The Attorney General's Office has extended the deadline for the conclusion of Operation Marquês by which charges need to formally to be made against an ever-increasing list of official suspects, including the former Prime Minister, José Sócrates.
In a statement released today, the Attorney General's Office announced that "it is decided to extend the deadline for three months from the date of the receipt of the last letters rogatory."
This the three-month period therefore will only start when the last letter rogatory* has been received by the Portuguese authorities.
Three letters rogatory have been sent but not yet replied to.
One went to Angola and two to Switzerland. In the case of Angola and one of the letters from Switzerland, responses are expected shortly. As for the second that needs to come back from the Swiss authorities, "it is not possible to predict the date of its return."
The investigation team and the director of prosecutions reckon that the investigation should be closed at the latest by the end of July, meaning they are confident the third letter is not far from being posted.
Two of the letters relate to Henrique Granadeiro, a former Portugal Telecom director, who has refused to reveal his Swiss bank accounts. The Angola letter related to José Sócrates' cousin, José Paulo Pinto da Sousa, who continues to suupply false addresses and hence has not been pinned down. (Click HERE)
In the same communiqué, the Attorney General's Office also assures that the collection of evidence is due to be completed by the end of the first week of May.
"Transcripts of telephone taps, interrogations and inquiries are in the final stages of completion, and the latest translations are expected to be ready, at the latest, in a month and a half. Work also is continuing on the drafting of the final case," reads today’s release to the press.
Once again, the Attorney General's Office says this is "an exceptional situation" with regard to postponing the closure of the investigation.
The Office adds that it now is almost there and will be able to close the investigation process fairly soon.
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* Letters rogatory or letters of request are a formal request from a court to a foreign court for some type of judicial assistance. The most common remedies sought by letters rogatory are service of process and taking of evidence.