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07 July 2025in RTP3 Carlos Melo Alves comments on the beginning of the Operation Marquês trial

Regarding the start of the Operation Marquês trial on 3 July, Carlos Melo Alves was in the RTP3 studio where he spoke on the Jornal das 12 news programme about the arguments and procedural issues of the defendant José Sócrates wanting to remove the judge, and also about the recusal incident against the Attorney General:

"José Sócrates has the right to file any motion if he so wishes. And we anticipated that he would file a request to try to suspend the proceedings. In fact, when we lawyers file a motion for recusal, we must do so very carefully because we are saying that the judge is not impartial, or that there is something, some element about the judge. In this specific case, it's that he was appointed by the Superior Council of the Judiciary, and that could influence him. But on the other hand, there's also the need for the process to continue. And in these cases, where the court finds that the refusal is manifestly unfounded, it can continue the process...".

Watch Carlos Melo Alves' full intervention here (part 2 - minute 17'06'')