Former Portuguese prime minister Jose Socrates arrested in graft probe

Portugal's former Socialist prime minister Jose Socrates was arrested as part of an inquiry into tax fraud, corruption and money laundering, the public prosecutor's office announced.

Socrates was one of four people who had been held in recent days, three of whom appeared before a judge on Friday, the prosecutor said.

More than 60 police, customs officers and justice officials carried out raids at several locations ahead of the arrests.

Socrates, 57, was arrested on Friday afternoon as he arrived at Lisbon's airport and was scheduled to appear in court yesterday, Portuguese media said. The investigation centred on bank operations and money transfers from an unknown source, the prosecutor's office said.

But it made clear that the case under which Socrates was held was not linked to the arrest in July of Ricardo Saldago, former head of stricken Portuguese lender Banco Espirito Santo (BES).

The news of his arrest comes hard on the heels of another scandal which cost Portuguese interior minister Miguel Macedo his job last Sunday.

Macedo resigned after several senior government officials were arrested as part of a probe into money laundering and influence-peddling around so-called "golden visas".