One of the judges trying Manuel Pinho and Ricardo Salgado has been removed from the case by a decision of the Lisbon court, confirmed CM near the source associated with the process. The point is that Margarida Ramos Natario was married to a former high-ranking member of the Espirito Santo group. The court granted the magistrate’s request for acquittal.
A source connected to the case told Lusa that judges Manuel Advinculo Sequeira, Luisa Alvoeiro and Joao Ferreira upheld the case of acquittal put forward by the judge ahead of a court hearing that focuses on former Economy Minister Manuel Pinho’s allegations of corruption by the former GES president. Ricardo Salgado.
Ricardo Sa Fernandez, Manuel Pinho’s lawyer, defends the decision. “This is the right decision, which protects the position of the defendants and all procedural subjects, including the judge in question. It guarantees a fair trial,” he said.
The acquittal incident was announced by the judge on October 23 following the news that she married António Miguel Natário Rio Tinto, who held various positions in various GES organizations such as ES TECH Ventures SGPS and Espírito Santo Informática, and that he would receive 1 .2 million euros through ES Enterprises, considered the blue bag of GES.