Lisboñ, Sept. 17, 2026 (Lusa) - Former minister Mário Lino said in court on Thursday that he proposed bringing forward the tender for the high-speed rail line (TGV) in 2008, and that former Prime Minister José Sócrates had not proposed the move, a perspective that differs from the Public Prosecutor's argument.
«The initiative to bring forward the tender was mine, not that of a Secretary of State or anyone else. In short, it's how I work; I prefer to get things done. Things that need to be done must be done thoroughly. It's best to move forward efficiently,» stated the former Minister for Public Works, Transport and Communications in José Sócrates' first government (2005–2009), whilst giving evidence at the trial of the ‘Operation Marquês' case in Lisbon.
In its indictment, the Public Prosecutor's Office alleges that the former prime minister, in 2008, expressed the intention to bring forward the tender, with the aim of unlawfully favouring the Lena group, which was part of the consortium that would eventually win the tender for the construction of the Poceirão-Caia section – a project that the Court of Auditors later rejected in 2012.
Today, Mário Lino, aged 86, also said that at the time José Sócrates preferred to await an Environmental Impact Statement before proceeding with the tender, as he considered that gaining «two or three months» would «not be significant».
Although he could not confirm whether this was the reason, Mário Lino added that he himself, rather than the head of government from 2005 to 2011, suggested that the two of them meet with the chairman of the tender panel, Raul Vilaça Moura.
«The only thing the prime minister ever bothered me about was whether things were moving as quickly as he wanted; it wasn't whether I was going to speak to this person or that one,» he summarised, emphasising that José Sócrates prioritised avoiding «problems with the Court of Auditors».
During the questioning, Mário Lino also described the government's contacts to ensure the Lena Group won the tender to build thousands of social housing units in Venezuela as ‘economic diplomacy', affirming that the process had been conducted fairly.
José Sócrates, aged 69, faces, among other offences, three counts of corruption for allegedly receiving money to benefit the Lena Group, the Espírito Santo Group (GES) and the Algarve resort of Vale do Lobo.
In total, the case involves 21 defendants, who have generally maintained their innocence in the 117 economic and financial offences they are charged with.
The trial has been underway since 3 July 2025 at the Central Criminal Court in Lisbon, and the alleged offences are said to have been committed between 2005 and 2014.
IB/ADB // ADB.
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