José Sócrates said this Wednesday at a press conference that the selection of judges during the latest events in Operation Marques was once again rigged.
“This is the second time they have rigged the selection of judges,” the former prime minister said.
He also added that the judge’s decision was made arbitrarily and that in 2021, “manipulation has ceased to be a conspiracy theory and has become a proven fact.”
José Socrates assured that he would go to court with a claim and that “this time [as juízas] facts, crime and the criminal system are changing, making the situation even worse.”
The former prime minister accused the judges of harming him, breaking the law and helping prosecutors.
“This is an act of cruelty against me because I am the main target,” he said.
Socrates again mentions that in 10 years the choice of judges was twice wrong, as was the prosecution.
“It is arbitrary and of a violence never before seen in the Portuguese system (…) Operation Marques is an exceptional process,” he added.
José Sócrates also stated that he was a “victim” for the second time.
The former prime minister accused the High Council of Justice of using a “new trick” to ensure exclusivity and duplication of functions so that “judges expand their powers in the process,” stressing that this is illegal.