In what has been described in the international media as a “political earthquake”, former Portuguese PM José Sócrates is today in court facing a welter of tax evasion and corruption charges.
The ex-Socialist leader who has for so long been associated with high-profile “scandals” was detained as he flew into Portugal from Paris, and is understood to have spent last night in custody awaiting today’s appearance in court.
According to news sources, Sócrates knew of the pending detention. He had actually checked-in to his flight for Portugal on Thursday, but a “leak of information” caused him to sit it out until Friday night while his lawyer made contact with DCIAP (the central department of penal action and investigation) leading inquiries.
Also tipped off were a number of Portuguese TV stations which raced to the airport to catch the drama as it unfolded.
As Lusa news agency points out, this is “the first time in the history of Portuguese democracy that a former PM has been detained for judicial interrogation”.
“It is a case that promises to have both judicial and political repercussions,” adds Lusa – while elsewhere European papers like France’s Le Monde have dubbed the situation “a political earthquake”.
The DCIAP investigation is being widely reported as having been ongoing for months.
The “key” to the alleged web of corruption is understood to have been Sócrates’ cousin José Paulo Bernardo Pinto Sousa, who is believed to have served as an intermediary for Sócrates in the moving of millions of euros to Switzerland and various offshores.
Also involved in the process were three others “at least one of whom is connected to Group Lena”, reports an exclusive in Correio da Manhã this morning.
A communiqué issued by the Attorney General’s office just after midnight last night confirmed the other detentions as follows: “As part of an inquiry led by the Public Ministry, in collaboration with DCIAP, in which crimes of fiscal fraud, money laundering and corruption are being investigated, and following diligences carried out over the last few days, four detentions have been made. Among those detained is José Sócrates.”
According to CM, the “starting point of the investigation was the list of clients of Sociedade Montenegro Chaves – a currency exchange bureau in downtown Lisbon run by Francisco Canas, known as ‘Zé das Medalhas’”.
Throughout Thursday, searches were ongoing “at Grupo Lena and other companies”, reports CM, while Sócrates and his lawyer remained “uncontactable”.
As news channels buzz – with political commentators being interviewed on practically every radio and TV station – Portuguese society is ever more aware that every single scandal in recent months has been sparked by “abuse of power”.
Luxury €3 million home in Paris prompted investigations
According to CM, investigations into the massive “Monte Branco” financial scandal led prosecutors to question the origin of money used by José Sócrates to buy his luxury €3 million home in Paris.
“Two people very close to Sócrates – his cousin and the head of Grupo Lena Carlos Santos Silva – are suspected of having managed elevated sums of money belonging to the former leader of the PS,” reveals CM.
Intriguingly, Sócrates has always measured his words when quizzed on the movement of money and offshores.
In interview with RTP last year, he said: “I have only had one bank account for the last 25 years. I have never had any stocks, offshore or foreign bank accounts. The first thing I did when I left the government (in 2011) was ask for a bank loan.”
But even so, Sócrates has been associated with allegations of high-level corruption and influence-peddling.
As Público reports this morning, his name “has been involved in a number of judicial processes, like the licensing of the Freeport development in Alcochete and the controversial phone-tappings in Face Oculta, but never has justice gone this far in relation to Sócrates”.
“Golden Visa” judge in charge of court hearings this morning
Following a week-long investigative marathon involving the latest embarrassing case of corruption in the issuing of Portugal’s Golden Visas, “super judge” Carlos Alexandre is now at the helm of this new process.
He will be overseeing interrogations today, backed by Rosário Teixeira – the prosecutor in the Monte Branco case.
According to CM, a number of recent scandals appear to be ‘linked’ in as much as people involved in them are all known to each other.
An example is the overlap in Monte Branco: Ricardo Salgado, former BES boss and detained within the investigation, was “close” with Sócrates, reports CM.
By: NATASHA DONN
