Defense of the former Portuguese Prime Minister denies meetings with former Angolan vice-president. Among other crimes, José Sócrates is accused of receiving 34 million euros to facilitate business also in Angola
The former socialist prime minister is accused of having received around 34 million euros to favor the interests of ex-banker Ricardo Salgado, of the Espírito Santo group, which had strong links with Angola through the extinct BESA. The amount will have been transferred between 2006 and 2015.
Still, Socrates has denied all the charges that are hanging over him. The prosecution alleges that Sócrates made trips to Angola and found former Vice President Manuel Vicente to open doors to Grupo Lena – a holding company with operations in several segments. Lena is one of the largest business groups in Portugal at the time, it was managed by Joaquim Barroca – also accused in Operation Marquês.
According to prosecutors, Socrates’ alleged articulation to favor the Lena Group could have resulted in “gloves” for the former head of government. Delille denied that the trip would have happened and said that Socrates’ meeting with Vicente did not happen. “You are mistaken,” said the defender in terse responses to the DW Africa report. The news from DW recalls that the visit to Angola would have taken place within the scope of economic diplomacy “to create a good impression”, considering that “Angola has always been a priority in Portuguese foreign policy”. However, in his testimony in the instruction phase, Socrates called the charge “monstrous, unjust and completely absurd”.