Sócrates’ new lawyer asks for 5 months to consult the Operation Marquis process

The former prime minister accuses the court of unfairly viewing his requests for extended deadlines as delaying maneuvers.

José Sócrates informed the court, in a request dated February 8, that he has already chosen the new lawyer who will take over his defense within the scope of Operation Marquês. The chosen one is Sara Leitão Moreiraa lawyer with individual practice specializing in Criminal Law, according to the report.

In the two-page document written on the day of the presidential elections, the former prime minister states that his new defender will request an extended deadline to prepare the defense, citing the size and complexity of the process.

In the request, Sócrates maintains that, “as is legitimate and justified given the size of the case”, the lawyer will ask for time to analyze the files. The former ruler also cites the European Convention on Human Rights to emphasize that he must have, “at a minimum”, adequate time to prepare his defense.

The replacement comes after the resignation of previous lawyerJosé Preto, who abandoned the case following Judge Susana Seca’s decision not to suspend the trial to allow him to fully recover from pneumonia. José Preto had requested 5 and a half months to consult the process, but the court only granted 10 days.

Now, Sara Leitão Moreira must go to court this Tuesday to find out the deadline that will be given to her. Like her predecessor, the new lawyer intends torequire a period of 5 months to analyze the process.

In the application, Sócrates recalls that this is already the fourth defense he has constituted in the process, after the death of João Araújo and the resignations of Pedro Delille and José Preto. The former prime minister criticizes the reading that, according to him, the court has made of successive procedural incidents, suggesting that they were seen as delaying maneuvers. “It’s not true, it’s not fair — here I am innocent too”, he writes.

Between the departure of José Preto and the choice of Sara Leitão Moreira, Sócrates was represented by an unofficial lawyer, Ana Velho. However, the representative abdicated from consulting the process and was always refused by the former head of Government.