The start of the BES trial, scheduled for May 28, has been postponed to June 18, the Supreme Council of the Judiciary (SCJ) announced on Tuesday.
According to information provided by CSM, one of the defendants subject to TIR “was not notified until March 4,” resulting in a delay in the case.
The SCM explained that defendants, upon notification, have a legal right to a 50-day period to challenge the indictment and related charges, plus an additional 20 days between the end of this period and the start of the trial.
The Council adds “that it is also necessary to count the days necessary for notification of the date of the trial, which must be held in accordance with the same law only after the end of the period of challenge.”
“Therefore, at this time, given the legal deadlines, it appears impossible to meet the originally scheduled date of May 28 for the first hearing. In view of the described circumstances and taking into account the current legal deadlines and their duration, it was announced that this will happen on June 18,” the SCM concluded.
The criminal trial in the Espirito Santo universe will begin almost ten years after the breakup of the Espirito Santo group.
The trial begins about 10 months after a preliminary ruling was issued that determined the trial of former banker Ricardo Salgado and other defendants. Salgado is accused of 65 crimes, including criminal association, active corruption, forgery, skilled fraud and money laundering.
On July 14, 2020, as a result of an investigation by the General Directorate of Investigation and Criminal Cases (DVIAP), charges were brought against 25 defendants (18 people and seven companies).
Considered one of the largest cases in the history of Portuguese justice, the case brings together 242 investigations into the main trial, which were consolidated, and complaints from more than 300 people, natural and legal, living in Portugal and abroad.
The collapse of the Espirito Santo group caused losses exceeding 11.8 billion euros, according to the Ministry of Justice, whose indictment ran to about four thousand pages.
Author: morning Post
Source: CM Jornal
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