The reading of the verdict on the trial of the E-mole trial has been postponed this Wednesday due to the strike of bailiffs, a Lisbon Central Criminal Court source confirmed, with no new date set.
The indefinite strike in the afternoon was called by the Union of Judicial Officers (SOJ), but also counted on the agreement of workers of the Union of Judicial Officers (SFJ).
Speaking to Lusa, Francisco Medeiros, the head of the SFJ present at the scene, explained just before the court announcement that court 16, to which this case was assigned, had no employees, because “everyone was on strike”. The possibility of calling other employees was raised, but taking other steps also made this scenario unfeasible.
Leaving the court, former Benfica legal adviser Paulo Gonçalves put the postponement of the trial decision into perspective to the journalists: “It doesn’t matter to be quick, it’s important to be fair”.
Paulo Gonçalves, former legal counsel at SAD do Benfica, is charged with six crimes of breach of legal secrecy, 21 of breach of confidentiality by an employee, nine of unauthorized access, nine of breach of confidentiality, in co-authorship, in addition to one offense of active corruption, two of unauthorized access and two of breach of confidentiality.
Judicial Officer Júlio Loureiro is charged with a crime of passive corruption, while Judicial Officer José Augusto Silva is responding for one crime of passive corruption, six breach of legal secrecy, 21 breach of official secrecy, nine unauthorized access, nine for breach of the duty of confidentiality, 28 for unauthorized access and one for embezzlement.
The E-mole case dates back to 2018, when the MP charged Benfica’s former legal adviser Paulo Gonçalves, court officials José Augusto Silva and Júlio Loureiro and Benfica’s SAD with various crimes. However, in December of that year, the instructional decision did not end in pronouncing the SAD incarnate for trial.
Source: DN
