José Sócrates has appointed José Preto as his new lawyer in the Operação Marquês case. Preto is known for having represented former Sporting president Bruno de Carvalho in a legal action against the club’s management.
The trial has been suspended until December 4 after the former prime minister and main defendant in the case dismissed his court-appointed lawyer, José Manuel Ramos.
The issue with Sócrates’ defense began with the resignation of Pedro Delille. The lawyer described the proceedings as a “sham trial” and attributed his departure to “ethical reasons.” Sócrates later requested the judge to end what he described as a “regrettable and degrading spectacle” of having a representative he did not choose.
The former prime minister and main defendant in the Operação Marquês case, José Sócrates, requested the case’s judge to end what he described as a “degrading spectacle” of having an unchosen lawyer.
Lusa | 06:12 – 10/11/2025
Sixty-eight-year-old José Sócrates has been formally accused of 22 crimes, including three counts of corruption, for allegedly receiving money to favor different dossiers involving the Lena Group, Espírito Santo Group, and the Vale do Lobo Algarve resort.
The case involves a total of 21 defendants who have generally denied the 117 economic-financial crimes attributed to them.
The trial has been ongoing since July 3 at the Central Criminal Court in Lisbon and is currently interrupted, with over a hundred witnesses still to be heard.
[Updated at 13:41]
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