According to an order issued by the judge Ivo Rosa, the former prime minister José Sócrates had asked that 10 people testify for him but the judge only accepted five, the former finance minister of his government Teixeira do Santos, the secretaries of state Carlos Costa Pina, Fernando Serrasqueiro and Paulo Campos, and the former CEO of bank BCP Carlos Santos Ferreira.

José Sócrates stands accused of 31 economic and financial crimes and he also asked to be heard in the instruction phase.

The Marquês operation investigation ended with charges laid against 28 defendants - 19 individuals and nine companies, related with an alleged 200 economic and financial crimes.

José Sócrates, who was held in remand for 10 months in prison and then under house arrest, is accused of three crimes of receiving bribes while in a political post, 16 of money laundering, nine of forging documents and three of qualified tax fraud.

Among other points, the accusation claims Sócrates received €34 million between 2006 and 2015, for favouring the interests of former banker Ricardo Salgado at the Espírito Santo Group and PT, as well as ensuring the concession of Caixa Geral de Depósitos funding for the Vale do Lobo development in the Algarve, and of favouring deals by the Lena Group.

The former CEO of Banco Espírito Santo BES, Ricardo Salgado, is also among the accused.