José Sócrates denies Paris property ties and Lena bribes as Lisbon trial resumes

Return to the Lisbon courtroom

Former Portuguese prime minister José Sócrates returned to the Central Criminal Court at Lisbon's Campus da Justiça on Thursday, 10 September 2026, resuming his testimony in the Operação Marquês trial. The appearance took place exactly one year after Sócrates asked presiding judge Susana Seca on 10 September 2025 for a two-week recess. Sócrates, who led the Portuguese government from 2005 to 2011, is one of 21 defendants in the proceedings and faces charges that include three counts of corruption. Addressing the court without an attorney, he maintained that he has faced false accusations for 12 years.

Defense representation and procedural clashes

The session opened with procedural friction regarding Sócrates's legal representation. Sócrates has lacked formal defense counsel since 14 November, following the resignation of three successive court-appointed lawyers. The former prime minister told the court that the resignations stemmed from restrictive 10-day preparation windows granted by the bench rather than any actions on his part. He also criticised the appointment procedures conducted by the Portuguese Bar Association and repeated long-standing grievances regarding the 2014 assignment of investigating judge Carlos Alexandre.

It is deeply unfair that responsibility for the resignation of the lawyers is attributed to me.

Judge Susana Seca intervened during the morning session, instructing the defendant to confine his statements strictly to the scope of the indictment. Sócrates also addressed criminal proceedings against former Banco Espírito Santo president Ricardo Salgado and referenced the archived preliminary inquiry into Spinumviva, a company tied to Prime Minister Luís Montenegro, claiming the Public Prosecution applied double standards.

Paris property and Venezuelan contracts

Turning to the specific allegations in the indictment, Sócrates denied ownership of a Paris residence that prosecutors allege was acquired for his benefit by co-defendant and civil engineer Carlos Santos Silva. The prosecution claims Sócrates made furniture purchases in Paris on 31 August, the day the deed was signed, to furnish the property. Sócrates countered that he spent 7,000 euros on two lamps, a small sofa, and a desk to replace damaged items in a separate flat he rented with his cousin Maria Filomena, before renting another Paris apartment in January 2014.

I did not choose the apartment, I did not participate in the purchase, I did not participate in the choice of the architect who renovated it, I did not participate in the choice of the company.

Sócrates also contested accusations that Grupo Lena paid nearly 2.4 million euros in bribes to secure state backing for social housing projects in Venezuela. He argued that the diplomatic agreements supporting Lena's work in Venezuela were negotiated under the subsequent government of Pedro Passos Coelho and foreign minister Paulo Portas, rather than during his own administration.

Parallel proceedings in Strasbourg

Beyond the Lisbon courtroom, parallel legal proceedings continue at the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg. Sócrates filed a complaint against the Portuguese state at the ECHR on 23 July 2025. Portugal's Justice Ministry submitted a 346-page response in late July 2026, which included an eight-page summary. On 1 September 2026, the ECHR notified the Portuguese government that it had extended Sócrates's deadline to submit counter-observations from 18 September to 23 November 2026, granting his defense team additional time to review the state's documentation. Testimony in the Lisbon trial is scheduled to continue on 15 September 2026 at 10:15.