Trial of PSP officers accused of torture begins in September in Lisbon
Portuguese courts resume activity this Tuesday after a month and a half of judicial recess, with several large-scale cases on the agenda.
September judicial calendar: PSP, BES and Operation Marquês dominate court agenda
Portuguese courts resume full activity this Tuesday after a month and a half of judicial recess, reports Correio da Manhã. September is already marked by the start of trials with significant media impact, notably including cases involving PSP officers accused of torture.
Rato police station officers to stand trial in Lisbon
Two PSP officers from the Rato police station in Lisbon will face trial for a broad range of crimes: abuse of power, torture, rape, offences against physical integrity, forgery of documents, qualified theft, robbery and possession of a prohibited weapon. The first hearing is scheduled for 11 September at 09h30, and the second for 6 October also at 09h30.
At Faro Court, another case involving PSP officers begins even earlier. Two officers from the Olhão police station, accused of kidnapping and murder of a Moroccan man in March 2024, go to trial on 8 September.
BES and Operation Marquês return to proceedings
At Lisbon Court, September is also the month when the Operation Marquês trial resumes, with sessions scheduled for 1, 2 and 3 September. The case is far from concluded and no date has yet been set for the next appearance by the main defendant, former prime minister José Sócrates. The trial began on 3 July 2025 and involves 21 defendants — including Sócrates and the former president of Banco Espírito Santo, Ricardo Salgado — accused of corruption and other economic and financial crimes allegedly committed between 2005 and 2014.
The BES case, which began on 15 October 2024 — nearly ten years after the bank's collapse — resumes on 7 September. It has 18 defendants, with Salgado as the main defendant, facing 65 charges, some of which have already expired.
In the economic crime area, the case concerning BES Angola (BESA), which includes charges of breach of trust, money laundering and fraud, resumes on 1 September. In addition to Ricardo Salgado, former president of BESA Álvaro Sobrinho is among the main defendants.
Operation Perfect Storm, Operation Lex and NRP Mondego
The Operation Perfect Storm case, with 73 defendants and alleged irregularities in public contracts of the Directorate-General for Defence Resources, has sessions scheduled for 9 and 10 September.
Operation Lex resumes on 23 September, with continuation of witness examination by the Public Prosecutor's Office at the Supreme Military Court in Lisbon. On the same date, the Campus de Justiça, also in Lisbon, hosts the resumption of proceedings concerning the NRP Mondego, in which three military personnel face charges of breach of state secrecy.
On 10 September at 10h00, Monsanto Court receives the continuation of the preliminary hearing in the Tutti Frutti case — which began in June and involves 59 defendants accused of over four hundred crimes of corruption, misconduct in office, money laundering and trafficking in influence.
Source: Correio da Manhã