Rodrigo Antunes / LUSA
José Sócrates leaving the Justice Campus
The successive postponements caused by the resignations of lawyers threaten to prevent the trial of active and passive corruption crimes related to Vale do Lobo, which expire in June.
The successive resignations of lawyers representing the former prime minister Joseph Socrates within the scope of Operation Marquis can put a significant part of the judicial process at risk, with the possibility of some crimes prescribe in the first semester 2026, says .
The most recent abandonment occurred on Tuesday, when Marco António Amaro became the eighth lawyer to leave Sócrates’ team. The situation is generating, mainly due to a legal vacuum that allows successive postponements of the trial whenever a lawyer resigns.
According to the Superior Council of the Judiciarythe crimes that run the greatest risk of prescription are those of active and passive corruption related to the alleged bribe of two million euros involving the Vale do Lobo tourist resort. According to the indictment of Public Ministrythe payment would have been made to Sócrates and the former administrator of Caixa Geral de Depósitos Armando Vara to facilitate the granting of a loan of 200 million euros to the Algarve resort.
Prosecutors allege that businessmen Rui Horta e Costa and Diogo Gaspar Ferreira will have bribed the two former political leaders from 2006 to benefit the real estate project. Armando Vara had been appointed administrator of the Caixa Geral de Depósitos in 2005, as recommended by then Prime Minister Sócrates.
Since November last year, when the lawyer For Pedro Del resigned from the defense, the court has faced successive postponements. According to the Public Ministry, at least 33 trial sessions were canceled and around 100 witnesses could have already been heard. Prosecutors accuse the former ruler of holding the process “hostage” to a “carousel” of lawyers who abandon the defense, causing new interruptions.
Given the situation, the judge Susana Seca determined that Marco Antônio Amaro remain in office until formally replaced and be present at the next session, scheduled for March 17th.
To avoid further delays, the court also decided to proceed with hearing recordings of statements made during the investigation and the pre-trial phase. In total, it is planned around 102 hours and 57 minutes of recordingsequivalent to approximately 20 trial sessions. This material includes around seven and a half hours of statements from witnesses who have since died.
At the same time, the Bar Association opened a preliminary assessment process against lawyer Sara Leitão Moreira, following a complaint filed by the Court. The jurist, also hired by Sócrates, left a session after the group of judges had to analyze the case.
