Lawyer Pedro Delille resigned as lawyer for former Prime Minister José Sócrates in the Operation Marquês case, as confirmed to journalists by a source from the Central Criminal Court of Lisbon.
The resignation took place on the morning of Tuesday, November 4th.
Pedro Delille defended the former prime minister for several years. With this resignation, José Sócrates is left without a lawyer, having already been called an unofficial lawyer to represent him.
The session scheduled for this Tuesday, aimed at hearing witnesses, continues.
Last Thursday, October 30, the court that is trying José Sócrates ordered the Bar Association to report the conduct of the former prime minister’s lawyer, considering that this was an offense against the ethical duties of those professionals. At issue is the fact that Delille arrived late because he assumed that the session would start later than scheduled since Sócrates’ mother did not attend, the lawyer having presented a medical certificate the day before.
During the trial, the lawyer tried to explain the delay to the court and present a protest, having been prevented from doing so by the judge.
“You’re not going to scold me”, retorted Pedro Delille, with the judge responding that “the joke is over”.