Judge delays reading BES/GES guidance decision because it has not yet been finalized

The investigating judge in the BES/GES proceeding has postponed the reading of the instructional decision, scheduled for Friday, from this Monday until July 31, as it has not yet been completed.

“Given the current state of preparation of the guidance decision in this case, since it does not appear that it was completed on the date already set for the relevant reading, it is important to cancel the aforementioned date, thereby avoiding the inconvenience associated with the relocation of all procedural subjects and the necessary logistics for this purpose ‘ Judge Pedro Santos Correia said in a ruling that Lusa had access to this Monday.

Following an instructive debate on this process, also known as the “Universo Espírito Santo”, which took place between May 2 and 9 at the Court of Monsanto (Lisbon), the reading of the instructive judgment was scheduled for July 14 at 2:00 am. evenings.

Approximately two months later, and subject to “the possible foreseeability of this date in relation to the end of the training decision”, the investigating judge decided to set July 31, also at 2:00 pm, as the new date for the decision. known, but now specifies in the order the Central Court of Criminal Responsibility as the location for the reading.

An instructional decision by Judge Pedro Santos Correia will determine whether the 25 defendants will be held accountable in court and for what crimes.

In May, the Prosecutor’s Office (MP) said that “there is enough evidence to bring all the defendants to trial, delivered under the exact conditions of the charge”, while the majority of the defense criticized the prosecutors’ thesis and called for the defendants not to be tried.

The training phase began on 26 April 2022, then still in the hands of Judge Ivo Rosa, who was replaced by Pedro Santos Correia in September by decision of the Supreme Council of the Judiciary.

On July 14, 2020, an investigation by the Central Directorate of Investigation and Criminal Affairs (DCIAP) resulted in the indictment of 25 defendants (18 individuals and seven companies), including former Espírito Santo Group (GES) President Ricardo Salgado. . The former banker is credited with 65 crimes, namely the criminal community, active corruption, document forgery, skilled fraud, money laundering, adultery and market manipulation.

This case, which is considered one of the largest cases in the history of Portuguese justice, adds to the main proceedings 242 investigations that have been combined together and complaints from more than 300 individuals and entities living in Portugal and abroad.

The collapse of the Espírito Santo Group (GES) in 2014 caused more than 11.8 billion euros in damage, according to the MP, whose indictment ran for about four thousand pages.