Powerful people are still able to manipulate the justice system in Portugal. This is the view of securities regulator Carlos Tavares who gave evidence to the parliamentary commission investigating the ongoing scandal within stricken Grupo Espírito Santo (GES).
“Let me let off a bit of steam,” Tavares is quoted as saying, in answer to a question from a Left Bloc deputy, querying whether there was “a law for the rich and a law for the poor” in Portugal.
“Sometimes I wonder this myself. Our law allows those who have economic power to defer the application of law,” he said. “But for CMVM (the regulator headed by Tavares) everyone is equal and we can give proof of this.”
Reported in Diário de Notícias, Tavares then cited examples of irregularities uncovered in BCP and GES.
“If we had rapid justice, half the problems of the country would be resolved,” he added.
