The instructory phase of corruption case O-negative begins today. At issue is around €100 million of business in blood plasma that benefitted Octopharma – the company that employed former prime minister José Sócrates after he left government. Defendants include Sócrates’ former boss Paulo Lalanda e Castro and former INEM president Luís Cunha Ribeiro. Charges range from corruption to receipt of unfair advantage, falsification of documents, abuse of power and money laundering.
This is a case that has been simmering for years, and refers to transactions that began in 1999. For background click here, here and here
