LISBON, Portugal (AP) – A judge sent former Portuguese Prime Minister Jose Socrates to prison Monday while the ex-leader fights accusations of corruption, money-laundering and tax fraud.
The judge decided after an initial hearing there was sufficient police evidence to keep Socrates in custody on preliminary charges of wrongdoing, a court statement said. Socrates’s lawyer, Joao Araujo, said his client denies the charges and would appeal the custody decision.
Under Portuguese law, the public prosecutor will now investigate further before presenting formal charges, a process that could take more than six months. A magistrate will then decide whether to put Socrates on trial. The crimes carry a maximum sentence of 21 years.
Socrates was Portugal’s center-left Socialist prime minister from 2005 to 2011. He was detained by police after arriving at Lisbon airport late Friday and has been jailed since. Three other suspects were also arrested as part of the investigation.
Officials refused to provide details, because a judicial secrecy law forbids the disclosure of information from ongoing investigations