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The court ordered the appointment of an unofficial lawyer to defend José Sócrates. The new representative of the former prime minister entered the hearing room and continues the session scheduled for this Wednesday, during which witnesses will be heard.
This development was confirmed to journalists following the Operation Marquês trial by a source at the Central Criminal Court of Lisbon.The resignation takes “immediate effect”, according to Pedro Delille’s request.
The origin of the lawyer’s decision will be the dispute he had with the group of judges in the case, including the presiding judge, Susana Seca.
“I inform your Excellency that I resign from the mandate given to me by the engineer José Sócrates Carvalho Pinto de Sousa to represent him in the process referred to above, which I do it for ethical reasons: I was definitively and absolutely convinced, after last Thursday’s episode, which adds to everything else timely reported, that Continuing in this trial does unbearable violence to my conscience and the ethics I impose on myself, my independence, integrity and professional and personal dignity – I repudiate and refuse to participate and validate, even one minute longer, in this mock trial, in this trial playing“, wrote Pedro Delille in the resignation statement, to which RTP had access.
Pedro Delille represented José Sócrates for 11 years, from the moment of the former socialist prime minister’s arrest, upon his arrival from Paris, at Lisbon Airport. He initially shared the defense with João Araújo, a lawyer who would later die of illness.
The dispute
Pedro Delille was the subject of a report to the Bar Association following the last session of the trial, on October 30th. The court then considered that the lawyer’s behavior collided with ethical duties.The lawyer arrived late to the session and Sócrates was represented by an unofficial lawyer.
Remember that the interview of the mother of the former prime minister was scheduled for last Thursday. But Pedro Delille presented a medical certificate the day before, claiming that the health condition of Maria Adelaide Monteiro, now 94 years old, made her presence at the trial unfeasible.
The presiding judge indicated that Delille justified, on the phone, having assumed that the session would start after 9:30 am, taking into account the presentation of the certificate. Susana Seca would later prevent the lawyer, already during the session, from explaining himself.
“You’re not going to scold me”say Evidence. “The fun is over”concluded the judge.
José Sócrates, aged 68, has been charged with 22 crimes, including three for corruption. The former prime minister is accused of having received money to benefit the Lena group, the Espírito Santo Group and the Vale do Lobo development, in the Algarve. The case includes 21 defendants, accused of a total of 117 economic and financial crimes.
The trial has been ongoing since July 3 at the Central Criminal Court of Lisbon. There are sessions scheduled until December 18th.
w/ Lusa
