Even as a 90-year-old former head of state, Mário Soares is keeping the authorities on their toes.
According to press reports this morning, his provocative comments made last week in Diário de Notícias have left the country’s judges with no alternative, but to “take a stand”.
The furore centres on Soares’ steadfast support of his jailed and very much younger friend, former Socialist “wild beast” José Sócrates.
In a recent press interview, Soares let drop a clear threat to super-judge Carlos Alexandre, the man at the head of the inquiry into Sócrates’ alleged wrongdoings.
“Judge Carlos Alexandre should watch out…” the legendary political warrior told reporters.
It appears to have been the last straw. Only the week before, Soares had called Alexandre “an embarrassment” with “no sense of justice” (see: https://stg.portugalresident.com/soares-insults-all-and-sundry-in-support-of-jailed-s%C3%B3crates).
But this last comment has left the Attorney General with no alternative but to open a legal process into Soares’ “threatening of a judge during the exercise of his legally established functions”.
President of the syndicated association of Portuguese judges told reporters: “Up until now we have not commented on any comment – even some of the stronger ones – in this or other cases. But when phrases that we consider to be threats to a sovereign organ are proffered by a member of the Council of State, we have to take a position.”
As newspapers point out, “this is not the first time Mário Soares has taken a strong stand in support of José Sócrates” whose imprisonment he insists is politically-motivated.
But the political warhorse (jailed in his youth no less than 12 times under the Salazar regime) is unlikely to run into any real trouble.
His position, as a former President of the Republic, leaves him immune to prosecution.
Only if he is stripped of his privileges could any prosecution follow. And current President Cavaco Silva would have to be the one who stripped him.
Meantime, super-judge Alexandre has shown himself to be tolerant of insults, particularly when they come from opinionated nonagenarians.
Expresso newspaper says they have been unable to contact him personally but know that he will not be pressing charges.
By NATASHA DONN natasha.donn@algarveresident.com
