Lisbon, Nov. 4, 2025 (Lusa) - One of José Sócrates' finance ministers assured the court on Tuesday that the former prime minister insisted "from the beginning" that Armando Vara be appointed to the board of Caixa Geral de Depósitos (CGD).
"From the beginning, José Sócrates urged me to dismiss the board of Caixa Geral de Depósitos and appoint Armando Vara," Luís Campos e Cunha said at the trial of Operation Marquês, specifying that the intention was for Carlos Santos Ferreira to be appointed chairman and Armando Vara vice-chairman.
The Minister of State and Finance between March and July 2005 emphasised that this was not illegal, but maintained that there were "ethical considerations" to be taken into account and that he didn't want to "get jobs for the boys".
In the indictment, the Public Prosecutor's Office argues that José Sócrates and Armando Vara, who would eventually be appointed director of CGD at the end of 2005, were bribed a total of €2 million by two investors in the Algarve resort of Vale do Lobo to benefit the luxury development.
The accusation is based on the assumption that Armando Vara was appointed to the board on José Sócrates' instructions, an allegation the former prime minister denied during the trial on 4 September.
Today, Luís Campos e Cunha emphasised that he had neither a good nor a bad opinion of Armando Vara, and that José Sócrates had even arranged a meeting between the two to get to know each other.
When Carlos Santos Ferreira was appointed president of the public bank and Armando Vara administrator, the finance minister of the former Socialist prime minister (2005-2011) was Fernando Teixeira dos Santos.
José Sócrates, Armando Vara, and the two Vale de Lobo investors are among the 21 defendants in Operation Marquês and are mostly accused of corruption and money laundering.
The 21 defendants have generally denied committing the 117 economic and financial crimes that the Public Prosecutor's Office has accused them of.
The trial began on 3 July at Lisbon's Central Criminal Court and has sessions scheduled until at least 18 December 2025.
IB/ADB // ADB.
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