Former Portuguese Prime Minister Jose Socrates was officially charged with corruption and money laundering as part of a major anti-corruption investigation that began in 2014, the prosecutor's office said, suspecting him of receiving about EUR 24 million in bribes, France press office said. 

Socrates is suspected of 31 charges of passive corruption, money laundering, tax fraud in aggravating circumstances and falsification of documents, the Portuguese prosecutor's office said. In addition to the former prime minister who ran the country from 2005 to 2011, 18 more people and 9 businesses were charged.

According to the findings of the investigation from 2006 to 2015, Socrates and his accomplices have accumulated over EUR 24 million in Switzerland. In return, they provided services to various businesses, including the Espirito Santo bank, which went bankrupt in 2014.

The 60-year-old former politician continues to deny his guilt. He was arrested in 2014, and nine months later he was placed under house arrest and later released. Socrates' lawyers immediately declared the accusation unfounded. They added in a communique that they would use all legitimate means to guarantee his protection.

The decision to raise charges was expected for several months. It has been postponed several times due to requests for international cooperation and the discovery of new facts. The indictment contains over 4,000 pages. There is no date yet for the trial.

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