PORTUGUESE PM FACES CORRUPTION CHARGES

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 LISBON 000088 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/10/2018 TAGS: PGOV KFRD KCRM PO SUBJECT: PORTUGUESE PM FACES CORRUPTION CHARGES Classified By: DEPUTY POL/ECON COUNSELOR TROY FITRELL FOR REASONS 1.4 ( b, d) ¶1. (C) SUMMARY. Portuguese Prime Minister Jose Socrates should be enjoying life: his Socialist Party holds an eleven-point lead over the opposition heading into the election season. But a scandal is sweeping Portugal with allegations that Socrates, while serving as Environment Minister in 2002, took bribes to approve construction of a shopping mall on protected wetlands near Lisbon. The Portuguese prosecutor is looking into the case and British authorities are investigating the British property development firm that allegedly paid the bribes. Socrates and his Socialist Party colleagues insist that the allegations are a smear campaign in advance of October's Portuguese elections. Even if it is not behind the story, the opposition will certainly capitalize on the scandal for partisan purposes. All eyes are turned to the Feb 27-March 2 Socialist convention, where Socrates will try to re-energize his party. We assess that, unless direct evidence comes to light clearly linking the Prime Minister to the payoffs, he should be able to hang on to his positions leading his party and his government, at least for the near term. END SUMMARY. CORRUPTION ALLEGATIONS DATE TO 2002 -------------- ¶2. (SBU) Allegations of corruption committed by Prime Minister Jose Socrates have dominated political commentary in Portugal in recent weeks. Socrates heads the current Socialist government, but he was Environment Minister for the latter half of the 1995-2002 Socialist government of PM Antonio Guterres. During that time, the allegations run, Socrates took bribes to waive environmental regulations and allow construction of a shopping mall on protected wetlands near Lisbon. The payoffs were not made to Socrates directly, but to family members, including his mother, uncle, and cousin. BRITISH LETTER ROGATORY SPECIFIES CHARGES -------------- ¶3. (C) In addition to being splashed across every newspaper in Lisbon, these allegations are specified in a Letter Rogatory sent to the Portuguese government by the UK's Serious Fraud Office, which is investigating six individuals in the UK for bribery and corruption. Specifically, the charges relate to the involvement of British property developer, Freeport PLC, in the construction of the 250 million euro Freeport shopping mall in 2004 on protected marshlands in Alcochete, across the Tagus River from Lisbon. Freeport had hired consulting firm Smith & Pedro to secure permits and approvals, and they realized the project could only move forward if the site's boundaries were redrawn and environmental regulations were waived. However, then-Environment Minister Jose Socrates rejected the environmental impact study (EIS),saying the plan contradicted the GOP's intentions in designating the area as a protected environmental zone. ¶4. (C) In January 2002, Smith & Pedro and Freeport officials met with Socrates and, according to the Letter Rogatory, Socrates solicited a bribe in return for approving the EIS. The Letter Rogatory lists four Portuguese persons as having participated in the scheme: Jose Socrates, an official in the Alcochete city hall, and two representatives of Smith & Pedro. Freeport allegedly agreed to funnel the money through Smith & Pedro to Socrates' uncle and cousin, and the EIS was approved two months later, the very day that national elections swept the Socialists and Minister Socrates from government. Separate allegations refer to payments to Socrates' mother as well. ¶5. (C) The original allegations were developed by Portuguese authorities and shared with the London Police in August 2005. The London Police then obtained and shared with Portuguese authorities a clandestine March 2006 video of Charles Smith, of Smith & Pedro, discussing the payment of bribes to Socrates' cousin. British and Portuguese law enforcement are reportedly cooperating effectively on the case (which may be a positive consequence of the fumbled high-profile investigation into the disappearance of British child Maddie McCann in Portugal in 2007). FRIENDS LIKE THESE -------------- ¶6. (C) Socrates' uncle and cousin, the ones who allegedly received the bribes, are doing him no favors. The uncle told journalists that he would not need to take bribes because he was already rich, and he gave amusingly contradictory accounts about how he had voted in previous elections. The cousin is currently vacationing in Nepal, but in his many telephone interviews he says he will only return to Portugal if the prosecutor's office pays for the trip. LISBON 00000088 002 OF 002 SOCRATES AND THE SOCIALISTS -------------- ¶7. (C) Over a long political career, Jose Socrates has proved to be an effective pragmatist, a politico who has successfully broadened the Socialist Party and repositioned it at the center of the Portuguese political spectrum. Since he became Prime Minister in 2005, his fiscal reforms have earned him wide respect. In polling done before the scandal hit the fan last month, the Socialists held a 41-30 percent lead over the PSD heading toward autumn elections, so it is an inopportune moment for him to face attacks on his integrity. The first test of his survivability will be the Socialist convention on Feb 27-March 1, where he will have to answer questions about his suitability to lead the party into the elections. ¶8. (C) In public, Socialist leaders are supporting Socrates completely, insisting that the allegations are a smear campaign orchestrated by the opposition PSD. But the PSD responds that it did not send the British Letter Rogatory or push the investigation by the Portuguese prosecutor's office. And this is not Socrates' first brush with infamy, so his complaints sound a bit like the pot accusing the kettle: he weathered a scandal in 2007 when it was reported that he had falsified his academic credentials and used political pressure to try to silence journalists reporting on the issue. COMMENT - SOCRATES REMAINS IN CHARGE, FOR NOW -------------- ¶9. (C) As the Socialists rightly insist, no smoking gun has come to light that directly implicates Socrates in the Freeport scandal. And while that sets the ethical bar pretty low, unless direct evidence turns up, we doubt the prosecutor will press charges -- regardless of how damning the allegations are. A recent survey showed 61 percent of respondents believe Socrates is hiding something, but the longer-term impact on political support for him and his party remains to be seen. Many Portuguese seem bitter rather than angry, resigned to the thought that this is business as usual in Portugal. But unlike the scandal over Socrates' academic credentials, this story is not going away. It is too big and too juicy and too close to the elections. As the political season heats up, expect the opposition to hit on this issue long and hard. At this time, Socrates is still firmly in command of his party and his government, but nobody is putting long-term bets on him until they are sure no further shoes will drop. STEPHENSON