More than 900 BES/GES victims with victim status asked the court to urgently review the case of Ricardo Salgado, fearing that the crimes could be subject to a statute of limitations.
According to a statement Lusa had access to before the court, their status as particularly vulnerable victims recognized their “right to obtain a decision on compensation from the perpetrator within a reasonable period of time” and they are therefore asking that the Process be expedited so that a decision can be made in a timely manner.
In the request, 900 victims believe that the trial “will expand exponentially”, both in terms of physical volume and in terms of the evidence presented, firstly because each accused can present at least 20 witnesses, and therefore believe that the trial “will be of extremely lengthy duration” and there is a risk of crimes being prescribed.
The offenses of forgery and treason will expire between August 2024 and March 2025, the injured parties said, citing the investigation stage.
Thus, they say that “there is an urgent need to give urgency to the present matter.”
Victims also remember that this court case has been going on for 10 years: the investigation began in August 2014, charges were filed in July 2020, and the ruling was issued on July 31 of this year. The trial is expected to begin in 2024 and we are currently awaiting the replacement of Judge Helena Susano, who was on the panel of judges in the BES case but has applied to the Lisbon Court of Appeal to justify the ownership of the shares. in the BES universe, as well as his two daughters and another family member.
Lusa contacted the lawyer who signed the victim’s statement, Nuno Silva Vieira, who did not want to explain.
In July, an investigative decision that shaped the trial of former banker Ricardo Espirito Santo and dozens of other defendants almost completely confirmed the crimes with which they were accused.
Investigating Judge Pedro Santos Correia decided to “bring to trial, in the form of a general trial, with the intervention of the Collective Court, the accused, in the exact terms of the charge.” […] and with the same legal qualifications, […] for committing the crimes listed […]in the forms and methods of execution described therein.”
Salgado faces trial on charges of 65 crimes, including criminal association, active corruption, forgery, skilled fraud and money laundering, and comes nine years after the collapse of the Espiritu Santo Group (GES), which resulted in losses exceeding 11. 8 billion euros.
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.
Author: Lusa
Source: CM Jornal
I’m Sandra Hansen, a news website Author and Reporter for 24 News Reporters. I have over 7 years of experience in the journalism field, with an extensive background in politics and political science. My passion is to tell stories that are important to people around the globe and to engage readers with compelling content.