Operação Marquês: Former PM Sócrates, Salgado and Bava charged with corruption

This Wednesday, the Public Prosecutor accused former Portuguese prime minister Sócrates and former BES chairman Salgado of the crimes of corruption within the Operação Marquês investigation. The news were disclosed in a press release. Among those charged for corruption is also Zeinal Bava, former CEO of PT, for the crimes of passive corruption, money laundering, forgery and two crimes of classified tax evasion.

"The facts under investigation occurred between 2006 and 2015. According to the accusation, to sum up, it was indicted that the defendants committed to public services or similar violated their professional duties with the purpose of gaining advantages.”

José Sócrates is charged of practicing three crimes of passive corruption as a politician, 16 money laundering crimes, nine forgery crimes and also three classified tax evasion crimes. Ricardo Salgado has also been charged for active corruption towards a politician, two active corruption crimes, nine money laundering crimes, three of breach of trust, three of forgery and three of classified tax evasion.

According to the Public Prosecutor, the actions of José Sócrates as prime minister and after no longer being in office allowed for the Group LENA to have trade advantages. The defendant Carlos Santos Silva, Sócrates’ friend from the Group LENA, worked as the middleman for former PM.

“The facts under investigation occurred between 2006 and 2015. According to the accusation, to sum up, it was indicted that the defendants committed to public services or similar violated their professional duties with the purpose of gaining advantages“, the Public Prosecutor explains, in a press release sent to newsrooms.

The final order for the proceeding has 4,000 pages. It includes around 200 searches, inquiries to over 200 witnesses and a collection of data from around 500 bank accounts, both domiciled in Portugal and abroad, as well as many more documentation both in paper and digital form.

The Central Bureau of Investigation and Prosecution accused 28 defendants within the Operação Marquês investigation:

Individuals:

1. José Sócrates (former PM);
2. Ricardo Salgado (former BES chairman);
3. Zeinal Bava (former CEO of PT);
4. Carlos Silva (businessman and Sócrates’ friend);
5. Joaquim Barroca (former administrator of the Group Lena);
6. Henrique Granadeiro (PT’s former manager);
7. Armando Vara (former minister and former CGD’s administrator);
8. Bárbara Vara (Armando Vara’s daughter);
9. Rui Horta e Costa (CTT’s non-executive manager);
10. José Diogo Gaspar Ferreira (former director of Vale do Lobo);
11. José Pinto de Sousa (José Sócrates’ cousin);
12. Hélder Bataglia dos Santos (businessman);
13. Gonçalo Trindade Ferreira (lawyer);
14. Inês Pontes do Rosário (Carlos Santos Silva’s wife);
15. João Antunes Perna (José Sócrates’ former driver);
16. Sofia Fava (José Sócrates’ ex-wife);
17. Luís Silva Marques (employee for Infraestruturas de Portugal);
18. José Ribeiro dos Santos (employee for Infraestruturas de Portugal);
19. Rui Antunes Mão de Ferro (partner and manager of several companies).

Companies:

1. Lena Engenharia e Construções, SA;
2. Lena Engenharia e Construção SGPS;
3. Lena SGPS;
4. XLM-Sociedade de Estudos e Projetos LDA;
5. RMF-Consulting, Gestão e Consultoria estratégica, Lda;
6. XMI – Management & Investments SA;
7. Oceano Clube – Empreendimentos turísticos do Algarve SA;
8. Vale do Lobo Resort Turístico de luxo SA;
9. PEPELAN – Consultoria e gestão SA.