The former Prime Minister, José Sócrates, clarified on Sunday that his trips to the United Arab Emirates in November “were paid for by the entities that invited me professionally,” following a news report that suggested he spent half of his annual lifelong political pension on these two trips.
“The news is not from the publication, but from the Public Prosecutor’s Office (MP), which continues its covert campaign against me. First, it was the duration of the trips; now, it’s their cost. They are wrong on both counts – I have clarified that the trips were under five-day periods, and now I am forced to clarify that they were paid for by the entities that invited me professionally. And, as they were professional and not political trips, I owe no explanations to anyone – except to defend myself against malicious media campaigns, as in this case,” José Sócrates stated in a communiqué sent to the newsrooms.
The former head of government also commented on the “black campaign” against him, stating that “this black campaign has been ongoing for 12 years, and its authors think it might last another 12.”
“Some tell me I should seek protection from the courts, but how, when the judiciary protects the aggressors and disregards the constitutional guarantees of citizens? Don’t we see this happening daily before our eyes? Right to privacy? Right to a good name? Right to reputation? All these seem relics of another time, of another democratic order, of another justice. Now what prevails is insult, affront, humiliation. And the worst of all is indifference – indifference, the dead weight of history,” he concluded.
Sócrates must report new residence or location if abroad for more than five days
On the previous Tuesday, the Public Prosecutor’s Office questioned Sócrates’ trip to the United Arab Emirates, suggesting it could be part of an escape plan, which might lead to changes in coercive measures.
This raised concern following an interview with CNN where the former Prime Minister mentioned being in the UAE for two weeks.
José Sócrates, on trial in the Operation Marquês case for 22 criminal charges, remains subject to an identity and residence warrant, which, while the least severe measure of restraint, requires notifying a new residence or location if leaving the country for more than five days.
The Public Prosecutor’s Office recalled, “It is manifest that he violated the existing statute” if it is true as stated in the interview that the defendant traveled to the Middle East during the said period.
Now, the Public Prosecutor’s Office wants José Sócrates to explain to the court which travels he undertook abroad and why they were not reported. Additionally, requests have been made for travel records from the Border and Foreigners Coordination Unit, the Passenger Information Office, and ANA – Aeroportos de Portugal for his entries and exits from the country. If unreported trips to the court are confirmed, coercive measures might be revisited.
“It is completely false that I traveled abroad exceeding the limit”
The same day, the former leader denied taking trips abroad longer than five days and dismissed any escape risk, asserting that he has always returned to Portugal, even when detained in 2014 under the Operation Marquês case.
“It is completely false that I made trips abroad exceeding the five-day limit after which I am required to communicate to the court the absence’s location. It is false, period,” Sócrates declared, in a statement to Lusa news agency.
In the note, the former Prime Minister sarcastically remarked that “12 years later” this is “the third escape risk” accusation he faces within the Operation Marquês case, presently adjourned until January due to his defense lawyer, Pedro Delille, stepping down.
“There was a flight risk at Lisbon airport in 2014 when I was entering the country, not leaving; there was a flight risk for pursuing a Ph.D. in Brazil; now, they claim there is a flight risk due to two trips to Abu Dhabi (on separate short trips, neither exceeding five days),” he said.
In his explanation, he also directed a critique at the Public Prosecutor’s Office: “The maneuver, once understood, is about reversing the terms: I denounced the prosecutors for allegedly leaking information to journalists about my private life; their response insinuates I’ve made illegal trips, implying a flight risk.”
According to the former Prime Minister, “The Public Prosecutor’s Office’s suspicions are not just comical, they are malicious.”
José Sócrates, 68, has been indicted for 22 crimes, including three counts of corruption, allegedly receiving money to benefit Lena Group, Espírito Santo Group (GES), and Vale do Lobo resort in separate matters. The case includes 21 defendants, generally denying the 117 economic-financial crimes charged against them.
The trial has been proceeding since July 3 at the Central Criminal Court of Lisbon, which clarified on November 11 that corruption crimes related to Vale do Lobo might expire in the first half of 2026.
The Public Prosecutor’s Office questioned José Sócrates’ alleged trip to the UAE, raising suspicion of potential flight risk. The former Prime Minister, however, denied these allegations, labeling them as “malicious.”
Márcia Guímaro Rodrigues with Lusa | 18:15 – 02/12/2025
