Judges Rui Rangel and his estranged wife Fátima Galante are reported to be appealing the decision of the Superior Council of Magistrates, which banned both from practising – as a result of corruption investigation Operation Lex – before either was formally accused.
If successful, says Expresso, Rangel could end up receiving his judge’s salary in full as he awaits the trial on suspicions of tax fraud, influence peddling and money-laundering.
Readers may recall that Rangel was the judge who decided to return millions of euros worth of confiscated property to Angolan businessman Álvaro Sobrinho, former head of BES Angola, who has never fully answered questions on the bank’s missing hundreds of millions (click here).
Rui Rangel’s name has also been linked to other investigations, namely Operation Rota do Atlântico (click here).
