According to the ruling dated 27 June, which Lusa had access to, the amount aims to compensate the former head of government for damages suffered as a result of the "disclosure of information subject to judicial secrecy" by state bodies during the investigation.

Information leaks

At issue is the knowledge by media outlets that José Sócrates would be arrested in November 2014 at Lisbon airport, as would eventually happen, and of the acts of which he was suspected, reported at a time when only "the investigating judge, the Tax Authority and the Public Prosecutor's Office" had access to the case file.

According to the judge, "although it has not been determined who was specifically responsible" for the leaks of information, "it is reasonable to assume" that, since the investigation was subject to internal secrecy at the time, these leaks "originated from someone who was working within the investigation."

"Such violations of secrecy represented a clear reduction in the author's guarantees of defence in the criminal proceedings, as they violated the constitutional principle of the presumption of his innocence as a defendant and the right to a fair trial," considered Daniela Santos Costa.

Affront to privacy

The magistrate added that those violations also constituted an "affront to the author's privacy, his good name, honour, and public reputation as a former Portuguese head of government."

The lawsuit, filed in February 2017 by José Sócrates, was heard on May 15 and 16, 2026, and the former leader sought compensation totalling €205,000.

Condemnations against the State

In addition to being compensated for the mismanagement of justice, the former leader sought to have the Portuguese State condemned for violating the right to a decision within a reasonable time, a request the court rejected.

For the judge, the duration of the inquiry was justified, given the complexity of the investigation, explained by the "need to carry out accounting and financial audits" and wiretaps, to question a large number of witnesses and defendants, and to await the cooperation of other countries, among other aspects.

The investigation into Operation Marquês was opened in 2013, became known to the defendants in November 2014, and was closed in October 2017, with the Public Prosecutor's Office filing charges against José Sócrates and other defendants.

After an investigation phase that lasted for more than two years, the trial of the former head of government and 20 other defendants accused of corruption and other economic and financial crimes began on 3 July 2025, at the Central Criminal Court of Lisbon, with dozens of witnesses yet to be heard.

The news of the sentence from the Lisbon Administrative Court was reported by CNN Portugal.