Corruption: Finally justice. But ONE is still missing

José Sócrates in a bear-hug to the new socialist challenger to the current PS leader António José Seguro)

Manuel Godinho a scrap  metal entrepreneur, 

from Aveiro, was sentenced to 17 years and 6 months 

of effective imprisonment. 

José Amando Vara, ex-socialist minister, 

and appointed leader of the BCP bank,

and José Penedos, 

(also a socialist militant and former president of REN), 

were sentenced to 5 years imprisonment, 

while his son, Paulo Penedos, an attorney,

were sentenced to 4 years imprisonment.

The "Face Oculta", 

one of the most publized corruption trials

 in recent years in Portugal,

began its sentence reading this morning in the Aveiro Court.

 It involves 36 defendants, 

accused of having set up a corruption scheme 

involving senior political leaders and former leaders 

of  state public companies to obtain millions of euros 

from the tax-payers money.

The prosecutor accused the 36 defendants, 

including two companies, 

 of hundreds of crimes of fraud, 

money laundering, corruption and influence peddling.

This case has had memorable moments, 

one of them was the wiretapping of phone calls 

between José Sócrates (the then Prime Minister) and Armando Vara. 

Today's judgement was marked by the 

possible decision of the collective of judges whether to allow 

access of the defendants to the existing copies of the wiretaps.

The collective of judges of the Court of Aveiro, 

continues to read the judgment during the rest of today. 

They have stated, however,

 that the destruction of taped conversations 

between Armando Vara and José Socrates 

does not cancel out the charge of corruption.

But standing out, 

as a sore, festering thumb, 

in this corruption case, 

is only ONE missing character: 

José Socrates.