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Guilherme Dray, who served as Sócrates' chief of staff from 2009 to 2011, said he only became aware of the friendship between the former prime minister and businessman Carlos Santos Silva in 2014.
Where does it begin? Who are the characters? Was José Sócrates consulted? All the details already revealed about the €600,000 production 'Mr Engineer, Allegedly a Musical', which premieres in April.
The former prime minister and the other defendants were excused by the court from attending the trial and have been absent from recent hearings.
A former economic adviser to Sócrates said he only became aware that the former prime minister and Carlos Santos Silva were friends after 2011, following the end of the government.
Lawyer José Preto withdrew from Sócrates's defence because the judge did not suspend the proceedings despite his illness. Luís Rosa, lead writer at Observador, says the court's decision was lawful.
The lawyer had taken on the former prime minister's defence about a month and a half ago, after Pedro Delille abandoned Sócrates's legal representation in the case.
The former prime minister's lawyer, José Preto, was hospitalised for 12 days and is at home, saying he has not fully recovered.
A lawyer representing Maria Adelaide Monteiro asked the court to excuse Sócrates's mother from attending court. The right to refuse and health reasons were cited to justify the request.
Ana Velho, the court-appointed lawyer assigned to cover for Sócrates's lawyer during a health-related absence, asked to be excused from the proceedings on Tuesday, citing 'common sense'.
Court‑appointed lawyer Inês Louro entered the room to represent the former prime minister, since lawyer José Preto is hospitalised at Hospital de Santa Maria, but she refused to take on the defence.
The new lawyer sought five and a half months to familiarise himself with the case, but on 26 November 2025 the request was denied by the Lisbon Central Criminal Court.
The trial has been on hold for nearly two months. The resumption of proceedings is scheduled for this Tuesday, but the judge has not yet decided how to proceed given José Preto's illness.
