpectedly on Friday, after the serious allegations against him became known. Besides Sócrates and the entrepreneur Carlos Santos Silva and Sócrates’ chauffeur João Perna were arrested. The lawyer Gonçalo Ferreira Trindade, however, was released conditionally. Sócrates’ lawyer Joao Araujo described the decision to remand as “deeply unfair and unjustified” and announced to appeal against.

Portugal’s former Prime Minister:Where do the millions come from?

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.

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