The court rejected Ricardo Salgado’s defense request to extinguish or suspend the criminal proceedings against the former president of Banco Espírito Santo due to his diagnosis of Alzheimer’s, claiming that he maintains the rights of defense.
“Regardless of the conclusions reached in the expert opinion, the criminal proceedings regarding the defendant Ricardo Salgado must continue, and the defendant is therefore dismissed”, can be read in an order from judge Helena Susano, to which Lusa had access, referring to the BES case /GES, the largest in the so-called Espírito Santo Universe and whose trial begins this Tuesday.
According to the order, the group of judges understands that “mental fitness is not a requirement for the accused to make statements”, therefore highlighting that “it cannot constitute a basis for extinguishing the criminal proceedings” against the former banker, who responds in court for 62 crimes.
“It cannot be said that the defendant Ricardo Espírito Santo Silva Salgado is arbitrarily restricted from any rights of defense, but, and only to the extent that the illness imposes, that these rights of defense will be exercised by him to the extent permitted by his capabilities”, reads the order.
