During the testimony of one of the witnesses in today’s hearing for the ‘Operation Lex’ trial, judicial staff member Paula Coelho from the Lisbon Court of Appeal, lawyer Miguel Matias, representing Vaz das Neves, requested the inclusion of a set of photographs from a surprise birthday party for the former appellate judge, which was held at the court and organized by staff members.
The aim was to demonstrate that Vaz das Neves maintained a close relationship with staff, appellate judges, and Public Prosecutors, including Maria José Morgado, identified in the photos as one of the participants in the birthday party and who led the investigation for ‘Operation Lex’.
Miguel Matias justified the need to add these photos to the case file to counter the Public Prosecutor’s claim of an “exceptional, atypical close relationship” between Vaz das Neves and former appellate judge Rui Rangel, who in text messages referred to the former president of the Lisbon Court of Appeal as “Luisinho”, which had already been addressed in previous sessions.
Public Prosecutor Vítor Pinto stated that although he did not see any connection between the name “Luisinho” and the attached photos nor their “relevance for uncovering the truth”, he did not oppose their inclusion in the case, which the presiding judge, counselor José Piedade, granted.
Although the birthday cake presented in the photos had “Congratulations, Luís” written on it, staff member Paula Coelho assured that this was not how Vaz das Neves was addressed in court, where she never heard him being called either Luis or ‘Luisinho’, as he was addressed as “Mr. President”.
Paula Coelho was questioned about Rui Rangel’s relationships, mentioning that he maintained closer ties with “two or three appellate judges” and with staff member Otávio Correia, a defendant in the case with whom he always had “matters to discuss” unrelated to court operations.
Concerning the case in the Lisbon Court of Appeal involving businessman José Veiga, Paula Coelho confirmed previous accounts by Vaz das Neves regarding a request from then-prosecutor Maria José Morgado to the former president of the Lisbon Court of Appeal to have this case withdrawn from distribution to the 9th section of the court, where defendant and judicial staff member Otávio Correia, mentioned in this case, worked.
‘Operation Lex’ became publicly known on January 30, 2018, with five people being detained and more than 30 searches executed. It originated from an excerpt extracted from the ‘Operation Atlantic Route’ case, which involved football businessman José Veiga.
The Public Prosecutor’s accusation was made public in September 2020, with the investigation of ‘Operation Lex’ carried out by deputy general prosecutor Maria José Morgado at the Supreme Court of Justice, focusing on the activities of former appellate judges Rui Rangel, Fátima Galante, and Luis Vaz das Neves. According to the accusation, they used their roles in the Lisbon Court of Appeal to obtain undue advantages, for themselves or third parties, which they concealed.
The case, involving 16 defendants, generally addresses crimes of corruption, abuse of power, money laundering, and tax fraud, among others.
