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World|life|November 25, 2014 / 11:24 AM
Portugal ex-PM to remain in jail amid corruption probe

AKIPRESS.COM - High Court of Justice of England and Wales Portugal's former centre-left prime minister, Jose Socrates, has been remanded in custody on preliminary charges of corruption and tax fraud.

Mr Socrates, 57, was detained on his return from Paris on Friday and has already spent three nights in jail, according to the media reports.

The judge delivered the decision after investigators looked into suspicious money transfers and banking operations.

Mr Socrates, who denies any wrongdoing, is being investigated alongside his driver, a close friend, and a lawyer.

The former prime minister was in office from 2005 to 2011. His lawyer, Joao Araujo, told reporters on Monday that his client would appeal against the decision.

Under the Portuguese system, formal charges only come at the end of an investigation which could last up to eight months, says the BBC's Alison Roberts in Lisbon.

Portuguese politics was already reeling after the resignation of Interior Minister Miguel Macedo in the wake of a separate corruption inquiry linked to the allocation of residence permits.

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