Judge Ivo Rosa, the controversial judge ‘in charge’ of the Marquês corruption case involving former prime minister José Sócrates, had an ignominious arrival in Madeira for his summer holidays on Sunday.
According to local reports, he was expecting to be chauffeured to his destination – as is official protocol concerning his movements on the mainland – but Madeira’s regional command only furnished one PSP agent who was surprisingly on foot.
As a result, “after a bit of confusion”, the judge was forced to take the bus – in which the agent travelled also.
For reasons explained below, a police car followed the bus.
So why was judge Rosa not given a lift in the police car? Madeira’s PSP regional command has given a statement to Jornal da Madeira:
“All entities and citizens with a degree of threat that determines personal safety are transported in their own vehicles or in official vehicles of the respective services/ ministries, and, out of service, they must provide their own transport”.
“All entities and citizens with a degree of threat that determines personal safety are not transported, by general rule and only in unexpected exceptional situations in police cars”.
In the Madeira PSP’s mindset, Judge Rosa’s personal safety was secured at all times, if slightly differently than it is on the mainland.
