Rodrigo Antunes / LUSA
José Sócrates leaving the Justice Campus
The complaints made by judge Susana Seca and president João Massano led to the opening of analyzes and disciplinary proceedings against Pedro Delille, José Prato and Sara Leitão Moreira.
Os three lawyers who resigned from defense of the former prime minister Joseph Socrates in the trial of Operation Marquês are facing disciplinary proceedings or investigations by the Bar Association (OA). At issue is mainly the way they abandoned the process without meeting the legal transition deadline.
The most advanced case involves For Pedro DelSócrates’ first lawyer in this trial, who is already the target of a formal disciplinary process at the Faro Ethics Council. Delille resigned his mandate immediately, without meeting the legal deadline of 20 days during which she was supposed to ensure the client’s defense, which led to the judge’s participation Susana Seca.
According to , this is already the eighth disciplinary process in the lawyer’s historywhich accumulates previous sanctions, including fines and a censure, in addition to archived processes and others covered by the papal amnesty.
Also José Preto e Sara Leitão Moreira they are under disciplinary reviewalbeit in preliminary stages. The investigations were launched after judicial participation and on the initiative of the OA president, João Massano.
José Preto is subject to a preliminary assessment at the Lisbon Ethics Council. Sara Leitão Moreira is now the target of an investigation process at the Coimbra Ethics Council, after having abandoned the trial on the same day in which he participated in a session, also without meeting the required transition period.
In view of successive resignations, Sócrates’ defense was temporarily handed over to an unofficial defender, Luis Estevesappointed by OA. The former prime minister, however, contests this appointment and tried to appoint a new lawyer, even appointing Filipe Baptista. However, this replacement did not go ahead, after the court refused to suspend the trial for ten days to allow the defense to prepare.
The Public Prosecutor’s Office considers that these successive resignations could be part of a dilatory procedural strategy designed to delay the trial and allow crimes to be prescribed. Recently, the PSD even seems to be tailor-made for the case where it suggests the suspension of limitation periods when there are changes of lawyers.
