Portugal’s Former PM Jose Socrates Faces Justice in Landmark Corruption Trial
Jose Socrates, who once served as Portugal’s prime minister, appeared in court on Thursday to face corruption charges in what local media are already calling the country’s “trial of the century.”
Socrates, who led the government from 2005 to 2011, stands accused of secretly amassing over €34 million (around $40 million) during his time in office. Prosecutors claim he orchestrated a complex scheme involving one of Portugal’s largest construction firms, a major bank, and a luxury tourism development in the south. They say he used a childhood friend as a go-between to conceal his role in the alleged operation.
He is being tried alongside 18 other individuals, all linked to the alleged network of influence and illicit financial dealings.
This case comes in the wake of a series of political scandals that have shaken Portugal in recent years. Last year’s government collapse followed Prime Minister Antonio Costa’s resignation after being named in a separate influence-peddling investigation—one that led to criminal charges against a cabinet minister. Costa’s successor as head of the Socialist Party, Pedro Nunes Santos, had also previously stepped down from government after facing scrutiny in an earlier controversy.
As for Socrates, he has spent nearly a decade fighting the charges, which first led to his arrest in 2014. Outside the courtroom on Thursday, he remained defiant.
“I have every right to fight this,” he told reporters. “It’s their job to prove the accusations, not mine.”
The trial is expected to stretch on for several months. The prosecution alone plans to call about 200 witnesses, a scale that underscores the weight of the allegations—and the intense public attention it’s drawing.
