“The issue of Vale de Lobo never arose as a political topic or personal matter. I know nothing about Vale do Lobo,” said the former official (2005-2011) on the seventh day of interrogation in the Operation Marquês trial in Lisbon.
The Public Prosecutor’s accusation alleges that José Sócrates and then CGD administrator Armando Vara were bribed a total of two million euros by Vale do Lobo administrators, Diogo Gaspar Ferreira and Rui Horta e Costa, to benefit the development from 2006 onwards.
The charge is based on the assumption that Armando Vara was appointed to the public bank’s administration at the end of 2005 at the recommendation of José Sócrates.
“That is a lie. (…) I never nominated Armando Vara for any position,” Sócrates affirmed in court, clarifying that the former Secretary of State and Minister under António Guterres’ government (1995-2000) was proposed by his Finance Minister, Fernando Teixeira dos Santos.
The former Prime Minister added that at the time he even raised objections “from a political standpoint” to Armando Vara’s appointment to CGD, having commented to other government members that it could “cause problems.”
Ultimately, according to him, he agreed to Fernando Teixeira dos Santos’ proposal due to the latter’s insistence.
Today, José Sócrates also rejected having known at the time the administrators of Vale do Lobo.
The former Prime Minister, Armando Vara, Diogo Gaspar Ferreira, and Rui Horta e Costa are four of the 21 defendants in Operation Marquês, facing charges mainly of corruption and money laundering.
In general, the 21 defendants have denied committing the 117 economic and financial crimes attributed to them.
The trial began on July 3 at the Central Criminal Court of Lisbon and continues on September 9, with the ongoing interrogation of José Sócrates.
