José Sócrates' one remaining lawyer claimed today that he had not been informed that the interrogation of his client was being filmed and accused the Public Prosecutor, involved in Operation Marquês, of lying.In a statement entitled "The Prosecutor Lied," lawyer Pedro Delille rejected statements aired on Friday in an RTP programme in which the prosecutor said that Sócrates and his lawyers knew perfectly well that that interview would be recorded on video and audio.
Delille says that neither Sócrates nor his legal team, "were informed that the interrogation was being filmed,” and that they had not consented to recordings being made.
"In fact, the record of this interrogation does not even show the beginning and end of each recording, contrary to what the law requires," added the lawyer.
According to the Delille, the Public Prosecutor, Filipe Preces, "therefore consciously and deliberately did not tell the truth.”
The former-PM's defence lawyer also stated that a protest was filed near the beginning of the interrogation, because of frequent leaks to the media.
Last Friday, Sócrates announced that he will be helping in a criminal case opened by the Attorney General's Office about videos of his interrogations that has been leaked and broadcast.
According to Sócrates, the transmission of the videos "is a crime" and "the main suspects are the prosecutor and the judge" in Operation Marquês.
The Public Prosecutor's Office has started an investigation into the leaked interrogations and consider that the "disclosure of these records is prohibited."
SIC already has released recordings of the former PM and other witnesses being questioned, as part of a report on the political and financial scandal that has shocked the country.
Opeartion Marquês has 28 defendants, accused variously of economic and financial crimes, including corruption and money laundering.
