In 2014, former Prime Minister José Sócrates had three loans simultaneously from Caixa Geral de Depósitos (CGD) to cover expenses that he admitted were “absolutely exaggerated”, his account manager at the time testified this Tuesday, October 21st.
At the Operation Marquês trial in Lisbon, Dina Alexandre explained, in a statement in which several telephone interceptions were reproduced to revive the memory of the bank employee, that José Sócrates began by asking, at the beginning of 2014, for a total loan of 75 thousand euros to cover his “settling expenses” to study in Paris and his sonthen already living in the French capital with his mother, his ex-wife.
In August, when financing had dropped to 52 thousand euros, the former prime minister (2005-2011) obtained a new loan of 40 thousand euros and, at the end of October, a third loan of 30 thousand euros, intended to partially pay around 40 thousand euros he owed in Personal Income Tax (IRS)..
In a conversation with Dina Alexandre in 2014 heard this Tuesday in court regarding this latest financing, José Sócrates appeared surprised to be alerted by the account manager that he had fixed expenses of around 15 thousand euros, reacting that “making so much money”, he was “having absolutely exaggerated expenses”.
At the time, the former socialist ruler had a salary of at least 12,500 euros, for work with pharmaceutical companies, and fixed expenses included a monthly repayment of more than 5,500 euros on loans taken out, a monthly payment of another five thousand euros to his ex-wife and the leasing of a Mercedes car.
“I often had to do some systematization of the expenses I [José Sócrates] there was, for him to realize that it wasn’t going to happen from there”Dina Alexandre highlighted this Tuesday, adding that it was over the phone that the former prime minister was asking about the movements of his bank account, in which his salary was deposited.
The banker also highlighted that the former prime minister was considered a “credible client”, and that there was no special treatment in granting the loansapproved by the commercial management based on the “yield standard” that existed.
The loans were all paid off later, after José Sócrates was placed in pre-trial detention in November 2014, using money from the sale of the former ruler’s house in Lisbon.with Dina Alexandre admitting this Tuesday, to questions from the defense, that, if he had continued to receive the salary, the financing would have been returned within the stipulated period of two years, since the payments would be automatically deducted with the entry of salaries.
José Sócrates, 67 years old, is charged (accused after instruction) with 22 crimes, including three of corruption, for having allegedly received money to benefit the Lena group, the Espírito Santo Group (GES) and the Algarve resort of Vale do Lobo in different dossiers.
In total, the case has 21 defendants, who have, in general, denied committing the 117 economic and financial crimes accused of them.
The trial has been taking place since July 3rd at the Central Criminal Court of Lisbon.