Meteorologia

  • 18 MAIO 2024
Tempo
15º
MIN 13º MÁX 20º

BES/GES. Victims request a meeting with all parties involved in the trial

The defense of those harmed by BES asked the court to organize a preparatory meeting with all the parties involved in the BES/GES process, "as a matter of urgency", before the start of the trial, to speed up the process and "avoid entropies".

BES/GES. Victims request a meeting with all parties involved in the trial
Notícias ao Minuto

20:06 - 24/04/24 por Lusa

País BES/GES

In the request to which Lusa had access, submitted to the process usually referred to as 'Espírito Santo Universe', and whose trial is scheduled to begin on June 18 at the Lisbon Central Criminal Court, the lawyer representing BES victims, Nuno Silva Vieira, evokes the "notorious complexity" of the proceedings, reflected in the "slowness of its handling", to defend the "importance of a coordinated and collaborative approach", which would justify the preparatory meeting.

"In the interest of procedural cooperation, we request the scheduling of the aforementioned meeting with the participation of all procedural stakeholders, including representatives of the Public Prosecutor's Office, the defendants' lawyers, the assistants' and victims' attorneys, with the aim of openly discussing pending issues, exploring possibilities of consensus and establishing an action plan that prioritizes justice and procedural efficiency", the request states.

The document argues that the proposed meeting would follow "successful examples of international proceedings" or of the proceedings themselves, in which this type of meeting has already taken place before the investigation phase, then under the responsibility of Judge Ivo Rosa.

The aim is to avoid "uncoordinated action" by the parties involved in the proceedings, which could potentially drag out the trial.

"In this way, the anticipation of scenarios, collaborative discussion and open communication can avoid entropies and totally unnecessary requests. In short, the preparatory meeting that the undersigned request would not only facilitate a better understanding and the exchange of relevant information, but would also promote cooperation, essential for conducting what is the largest trial in Portuguese judicial history", the request concludes.

The defense will also submit an urgent request for a meeting to the Superior Council of the Judiciary (CSM), the Attorney General's Office (PGR) and the Ministry of Justice.

The trial of the Espírito Santo Universe criminal case will begin almost a decade after the collapse of the Espírito Santo Group (GES), in August 2014, and the main defendant is the former president of BES Ricardo Salgado, accused of 65 crimes, including criminal association, active corruption, document forgery, aggravated fraud and money laundering.

Considered one of the largest trials in the history of Portuguese justice, this case includes 242 investigations in the main proceedings, which have been added, and complaints from over 300 individuals and legal entities, residing in Portugal and abroad.

According to the Public Prosecutor's Office, the collapse of GES will have caused losses exceeding 11.8 billion euros.

Read Also: BES/GES. Judge accepts appeals from victims, but without postponing the trial (Portuguese version)

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