One of the lawyers acting for jailed former-Prime Minister José Sócrates has until Tuesday to confer with his client to see if Sócrates will accept home detention with an electronic ankle bracelet.
Previously, lawyer João Araújo has said that this sort of electronic surveillance is not an option for his client but with Sócrates having spent since last November in jail awaiting charges, a change of tactics may be on the cards.
The prosecutor Rosário Teixeira has said all along that Sócrates is a flight risk and that he might well be able to meddle with the case if allowed home.
Teixeira now has softened, much of the evidence has been gathered, so he would not be averse to allowing the former socialist prime minister home to the comfort of Sócrates' apartment in Lisbon.
The law states that "electronic surveillance depends on the consent of the accused or of the convicted," so Sócrates will have to agree – if he doesn’t he will remain in Evora prison. By electing to stay in prison, Sócrates may well hasten the start date for his trial as untried prisoners get to court quicker than those held on house arrest.
The concern has been that Sócrates will collude with his chum and probable co-defendant, Carlos Santos Silva but if Sócrates was released, both then would be at their homes and prevented from discussing the case, especially the part concerning the apartment in Paris and the origin and transfer of large sums of cash.
The final decision will be up to judge Carlos Alexandre, who on 9 March decided to keep Sócrates in Evora for safekeeping. This coming Tuesday, Sócrates’ detention again is up for review.
Operation Marquis began in November 2014 with the arrest of José Sócrates at Lisbon airport, then the arrests of Carlos Santos Silva, Gonçalo Ferreira and João Perna who was Sócrates’ former driver.
Perna later was released but Carlos Santos Silva and Sócrates remained in jail until Silva's release at the end of May.
In the months after Sócrates' arrest, Paulo Lalanda de Castro, a director of Octopharma was made an official arguido. More recently, Joaquim Baroque, the Lena Group boss, was placed under house arrest as was Carlos Santos Silva’s wife who now is a defendant also.
