The start date for the trial of this case was announced at the end of September, with further sessions scheduled for Tuesdays and Wednesdays in the coming weeks at the Lisbon Military Court, located in Campo de Santa Clara.
First made public in 2018, the case underwent an instructional phase, resulting in a decision in December 2022. Appeals by defendants, such as former judge Rui Rangel, contested the panel’s composition, while the Public Ministry (MP) also filed appeals opposing a potential division of the case into two parts, with one part being judged in a first-instance court. The Supreme Court granted the MP’s request.
On May 14, the Supreme Court appointed a new panel of judges for the Operação Lex trial after the presiding judge Jorge dos Reis Bravo requested retirement.
Following this retirement, an electronic draw conducted on May 13 resulted in a new panel with José Piedade as the presiding counselor, joined by counselor judges Ernesto Nascimento and Jorge Gonçalves, two of whom had served on the previous panel.
Only 16 of the 17 defendants will be judged, as businessman Ruy Carrera Moura, accused of active corruption for an illicit act, has passed away.
The MP’s indictment, disclosed in September 2020, was led by Deputy Attorney-General Maria José Morgado from the Supreme Court and focused on the activities of former judges Rui Rangel, Fátima Galante, and Luis Vaz das Neves. They allegedly exploited their positions at the Lisbon Court of Appeal for undue advantages, either personally or for third parties, which were concealed.
The Attorney-General’s Office stated that, to ensure the recovery of over 1.5 million euros in advantages obtained by the accused, an asset seizure was requested.
During the investigation, the Superior Council of the Judiciary expelled Rui Rangel from the judiciary and enforced Fátima Galante’s compulsory retirement. Vaz das Neves retired in 2016 and was replaced by Orlando Nascimento, who also subsequently left the position.
Rui Rangel faces charges including passive corruption for illicit acts, abuse of power, undue advantage, usurpation of functions, tax fraud, and document forgery. Fátima Galante is charged with passive corruption for illicit acts, abuse of power, tax fraud, and money laundering.
Vaz das Neves is charged with passive corruption for illicit acts and abuse of power, while Luis Filipe Vieira, former president of Benfica, and recently failed in his re-election bid, is accused of receiving undue advantage.
Other defendants include football businessman José Veiga, judicial officer Octávio Correia, lawyer José Santos Martins, his son Bernardo Santos Martins, and Bruna do Amaral, former girlfriend of Rui Rangel.
The Operação Lex process became known on January 30, 2018, leading to the arrest of five individuals and over 30 searches. It originated from a document extracted from the Operação Rota do Atlântico case, involving football businessman José Veiga, suspected of crimes including international trade corruption, money laundering, tax fraud, and influence peddling.
This week, the Portuguese Judges’ Union Association commented on the trial’s commencement, noting that while it is regrettable to see a judge on trial, it “indicates the justice system is effective.”
