Lawyer refuses to represent Sócrates. He is a Chega activist and has already praised him

Lawyer Inês Louro was asked by the judge to represent Sócrates after the prime minister’s lawyer was hospitalized with pneumonia.

The Operation Marquês trial was interrupted again this Tuesday, at the Justice Campus, in Lisbon, after José Sócrates’ lawyer, José Preto, informed the court that he was hospitalized with pneumonia, with no expected discharge.

The absence of an effective defense for the former prime minister led judge Susana Seca to order the appointment of an unofficial lawyerwhich once again delayed a process already marked by successive postponements.

The first lawyer called, Inês Lourorefused the appointment citing “conscientious objection“. A Chega activist and former president of the Parish Council of Azambuja for the PS, Louro claimed that her current political positions are “completely different” from those of José Sócrates, which would prevent her from representing him ethically. The lawyer acknowledged personal respect for the former prime minister and the presumption of innocence, but stressed that she has been politically critical of the process and of the defendant himself, says .

The refusal gained special attention because it contrasts with Inês Louro’s old statements. In 2011, still as a socialist activist, he publicly expressed admiration for Sócrates, whom he described as “a intelligent, competent person with a strong personality“, going so far as to say that he would like to meet him in person. A decade later, he left the PS, ran for Chega for the Chamber of Azambuja in 2021 and ran again in 2025.

Faced with the refusal, the court called a second unofficial lawyer, Ana Velhowhich also asked to be releasedclaiming that he was unable to immediately take on the defense in a highly complex case, even without the presence of the defendant in court. Unlike her colleague, the request was refused. The judge gave him a period of five days to contact José Sócrates and analyze the case, determining that the trial be resumed on the 13th this month. The hearing has been suspended since November 11, 2025.

The new postponement exacerbates concerns around the statute of limitations for crimes. Corruption crimes related to the Vale do Lobo project prescribe in the first half of this yearwhile others, such as document forgery, have already fallen.