After a 70-day pause, the presentation of evidence resumed on Tuesday morning in the Operation Marquês trial. Former prime minister José Sócrates is the main defendant in a case involving 21 accused and 117 charges of corruption, money laundering and tax fraud. The defendants face economic and financial crimes, notably corruption, money laundering and tax fraud, mainly linked to three dossiers: Grupo Lena, which includes the TGV high-speed rail project; the former telecommunications company Portugal Telecom (PT); and the Vale do Lobo 'resort' in the Algarve, to which Caixa Geral de Depósitos granted a loan now considered ruinous.
Operation Marquês: trial resumed — video testimony scheduled from three witnesses who have died since the investigation began
Tuesday, 13 January 2026RSS
Context & Explainers
Operation Marquês (Operação Marquês) is a major criminal investigation opened in 2013 into alleged corruption, money laundering and tax crimes involving high-profile figures, including former prime minister José Sócrates, and it led to arrests in 2014. The case has been one of Portugal's largest anti-corruption probes and has influenced public debate about accountability and the justice system.
