Lawyer Ricardo Salgado said on Tuesday he was awaiting the results of a neurological examination of the former BES president “as quickly as possible.”
Francisco Proença de Carvalho spoke to reporters outside the Lisbon Criminal Court after the first hearing of the EDP case was postponed due to a strike by members of the judiciary, who are fighting for a decent and fair professional status.
“A strike is a right, I respect this right. It is not a surprise (the postponement),” said Francisco Proença de Carvalho, adding that he hopes for “as soon as possible” the results of the neurological examination that Ricardo Salgado underwent at the National Institute of Forensic Medicine and Forensic Medicine (INMLCF) of Coimbra.
This expert opinion, conducted on September 28, was requested by the former BES president’s lawyers in several cases over the past two years to assess the impact on the trial of the Alzheimer’s disease diagnosis attributed to him by private medical institutions. reports.
Francisco Proença de Carvalho assured that Ricardo Salgado is “always at the disposal of the court” considering this case, noting, however, that he has already asked for the former BES president to be “exempted” from attending the hearing due to his condition. health.
According to the lawyer, the trial “is not exactly torture,” which is why the law provides for decisions regarding the health of the defendants.
Thus, he considered that the request for Salgado to be excused from appearing at the trial “is not something extraordinary”, since the defense argues that the former BES president “is not in a position to defend himself or to instruct his lawyer” and therefore cannot involve to criminal liability.
For his part, the accused and former Minister of Economy Manuel Pinho confirmed to journalists his intention to dissect the charges point by point, guaranteeing that he has “justification” and a “true story” to present them in court on illegal charges. which the prosecutor’s office presented to him.
Confronted with journalists about payments made to him during his tenure as minister, Manuel Pinho explained that they were payments received “as a result of pre-existing contracts”, which are “not prohibited”, adding that possible tax violations have already been resolved .
The trial is now due to start on Friday but could be delayed again for the same reason as the bailiffs’ strike continues, lawyers say.
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, will be tried for money laundering and the other for tax fraud, in material co-operation with her husband, while Ricardo Salgado will be tried for the crime of active corruption, an unlawful act, a crime. about active corruption and also about money laundering.
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.
About two dozen judicial officers stood at the doors of the Lisbon Criminal Court, demonstrating the need for dignified and fair status in terms of pay and career advancement.
Author: Lusa
Source: CM Jornal
I’m Dave Martin, and I’m an experienced journalist working in the news industry. As a part of my work, I write for 24 News Reporters, covering mostly sports-related topics. With more than 5 years of experience as a journalist, I have written numerous articles on various topics to provide accurate information to readers.