The homes of former Portugal Telecom directors have been raided as part of Operation Marquês.
A statement from the Attorney General’s office did not specify who was targeted but Zeinal Bava and Henrique Granadeiro are high on the list of suspects.
"At issue are possible financial links between PT and Grupo Espírito Santo. In the process, under the Central Department of Investigation and Penal Action (DCIAP), facts are being investigated that are likely to constitute the crimes of corruption, tax fraud and money laundering," reads today’s statement from the Attorney General.
The raids took place on Wednesday July 13th and included the private homes of former PT managers, PT group company premises and a law firm.
Operation Marquês already has rounded up more than a dozen notable people, including the former Prime Minister José Sócrates who is indicted for qualified tax fraud, money laundering and accepting bribes.
Other defendants are Sócrates’ former wife, Sofia Fava; a former Director of Caixa Geral de Depósitos and former socialist minister, Armando Vara; his daughter Bárbara Vara; Carlos Santos Silva, the businessman and friend of the former Prime Minister; Joaquim Barroca of the Lena Group; João Perna, Sócrates’ former chauffeur; Paulo Lalanda de Castro from Octapharma; Inês do Rosário who is Carlos Santos Silva’s mother; the lawyer Gonçalo Trindade Ferreira and the businessmen Diogo Gaspar Ferreira and Rui Mão de Ferro.
The investigation also has triggered a rogatory letter sent to businessman Helder Battaglia in Angola.
