Former BES boss Ricardo Salgado has appeared today in court for the first time, to say what his defence team has been saying for weeks: he is in no condition to give testimony in the trial extracted from the wider Marquês investigation, in which he is accused of three crimes of abuse of confidence and the ‘diversion’ of €10 million for Grupo Espírito Santo into his own ‘personal sphere’.
The 77-year-old told the panel of judges: “Your honours, I am not in condition to give any statements” – a situation he attributed to the fact that he has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease.
The Public Ministry is calling for Mr Salgado to be condemned to 10 years in jail.
