Portugal’s former prime minister Jose Socrates has left prison for house arrest after more than nine months behind bars.<br /><br /> Jailed as a preventive measure following his arrest in November 2014, Socrates is still protesting his innocence as an investigation into suspected tax fraud, corruption and money-laundering continues.<br /><br /> Portuguese premier between 2005 and 2011, Socrates was <br />detained at Lisbon Airport last November, on arriving from Paris where he had lived since resigning amid Portugal’s debt crisis. <br /><br /> During his premiership, Socrates weathered several investigations, including claims he misused his post as environment minister in 2002 to allow the construction of a shopping mall.<br /><br /> He denied wrongdoing and faced no formal charges. <br /><br /> He is the first ex-premier to be detained in Portugal under democracy, as prosecutors and judges intensify a campaign against corruption in a country notorious for its slow justice system.
