José Sócrates was at the Justice Campus this Tuesday for another session of the Operation Marquês case. The former Portuguese prime minister expressed strong indignation towards the judge in the case, considering it "absolutely scandalous" that she "insists" on assigning him a court-appointed lawyer.
Sócrates had already appealed the judge's previous decision to appoint a court-appointed defender, but the court upheld the decision. Sócrates's defense lawyer, José Pinto, was not present at this session, which apparently led to the insistence on appointing a lawyer in his absence.
The case is proceeding at the Lisbon Criminal Instruction Court, where the hearings of the Operation Marquês case are taking place. This is another stage in the prolonged legal proceedings involving the former socialist government official and dozens of defendants.
Operation Marquês is investigating suspicions of corruption, tax fraud, and money laundering related to alleged business dealings by Sócrates while he was prime minister, including alleged multimillion-dollar transfers from Brazil to Portugal through foreign bank accounts.
