Upon exiting the courtroom for the lunch break during the second session of the Operation Marquês trial, José Sócrates, who faces charges of 22 crimes – including three counts of corruption, 13 of money laundering, and six of tax fraud – became agitated with journalists.
“Don’t shout in my ears, you don’t need to shout for me to hear,” he retorted to a journalist attempting to question him about the statements made during today’s trial session.
“Have you seen any evidence of what they claim?” he asked, refusing to answer reporters’ questions.
“Not a single stone was left unturned [in the trial]. In my intervention, I had the opportunity to point out a report, from the Secretary of State, which establishes what has always been the Government’s position, one of neutrality,” he claimed, accusing the journalists of not wanting to “report” on that because they are “in cahoots with the system.”
“Over these 10 years, the Public Prosecutor’s Office (MP) has never presented any evidence. It’s enough for the Public Prosecutor to insult,” he asserted.
