Rodrigo Antunes / LUSA
José Sócrates leaving the Justice Campus
The Public Ministry demands access to the record of all Sócrates’ departures from Portugal in 2025 after the former prime minister stated that he spent two weeks in the United Arab Emirates.
The Public Ministry (MP) asked judge Susana Seca to notify José Sócrates to explain recent trip to the United Arab Emiratesafter the former prime minister stated in an interview with CNN Portugal that he was out of the country for two weeks.
At issue is the possibility that Sócrates may have violated the Identity and Residence Term (TIR), which prevents absences of more than five days without prior communication to the court. In the request consulted by , attorneys Rui Real, Rómulo Mateus and Hugo Neto admit that they do not exclude that the relocation may have been deliberately omitted and be a sign of a possible plan to escape justice within the scope of the Operation Marquês process.
According to the MP, there is no indication in the records that Sócrates communicated the trip or provided an alternative address for the period in which he was absent. If the trip to the Middle East is confirmed, this would represent a violation of coercive statuteopening the possibility of worsening coercive measures.
Prosecutors emphasize the importance of finding out how many times the defendant may have left the country without informing the court and ask that information be collected from border and airport traffic control entities. Specifically, they request that the Borders and Foreigners Coordination Unit, the Passenger Information Office and ANA – Aeroportos de Portugal provide, within 10 days, all entry and exit records by José Sócrates for the year 2025.
In a response sent to the Observer, the Attorney General’s Office stated that the MP will evaluate the measures to be promoted with the presiding judge, ensuring that it will act in accordance with legality and within the scope of the process.
The possibility of more severe coercive measures remains open at this stage, including a possible ban on leaving abroadhouse arrest or even preventive detention. It is recalled that Sócrates has already served preventive detention for around 10 months between 2014 and 2015, after being detained at Lisbon airport.
