The trial in the EDP case, in which former BES President Ricardo Salgado, former Economy Minister Manuel Pinho and his wife Alexandra Pinho are accused, is due to start on Tuesday but could be delayed.
The possible delay is due to a request from Manuel Pinho’s defense, which claims it was not notified in a timely manner.
The start of the trial could also be compromised by a strike by the Union of Judicial Workers (SFJ), which has also planned a demonstration at the Justice Campus this Tuesday.
If there is no postponement, the trial will begin with a hearing of the defendants, which will last throughout the day, with October 6 set aside for the same purpose.
The former Minister of Economy (from 2005 to 2009), who has been under house arrest since December 2021, is accused of passive corruption for an unlawful act, passive corruption, money laundering and tax fraud. The woman, Alexandra Pinho, is facing trial on charges of money laundering and tax fraud, along with her husband and Ricardo Salgado, facing trial on charges of active corruption for an unlawful act, the crime of active corruption and another of money laundering.
On September 28, Ricardo Salgado underwent a neurological examination at the National Institute of Forensic Medicine and Forensic Medicine (INMLCF) in Coimbra, which the lawyers of the former BES President have requested on several occasions over the last two years, in order to assess the influence on the decision of the diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease attributed to him, but it has expert value only during EDP process.
The investigation into the EDP process, initially related to the management of the electricity company and the alleged services, began in 2012 due to suspicions of corruption and economic involvement in the business of former administrators Antonio Mexia and Manso Neto to maintain an inflated rent agreement. in which, according to the deputy, former minister Manuel Pinho was corrupt.
However, in December 2022, the deputy eventually split the trials, focusing on suspicions of corruption and money laundering from the Group Espirito Santo (GES) against Manuel Pinho, Alexandra Pinho and Ricardo Salgado.
Author: Lusa
Source: CM Jornal
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