Former Portuguese Prime Minister Sócrates To Stand Trial

A Lisbon court has ruled that former Portuguese Prime Minister José Sócrates is set to stand trial for alleged money-laundering and forgery.

Judge Ivo Rosa on Friday said that 1.7 million euros, much of it in cash, given to Sócrates by a childhood friend who was working for a Portuguese construction company amounted to an attempt to gain influence over the prime minister and win contracts.

The forgery charges relate to documentation linked to the payments but Sócrates argued that the money and other assets, such as works of art and an upscale Paris apartment, were loans from his longtime friend.

Prosecutors alleged that Sócrates pocketed around 34 million euros during and after his six years in office between 2005 and 2011.

He was suspected of being at the center of a web of shady corporate interests that paid for his influence to win contracts and gain business advantages.

But Sócrates, a center-left Socialist prime minister, has denied any wrongdoing.

However the judge dismissed other allegations of corruption against Sócrates either because of a lack of evidence or the fact that the statute of limitations to prosecute Sócrates on corruption charges has run out.

Both prosecutors and Sócrates can appeal Friday’s ruling.