ANKARA
A former prime minister of Portugal was sent to prison Monday on preliminary charges of wrongdoing in an alleged case of tax fraud, corruption and money laundering.
Jose Socrates spent three days in police custody before Judge Carlos Alexandre decided there was sufficient evidence to send the premier to prison, a court statement said.
Socrates, 57, was prime minister of Portugal between 2005 and 2011.
He was arrested at the Lisbon Airport Friday after Alexandre ordered the police to investigate alleged suspicious money transfers and banking operations.
The ex-premier's home was searched Saturday as part of the case, the prosecutor’s office said.
Portugal's media reports link Socrates to the so called golden visas scam that conned investors into buying real estate at inflated rates in exchange for Portuguese residency permits.
The scandal led to the resignation of Portugal's Interior Minister Miguel Macedo Sunday.
Socrates denies the accusations; his lawyer Joao Araujo called the charges unjust.
The premier was taken into police custody along with three other people, including his close friend businessman Carlos Santos Silva, former driver Joao Perna and lawyer Goncalo Ferreira.
Ferreira was later freed, but was asked to submit his passport to authorities and was prohibited from contacting any of the defendants.
Socrates resigned as prime minister during his second four-year term in 2011 in the middle of an economic crisis when the country's escalating debts forced him to request an international bailout. Many claim the Socialist party leader led Portugal to bankruptcy.
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