Former Portuguese Prime Minister Charged With Corruption

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - A Portuguese court has indicted former Prime Minister of Portugal, Jose Socrates, with corruption and tax evasion charges, and ordered the ext ension of his detention on Monday, November 24, 2014.

Socrates' arrest on Friday surprised many citizens in Portugal, especially supporters of the Socialist Party who are trying to win support for the upcoming election, which is slated to occur in 2015.

Immediately after the judges delivered the ruling on Monday evening, Socrates' attorney, Joao Araujo, responded to the press by saying that the court's decision is unjustified and unfair, and that Socrates' legal team plans to submit an appeal against the ruling.

Juan Carlos Alexandre, a Portuguese criminal court judge - who presided over the ruling - said that the decision to indict was reached after questioning Socrates for three days over his involvement in the tax evasion, corruption and money laundering charges brought against him.

Police arrested 57-year-old Socrates - who ruled as Portugal's Prime Minister between 2005 to 2011 - at Lisbon's Airport right when he arrived from Paris, where he resided following his resignation.

Three other people have been placed under arrest, including Socrates' driver. Leaked police report suggested that Socrates' driver were involved in the transport of the illicit funds from Portugal into Paris with a car.

Socrates resigned from his post in 2011, after the European Sovereign Debt crisis was at its peak, which forced Portugal to impose a series of unpopular austerity measures to stem its ballooning external debt.

Previously during his terms as Prime Minister, Socrates had been investigated several times for allegations of misuse of power during his tenure as Portugal's Minister for the Environments, relating to the construction of a shopping complex. Socrates has denied his involvement in the case and had never been charged for any of the allegations.

ANTARA NEWS | MARYATI