Manuel Fernando Araújo / Lusa
The magistrate, who had already asked to leave the process parallel to Operation Marquis, must now be removed due to the appointment.
The judge Vitor Teixeira de Sousaresponsible for judging the secondary process of Operation Marquis, was appointed by the Workers’ Party to join the Superior Council of the Judiciary (CSM). The decision should remove him from handling the case involving former prime minister José Sócrates and businessman Carlos Santos Silva.
As the trial has not yet started, the appointment implies that the 49-year-old judge leave ownership of the process. The case could now be taken over by another judge at the court or subject to reassignment, potentially delaying the start of trials. At issue are accusations of three crimes of money laundering attributed to the two defendants, according to the .
The appointment of Vítor Teixeira de Sousa to the CSM comes after the judge himself tried to remove himself from the process. In September, he requested the annulment of the distribution of the case to the Central Criminal Court of Lisbon where he works, and, the following month, he declared himself incompetent to conduct the trial, arguing that the responsibility would lie with judge Susana Seca, who presides over the main case of Operation Marquês. However, both the Lisbon district and the Lisbon Court of Appeal rejected these arguments, forcing him to remain in the case.
The choice of an active judge to join the management and discipline body for magistrates is considered unusual. Usually, the names indicated by the Assembly of the Republic fall on jurists with an academic backgroundpolitician or lawyer.
The CSM Plenary Council is composed of 17 membersincluding the president of the Supreme Court of Justice, João Cura Mariano, vice-president Azevedo Mendes, representatives appointed by the President of the Republic, the Assembly of the Republic and also members elected by the judges.
Vítor Teixeira de Sousa’s trajectory also has links with political power. The magistrate served as chief of staff in governments led by António Costahaving worked with former Secretary of State Mário Belo Morgado and current socialist leader José Luís Carneiro, who was reportedly involved in his nomination.
