Latest news and stories about court case in government in Lisboa, Portugal for expats and residents.
The trial concerning the death of Odaír Moniz reaches its final phase at the Sintra Court, with closing arguments set to commence following the testimony of a final PJ inspector.
Judge Susana Seca has ruled that lawyer Marco António Amarote must continue representing José Sócrates until a successor is appointed, preventing further delays in the Operation Marquês corruption trial.
Lisbon City Council claims that Renata Cambra does not have the legal standing to request collective protection. The municipality also argues that a court ruling in Cambra's favour could violate the separation of powers.
Sixteen years after the homicide, Duarte Lima will go on trial on November 5th at the Sintra court, suspected of committing the crime in Rio de Janeiro.
Former Prime Minister José Sócrates has labelled the money laundering trial beginning this Monday in Lisbon as “absurd,” noting it stems from the 2021 instructional decision of the Operação Marquês case. The charges involve the alleged use of bank accounts belonging to businessman Carlos Santos Silva, his wife, and Sócrates' chauffeur between 2011 and 2014 to funnel illicit funds to the former Prime Minister. Prosecutors claim Santos Silva acted as a straw man to conceal bribes intended to benefit the Lena Group, the Espírito Santo Group, and the Vale do Lobo luxury development. Sócrates argues that the court is initiating a redundant trial on facts already under discussion in the main Operação Marquês case, which has been ongoing since July 2025. He contends that being forced to defend himself simultaneously in two different courts against overlapping factual matters is a breach of due process and a personal burden. Both Sócrates and Santos Silva, who deny the allegations, will be judged by a collective of three judges until at least April 2027.
The former prime minister José Sócrates described the money laundering trial, which begins today in Lisbon, as “absurd”, in a case resulting from the 2021 instructional decision of the Operation Marquês proceedings.
At issue is the alleged use by the defendants, between 2011 and 2014, of bank accounts belonging to a company controlled by businessman Carlos Santos Silva.
At issue is the alleged use by the defendants, between 2011 and 2014, of bank accounts belonging to a company controlled by Carlos Santos Silva.
The 10-year prison sentence was confirmed in April 2025 by the Lisbon Court of Appeal, which prompted the appeal filed with the Supreme Court of Justice.
In addition to their relationships with José Sócrates, those questioned were also asked about other names involved in the case, such as Armando Vara or Carlos Santos Silva
José Sócrates is at the Campus de Justiça this Tuesday for another session of Operation Marquês.
The trial regarding the case in Rato is being conducted in private to ensure the protection and dignity of the victims involved.
The trial of the two PSP officers accused of torturing several citizens at the Rato police station began this Friday at the Campus da Justiça. Only the reading of the verdict will be public.
In four and a half hours of testimony, the former official reinforced arguments regarding the Paris house, the high-speed rail project and the houses in Venezuela, but spoke little about other aspects, such as the money trails.
The former prime minister returned to the court that is trying him after a year. In the ninth session in which he spoke, he once again accused one of the prosecutors, describing him as a coward.
The main defendant returned to court to resume the “initial statements” he had interrupted a year ago. The money transfers were once again left out, and Sócrates took the opportunity to attack the Public Prosecutor's Office, the court, and the “delusional” people who hold him responsible for the succession of lawyer resignations.
The defendant and the victim had been in a relationship since 2024. The following year, he allegedly “squeezed the victim's neck with force” until her death. He was arrested in the Czech Republic in 2025 and extradited to Portugal.
The court did not find it proven that Rita Rodrigues insulted the two officers, who also accused her of attempting to prevent the arrest of a street vendor. The officers are currently imprisoned due to the Rato case.
The appeal argues that if a sentence is to be imposed, it should be 'lower'. Regarding compensation, the defence for officer Bruno Pinto argues that if it is to be paid, it should be charged to the State.
In court, the spy faces his former colleagues from the SIS. To defend himself, Carvalhão Gil attacks the system. He will never admit to the crime of espionage. That does not mean he will not be convicted for it.
The case concerns a social media post in which the Chega MP suggested that José Manuel Pureza had committed a “crime against sexual freedom and self-determination” against “a young militant/supporter” of the Left Bloc (BE).
The court believes there is a risk of the criminal activity continuing.
Sócrates, who has not been present in recent months at the trial sessions in which he is the main defendant, ends the request by asking the court
José Sócrates has requested that the court allow him to resume his testimony as a defendant in September, according to a motion sent to the presiding judge of the Operação Marquês trial. In the motion dated Monday and seen by the Lusa agency, the former prime minister states he is acting “in defence of his defence,” adding that what has been happening regarding...
José Sócrates has requested that the court allow him to resume his testimony as a defendant in September, according to a motion sent to the presiding judge of the Operation Marquês trial. In the motion dated Monday, June 22, seen by the Lusa agency, the former prime minister states he is acting “in defense of his defense,” arguing that the situation regarding what he calls a “carousel of lawyers” is not a series of isolated procedural incidents, but rather a “continuous process of compression” of his “defense guarantees,” for which he blames “exclusively the decisions of the Court.” Sócrates, who has not been present at recent trial sessions where he is the primary defendant, concludes by asking the court to “schedule new defendant testimony, as was, in fact, agreed upon when” he gave “his last session of testimony” in September of last year. The court has accepted the suspension of a court-appointed lawyer, leaving Sócrates without legal representation once again. Nine years later, an administrative court will judge Sócrates' lawsuit against the State.
Lígia Correia has been in a relationship with José Sócrates since 2011 and has lived with the former prime minister since 2014. She invoked her relationship with the defendant to justify her refusal to testify.
In the court's view, the document further states, the police officer, who was given a three-year and six-month suspended sentence for homicide, merely intended to 'carry out a legitimate arrest'.
The verdict was announced this Monday at the Sintra court. The cook was fatally shot during a PSP operation in Cova da Moura. The court proved that Odair Moniz did not have a knife nor did he reach for his waistband to draw a bladed weapon. However, it noted several mitigating factors regarding officer Bruno Pinto.
The trial of the PSP officer who killed Odair Moniz in Cova da Moura, Amadora, in October 2024, concludes today, with the reading of the verdict scheduled for 15:30 at the Sintra Court.
All six protesters arrested near parliament on Wednesday, following the CGTP demonstration on the day of the general strike, were released with an identity and residence requirement.
