The purpose of
this site is for information and a record of Gerry McCann's Blog
Archives. As most people will appreciate GM deleted all past blogs
from the official website. Hopefully this Archive will be helpful to
anyone who is interested in Justice for Madeleine Beth McCann. Many
Thanks, Pamalam
Note: This site does not belong to the McCanns. It belongs to Pamalam. If
you wish to contact the McCanns directly, please use
the contact/email details
campaign@findmadeleine.com
After Leonor Cipriano admitted that her daughter is dead and buried "in the hills of Figueira", Pereira Cristovao
and his colleagues appeal for the precise location to be revealed
The Portuguese society owes little Joana a final
gesture: "To find her body and to give her a dignified funeral". The appeal is made by Paulo Pereira Cristovao, a former
Policia Judiciaria inspector who was involved in the case investigation, now that Leonor Cipriano, Joana's mother, confessed that
the eight-year-old child was killed and buried "up in the hills of Figueira".
The idea for this appeal was "born from
the moment when, for the first time in four years, Leonor Cipriano admitted what the investigation concluded" at that time,
Pereira Cristovao explains to 24horas.
The former inspector, who authored a book about the case, is accompanied
in this willingness by his colleagues who were on location investigating the case in 2004, Marques Bom, Leonel Marques and
Goncalo Amaral.
Last Friday, Leonor Cipriano's lawyer, Marcos Aragao Correia, publicised a written confession in which
Joana's mother admitted that her brother, Joao, killed the child with slaps in the face and then buried her.
"Now we
have the assumption of a death, even if imputed on the brother, but what is important is to find what's left of Joana's body,
in order to give her a funeral", says Pereira Cristovao.
In order for this to happen, there is only one way: "The media
themselves have to start raising the issue, to awaken a collective will to exert pressure. Maybe this will prompt another
letter in which she [Leonor] says something more," the former inspector says ironically.
An
appeal made as citizens, not as policemen
Pereira Cristovao insists on stressing that what motivates
them is not revenge over Leonor's accusation of alleged torture, when she was arrested in September 2004, which is presently
on trial. And that they do this as citizens, he and his colleagues, not as policemen.
"This has nothing to do with
the process, or with the accusations. What moves me, what motivates us, is an issue of humanity. We owe this to that child,
all of us, as a society, have misbehaved. We owe this last great favour to Joana", explains the author of "A Estrela de Joana".
For
the time being, the police authorities can't do anything, Pereira Cristovao explains. "The police can only act within a criminal
process" and Joana's homicide has already been tried. "Until then, until we know where the body is, it will be us who have
to exert pressure."
The court accepted that the case had been proved and condemned Leonor and Joao Cipriano over the
child's death. But the body was never found.
In the written confession that the mother has now made public, through
her lawyer, Leonor says that only her brother Joao knows the precise location where the mortal remains rest.
Leonor still has to say where the body is located
It's almost impossible to find the
location where Joana Cipriano's body was buried unless her uncle or her mother inform about it, admits Paulo Pereira Cristovao,
who participated in the investigations into the disappearance of the little girl in 2004.
According to the former PJ
inspector, Leonor Cipriano "is giving a signal" by indicating that Joana's burial place is located "up in the hills of Figueira",
in Portimao. But this indication is insufficient.
"It's endless kilometres, back at the time we searched it all, wells
and water mills, some were out of use, even with divers. But it's impossible to search 40 or 50 square kilometres, there are
no human and technical means to do that", Pereira Cristovao explains to 24horas.
If the
Policia Judiciaria
decided to search the terrain thoroughly now, those would be mere "tourist tours of Figueira". The authorities "have no matter
to open a search process". For the time being, "it doesn't fit the police procedures". Furthermore, "there are no means" to
carry out that possible search.
No dates for the project
Only if
Leonor Cipriano "talks about a specific location can the police means act immediately".
Therefore, the four inspectors
who wish to carry out a dignified funeral for Joana don't advance a deadline for their initiative. It will depend on Leonor
- or her brother, Joao - to pinpoint the exact location where the little girl's body was buried, "in the immensity of the
hills of Figueira", as Pereira Cristovao describes it.
"She should say where the body is", 22 January 2009
Paulo Pereira Cristovao, former inspector of the Judicial Police who investigated the death of Joana in 2004, wants the
lawyer of Leonor Cipriano, mother of the girl convicted for her murder, along with her brother Joao, to "do the rest of the
path" and that he [Marcos Aragao Correia] gets the revelation of the exact location where the corpse of the child is.
"Everyone
would like Joana to have a decent funeral", said the former inspector to CM.
Cristovao instigated the idea following the confession of Leonor, disclosed last Friday, in the Court of Faro, by her
lawyer, Marcos Aragao Correia. According to Leonor, the daughter was buried "up there in the mountains of Figueira", after
the deal of her sale failed, by Joao Cipriano, uncle of the eight years old girl.
"We will not launch a crusade with
a shovel in the lands at northern Figueira", said the former inspector. "However if they suggest a place that was not yet
a target of searches, the authorities must act", he concluded. In that sense, he asks to the lawyer of Leonor to complete
the confession, ensuring that "She knows where the body is."
Aragao Correia answered: "If she knew, she would have said it. Joao is the one who knows". And he criticises the inspectors
for not having followed the tracks of the sale of the girl.
Goncalo Amaral, coordinator of the investigation (now retired
from the PJ), says that "the body does not exist" and that Joao admitted to that in the enquiry.
Pereira Cristovao
and Amaral, among other policemen, are accused by Leonor in a case of torture. Today there is a new session of the trial and,
according to what the CM established, the defendants [arguidos] will break the silence.
Justice: Leonor Cipriano's lawyer suspended, targeted with disciplinary
process by the Lawyer's Order, 22 January 2009
Justice: Leonor Cipriano's lawyer suspended, targeted with disciplinary process by the Lawyer's Order Lusa
Faro, 22 Jan (Lusa) - Leonor Cipriano's lawyer, Marcos Aragao Correia, was preventively suspended
today at the request of the Deontology Council of the Madeira section of the Lawyers' Order, Lusa was informed by a source
at the Algarve section of that professional association.
Today, Marcos Aragao Correia should participate at the court
of Faro in the continuation of the trial over alleged torture by elements of the Polícia Judiciária against his client, but
he left the court at around 10.20 a.m.
When questioned by journalists, Marcos Aragao Correia only stated that he would
return within 15 minutes.
Leonor Cipriano's lawyer was notified this morning by a member of the Algarve District Council
of the Lawyers' Order, Helder de Sousa, who excused himself from specifying the contents of the disciplinary process that
was filed against Marcos Aragao Correia.
The notification took place in a room at the court of Faro, before today's
trial session started.
Today's session is foreseen to include the testimony of Ana Maria Calado, the director of the Prison of Odemira,
where Leonor Cipriano is serving the 16 year prison sentence to which she was condemned over the murder of her daughter
Joana.
On the day of the last session of this trial, on the 16th of January, Leonor Cipriano's lawyer, Marcos Aragao
Correia, read out a press note in which he informed that Joana's mother had revealed new facts concerning the disappearance
of her daughter, recently documented and signed at the prison of Odemira, where she is currently being detained.
According
to the lawyer, little Joana's uncle, Joao Cipriano, convinced his sister, Leonor Cipriano, to deliver her daughter into the
care of strangers, in exchange for financial help.
Former PJ inspector Goncalo Amaral, when confronted with the new
facts, on the day of the last trial session, classified the statements that change Leonor Cipriano's initial deposition as
"lies".
The process of alleged aggressions against Leonor Cipriano by PJ inspectors is related to the so-called "Joana case",
which dates back to the 12th of September 2004, the day when the little girl, aged eight, disappeared from the village of
Figueira, Portimao, Algarve.
The Public Ministry's accusations against five Judiciária inspectors and former inspectors
appeared following questioning by the PJ in Faro in 2004, at a time when Leonor appeared at the Prison of Odemira, where
she was being preventively held, with lesions to her face and body.
Three inspectors stand accused of the crime of
torture, one stands accused of the crime of false testimony and failure to denounce and a fifth one stands accused of the
crime of document forgery.
Joana's mother, Leonor Cipriano, and her uncle, Joao Cipriano (both siblings) were condemned
by the Supreme Court of Justice to 16 years in prison each, over the crimes of homicide and concealment of the child's cadaver.
*
Update:
Justice: Lawyer of Leonor Cipriano forced to leave the court room of FaroLusa
Faro, 22 Jan (Lusa) - The trial of the alleged tortures to Leonor Cipriano, Joana's mother, started today with
a great delay - at the Court of Faro - but was interrupted for a few minutes by the entry and exit of the lawyer
Marcos Aragao Correia.
The Lawyer entered at 11:20 in the audience room and asked permission to participate in the
session, despite having been preventively suspended this morning by the Bar [OA- Lawyers Association].
The judge Henrique
Pavao refused the request made by Marcos Aragao Correia and forced him to leave the court room.
"The Doctor will leave
the audience room, one way or another," stated the judge.
Facing this order, Marcos Aragao Correia went away from the
room, expressing anger towards the judge's decision and went to the central section and the external service of the court,
where he is still writing an application.
The court session was resumed with Leonor Cipriano being assisted by an official
lawyer, whilst the hearing of Ana Maria Calado took place, director of the prison in Odemira, where Leonor Cipriano is
serving 16 years in prison for the murder of her daughter Joana.
Justice: Leonor Cipriano's lawyer is going to request the annulment of
today's court session, 22 January 2009
Justice: Leonor Cipriano's lawyer is going to request the annulment of today's court session Lusa
Faro, Jan 22 (Lusa) - Leonor Cipriano's lawyer, Aragao Correia, accused the president of the panel of judges - in the
trial over alleged aggressions against his client - of partiality and announced that he will request the annulment of today's
audience.
"I'm going to place a complaint against the president of the judges' panel to the Superior Council of Magistrature",
said Marcos Aragao Correia, adding that judge Henrique Pavao has a "biased attitude", which culminated today with his expulsion
from the court room.
In order to justify the judge's "biased attitude", the lawyer said that the magistrate refused
40 requests from assistant Leonor Cipriano, only allowing for the director of Odemira Prison, Ana Maria Calado, to be heard.
Marcos
Aragao Correia was preventively suspended today, at the request of the Deontology Council of the Lawyers' Order Madeira section,
the reason why he was prevented from exercising his mandate in Leonor Cipriano's defence.
The lawyer says that he was
caught by "surprise" by the preventive suspension, which he classified as "a manoeuvre by the Algarve Lawyers' Order", referring
that the complaint was filed by Antonio Cabrita, Goncalo Amaral's lawyer and the president of the District Council of the
Lawyers' Order in the Algarve.
Aragao said that the preventive suspension was based on "accusations from Dr Antonio
Cabrita" and stated that there are "interests and differences" behind these accusations.
The lawyer entered the courtroom
today in order to contest the preventive suspension, but the president of the panel of judges didn't allow him to remain inside
the room.
Meanwhile, the session continues with the audition of the testimony by the director of the prison of Odemira.
Leonor
Cipriano's lawyer was notified this morning by a member of the Lawyers' Order's Algarve District Council, Helder de Sousa,
who excused himself from specifying the contents of the disciplinary process that was filed against Marcos Aragao Correia.
The
notification took place in a room at the court of Faro, before today's trial session started.
The process of alleged
aggressions against Leonor Cipriano by PJ inspectors is related to the so-called "Joana case", which dates back to the 12th
of September 2004, the day when the little girl, aged eight, disappeared from the village of Figueira, Portimao, Algarve.
The
Public Ministry's accusations against five Judiciária inspectors and former inspectors appeared following the questionings
at the PJ in Faro in 2004, at a time when Leonor appeared at the Prison of Odemira, where she was being preventively held,
with lesions to her face and body.
Leonor's lawyer saw the suspension order lifted but has opened disciplinary
proceedings
R.P.G.
24 January 2009 - 00h30
The suspension of the lawyer of Leonor Cipriano, implemented by the Bar Association, was lifted yesterday after Aragao
Correia notified the District Council of his new Madeira address.
But, CM found that the Council of Ethics of Funchal has opened disciplinary proceedings due to acts committed in the
Maddie and Joana cases. Aragao Correia, who defends Leonor in the process of the alleged aggressions by the PJ, assumed that
CM had been notified of the aims of the investigation, but believes that "the process will not result in anything."
After being expelled from the courtroom at the Court of Faro, the lawyer threatened the presidential judge Henrique Pavao
that he will reveal his "dangerous liaison" with Antonio Cabrita, the lawyer of the accused Goncalo Amaral. Such information
is part of a complaint sent yesterday by Aragao Correia to the Supreme Judicial Council.
Marcos Aragao Correia: the return, 24 January 2009
Leonor Cipriano's lawyer, Marcos Aragao Correia, has
seen the suspension imposed by the Bar Association lifted, but he must still face a disciplinary process for his actions in
the Madeleine McCann case, but also in the context of the trial of the five PJ inspectors.
True to
himself, the layer who also calls himself a medium, now accuses the presiding judge of the court in Faro, Henrique Pavao,
of having a "dangerous liaison," with Me Antonio Cabrita, Goncalo Amaral's defence lawyer.
Marcos Aragao Correia's accusations were made after
his expulsion from the courtroom, following his suspension by the Conduct Committee of the Madčre Bar Association. A complaint
against the judge was lodged with the Senior Committee of Magistrates.
Marcos and the Maddie
case
On May 6th 2007, (3 days after Madeleine's disappearance)
Marcos Aragao Correia stated that so-called sources in the underworld told him that Madeleine MCann had been raped and killed
and that her body had been thrown into a "dark lake." Under pressure to identify his alleged sources, he ended up changing
his version of the story and said he was a spiritualist, medium: after having participated in a spiritualists' meeting on
the night of May 5th, the lawyer claims that he had a vision of a four year-old child "abducted, raped, killed and the her
body thrown into a lake or a dam."
In October 2007,
he claimed that he had sent a recorded letter from the island of Madiera to Rothley, addressed to the McCanns, apparently
containing details, clues and crucial evidence in the case. He also claims that he informed the PJ in Funchal (Madiera)
In the same
month, he announced that the famous letter never reached the hands of the McCanns, in spite of the fact that someone allegedly
signed for its receipt.
In November 2007, he decided to take legal action
against the Portuguese postal system, the CTT, accusing them of not having correctly delivered the letter to the McCanns.
According to the lawyer, an officer of the postal services allegedly wrongfully signed the receipt for the letter, but his
legal action was considered unfounded and he was sentenced to pay court costs, being a sum of 100 Euros.
In statements to
the press, Marcos claims that he only wrote to the McCanns giving them the information, in the absence of a response on the
part of the PJ to to information he claimed to have furnished in Madiera.
In December 2007, the liaison between the lawyer and the private detectives becomes
obvious. It is then that he is going to become more insistent about his version regarding the presence of Maddie's body in
the waters of the Arade Dam where he is going to pay British divers to probe the depths.
Presented in the British media as a Good Samaritan, the lawyer stated that he paid the 1250 Euros daily expenses for
the divers from the Dive Time Society of Lagos, with money from Metodo 3.
If the Good Samaritan doesn't have a sense of the ridiculous, he has, however, the concept of the value of the media
and he finds ways to alert the British and Portuguese media so that they are present at key moments in the searches: first
of all he brings from the water, an ordinary piece of rope which he is going to use to put across the image of a child tied
up. After this are black plastic bags containing animal bones, but of which he is going to put across the message that it
could be the bones of a child's hand. Finally, after the intervention of the PJ, he will admit that it was really the bones
of cats.
He goes as far as stating that he is 99% certain that Madeleine's body will be found in the dam.
In spite of the intervention of the Portuguese authorities confirming that they really did come from
a litter of kittens, the meagre findings of Marcos Aragao Correia - at least this is what he stated to the press - will be
sent to Barcelona where Metodo 3 had specialists ready to carry out examinations. The results were never disclosed because,
as it became obvious, there was nothing to say, confirming once again that the lawyer's only objective was to feed doubt about
the official investigation.
Today, Marcos Aragao continues his work. He has become lawyer for Leonor Cipriano,
even if his main objective remains the former coordinator of the investigation into the death and disappearance of Madeleine
McCann: Goncalo Amaral.
Leonor Cipriano's lawyer wants searches "at an abandoned house", 28
January 2009
Leonor Cipriano's lawyer wants searches "at an abandoned
house" Lusa/SOL
Today, Leonor
Cipriano's lawyer has requested the GNR to carry out searches at "an abandoned house up in the hills of Figueira",
Portimao, where Joana's mother confessed that Joao Cipriano buried the little girl's body
In
a formal request that was sent to the Portimao Headquarters of GNR, which Lusa had access to, Marcos Aragao
Correia communicated that Leonor Cipriano told him on Tuesday, at the Prison of Odemira, that
"murderer Joao Cipriano told her that he had buried the body in the hills of Figueira" at "an abandoned
house".
Joana's mother's representative in the process of the
alleged aggressions that involves current and former Polícia Judiciária inspectors, to obtain a confession from Leonor
Cipriano, stressed in the letter that his client "guarantees" the statements made by her brother and the child's uncle "in
those days" that followed the disappearance.
"[Leonor Cipriano] remembers that (...) he mentioned an abandoned
house, although she cannot remember the specific circumstances under which the homicide did so, whether in the presence of
a third party or not, and whether referring to the concealment of the little girl's cadaver or not," the lawyer underlined
in the letter that was sent to the GNR by fax.
The little girl, then eight, disappeared from the village of Figueira, Portimao, Algarve, on the 12th of September
of 2004, and the Supreme Court of Justice condemned Leonor Cipriano and Joao Cipriano (siblings) to 16 years in prison each,
for the crimes of homicide and concealment of the child's body.
Following the interrogations in the "Joana case"
that were carried out at the PJ in Faro, three inspectors stand accused of the crime of torture, one stands accused of failing
to assist and omitting a denunciation, and a fifth one stands accused of forgery of a document.
In one of the
most recent trial sessions, at the Court of Faro, Leonor Cipriano altered her statement and attributed the little girl's death
to her uncle, Joao Cipriano, who said he convinced her to hand her daughter over to a family, in exchange for financial compensation.
The
next session of the trial over the alleged aggressions against Leonor Cipriano by Polícia Judiciária inspectors is scheduled
for the 20th of February.
Joana Case: Lawyer requests searches, 29 January 2009
Leonor Cipriano's Lawyer, sent a fax to the GNR of Portimao in the late afternoon of yesterday, calling for searches
to be done in "an abandoned house up there, in the mountains of Figueira," where the mother of Joana says that her brother
Joao Cipriano buried the corpse of the eight year old girl in 2004. Leonor and Joao were sentenced for the murder of
Joana.
The GNR informed the lawyer Marcos Aragao Correia that he should have sent the fax to the Judiciary Police, however they
communicated the transmission of the fax to the department of the PJ in Portimao.
Goncalo Amaral, former coordinator
of PJ responsible for the investigation, assured CM that all old and abandoned houses in the north area of Figueira were the
target of searches, including one that was at the time indicated by Leonor Cipriano.
Leonor's lawyer searches in houses in Figueira, 31
January 2009
In search of the body of Joana, the eight-year girl murdered in 2004
31 Janeiro 2009 - 00h30
Translation by Nigel Moore
The lawyer for Leonor Cipriano took the initiative to develop private searches in abandoned houses in the mountains north
of the village of Figueira, Portimao. Marcos Aragao Correia followed the track of the confession of the mother of Joana, who
accuses her brother, Joao, of having buried the girl in that area.
The day after having sent a fax to the GNR, in turn referred to the PJ, Aragao Correia and a friend, with "a labrador
dog trained to hunt," were, the day before yesterday afternoon, at the spot indicated by Leonor. "We were in two abandoned
houses," the lawyer told CM, adding that one of them came to make holes with a hoe and a shovel.
Nothing was found. The family of Leonor may, according to the lawyer, do searches this weekend.
Lawyer for Leonor Cipriano says the search is stalled
Text: Luis Maneta
05 February 2009
Translation by Nigel Moore
Marcos Aragao Correia says that there are no sniffer dogs in Portugal trained to detect cadaver odour. He therefore
requests that one be brought, as in the Maddie case.
The lawyer and the family of Leonor Cipriano are unable to find a dog trained to detect cadaver odour. The idea was to
use the animal to conduct searches in the mountains of Figueira, where the body of Joana is supposed to be buried. But the
"mission" is likely to sink underwater due to the lack of a specialist dog, like those who came from England to
participate in the investigation into the disappearance of Madeleine McCann.
"The best we were able to find are search and rescue dogs, used to rescue people alive and which, therefore, are not
adequate to recover the body of Joana Cipriano," Leonor's lawyer Marcos Aragao Correia told 24horas.
In a meeting with the lawyer in Odemira prison, Leonor Cipriano recalled that her brother had confessed that he had buried
the body near an abandoned house, "there, at the top, next to the mountains of Figueira". The ground has already been inspected
by Marcos Aragao Correia and the family of Joana. Without success. "It is not worth going back without the help of a dog trained
for this purpose," said the lawyer.
"The courts were convinced that there was a crime, in which Joana was murdered. It is a great inhumanity that they will
not provide a decent funeral for the girl," he says.
According to Marcos Aragao Correia, the searches already carried out have been limited to one of the five houses, in
ruins, in the area. "We need to look at all of them. In the Maddie case a dog was brought from England to try to find evidence
against the parents. Why not do it now to locate the body of Joana?" He asks.
MP archives confession
The Public Ministry have decided to archive the letter in which Leonor Cipriano accused her brother of having
killed her daughter, 24horas found out through a source connected to the process.
In the letter, Leonor claimed to have been "convinced" by Joao Cipriano to surrender the girl to a "couple
that could not have children," in return for a "financial reward". In this version, things would have gone awry. And Joao
would have assaulted the girl, to death.
The confession was made on January 15 and delivered by Marcos Aragao Correia to the MP. "The decision to
archive is no surprise," said the lawyer. Leonor and her brother are serving a sentence of 16 years in prison for the murder
of Joana.
Lawyer of Leonor Cipriano calls Goncalo Amaral a "criminal of the
worst kind", 06 February 2009
Cover headline: Lawyer of Leonor Cipriano calls Goncalo Amaral a "criminal of the worst
kind" 24horas (front page)
Lawyer of Leonor says that the ex-inspector has been constituted an arguido for torture
Text: Luis Maneta and Miguel Ferreira
06 February 2009
Goncalo Amaral denies it. He reaffirms that he is innocent. And
promises to move more proceedings against the lawyer
The lawyer of Leonor Cipriano, Marcos Aragao Correia, said yesterday that the former
inspector Goncalo Amaral, of the PJ in Portimao, has been constituted an arguido in a case concerning the alleged
torture of Leandro Silva, husband of Leonor Cipriano.
"It is with great pleasure that I inform you that Goncalo Amaral has been constituted
an arguido in a new investigation where he is acused of the crime of torture against Antonio Leandro David Silva. This new
process is following proceedings, and a new trial is expected, very soon," writes Marcos Aragao Correia, in a release distributed
yesterday afternoon to the media.
But Goncalo Amaral, heard yesterday by 24horas, categorically
denied having been made an arguido and again reaffirmed his innocence regarding the allegations made by the lawyer, assuring
he has never beaten Leandro Silva. And he said he will proceed with cases against Leandro and against Marcos Aragao Correia.
Goncalo Amaral and Policia Judiciária inspectors are currently being tried
in the Court of Faro, in a case where Joana's mother is said to have been tortured in the offices of the PJ, confessing the
death of her daughter and the place where the corpse has been hidden.
In this case, Goncalo Amaral, who co-ordinated the PJ investigation of
the Joana and Madeleine McCann cases, is met for failure to denounce.
During one of the sessions of the trial, at the door of the court, Leandro
Silva said he witnessed the assault of Leonor and that, he too, was assaulted.
In the release distributed yesterday, the lawyer for Leonor also publishes what he
says are "complaints" allegedly made in 2007, to the Director of the PJ in Faro, by Goncalo Amaral's wife,
"at a time when both were still separate".
Controversial letter
This text, addressed to the
coordinator Guilhermino
Encarnacao, made
reference to the alleged discussion between the couple, during which the ex-inspector of the PJ was accused of having
"insulted" and "threatened" his wife.
Heard by 24horas, both Goncalo Amaral and his wife denied
the authenticity of the document and the facts therein reported. And also assured that for this episode they will move with
proceedings against Marcos Aragao Correia.
The dispute raises the pitch
Since the beginning of the trial of the case for the alleged torture of Leonor Cipriano, her lawyer has
focused his attacks on Goncalo Amaral, and the discrepancies between the two men have increased in tone. In a statement issued
yesterday by the magazine "Sabado", the former inspector of the PJ said that Aragao Correia "defends the interests of
others, and incurs the crime of prevarication as a lawyer."
"Aragao Correia needs to be hospitalised", 07 February 2009
"Aragao Correia needs to be hospitalised" 24horas (page 10)
Goncalo Amaral suggests that the attorney suffers from psychiatric
problems
Text: Duarte Baiao
07 February 2009
The former Inspector of the Policia Judiciária in Portimao confirmed
he will proceed with a lawsuit against Marcos Aragao Correia and suggested that the attorney suffers from psychological problems.
He also reaffirmed that he is not an arguido for torture against Leandro Silva
Goncalo Amaral suggested yesterday, in statements to 24horas,
that Marcos Aragao Correia, lawyer for Leonor Cipriano, suffers from a psychiatric illness. This is another episode of verbal
war between the ex-inspector of police in Portimao and the lawyer.
"Friends of mine who are connected to medicine,
with whom I have spoken, tell me that Aragao Correia is in need of being compulsorily admitted. I think that says it all,"
said Goncalo Amaral. "For me, it is not as a person, but only as a lawyer," said the former inspector.
That the lawyer
has said that the former inspector has been constituted an arguido by the Public Ministry, due to the practice of alleged
crimes of torture against Leandro Silva, husband of Leonor Cipriano, Goncalo Amaral was peremptory: "No comment because everything
is false. I will move with a case (against Aragao Correia). When? Inside the legally established period, that is, I have six
months to do so."
The quest to be the leading character
The former inspector of the PJ is to be judged in a case where Leonor Cipriano, mother
of Joana, guarantees to have been tortured on the premises of the PJ in order to admit the death of her daughter and the place
where the corpse was hidden. In this case, Amaral is charged with failing to denounce. However, Marcos Aragao Correia wants
to prove the veracity of the thesis of torture.
"Mr Aragao Correia has a goal, and that is the demand to be the leading character in
the limelight. But he also knows that he follows the Order of Lawyers [Bar Association]. I will deal with the case by that
establishment, I will deal with the case in court and, I stress, if necessary with a compulsory internment, and that, it seems,
is what that man requires," concluded Goncalo Amaral.
24horas tried to talk to Aragao Correia, but he has remained uncontactable.
Still no date
Antonio Cabrita, the lawyer of Goncalo Amaral, told 24horas that he had
not spoken to his client about the possibility of the two processes: Against Aragao Correia and Leandro Silva. In any
case, Antonio Cabrita acknowledged, Goncalo Amaral "would not even need" his services as he "knows how to bring
these cases."
Detectives hired by the Mccanns tried to frame Goncalo Amaral, 13 February 2009
A puzzle with crossed stories
Detectives hired by the McCanns tried to frame Goncalo Amaral SIC
Metodo 3, the Spanish detective agency hired by the McCanns, tried to convince Leonor Cipriano's Lawyer to change the
line of the defence. The agency operatives wanted to make Goncalo Amaral - the former coordinator of the PJ of Portimao, responsible
for the investigation into the disappearance of Madeleine and Joana - the main target, through the intertwining of both cases
The contact was made during the time when the Spanish detectives were investigating the case of Madeleine McCann,
3 years old, who disappeared from Praia da Luz, Algarve, on 3rd May 2007. The agency's operatives contacted the Algarve lawyer,
Joao Grade dos Santos, requesting his support in the investigations. "They told me that they had contacted me because I was
working on a matter which, according to them, held some similarities", clarifies the lawyer.
Joao Grade dos Santos prompted the interest of Metodo3 because he was officially defending Leonor Cipriano in a process
where Goncalo Amaral was an arguido, charged by the Public Ministry, of omission to denounce acts of torture, performed by
three other inspectors of the PJ, during the questioning of the mother of Joana Cipriano. The process, still ongoing, involves
5 members of the Judiciary Police and was opened following a complaint put forward by the director of the Odemira prison.
In February 2005, the Expresso newspaper published a series of photographs of Leonor Cipriano, where the prison inmate
appears with her eyes and face bruised. The bruises denounced the existence of an aggression.
The mother of Joana, the eight-year-old girl who disappeared in 2004 from the village of Figueira in the Algarve, was
sentenced to 16 years in prison for the death and concealment of the corpse of her daughter.
In the contact made with Joao Grade dos Santos, the detectives of Metodo 3 spoke specifically of Goncalo Amaral: "Obviously
they had to speak about him: he was the inspector most talked about at that moment" - says the lawyer ironically - "after
all, he was in the investigation of both cases", concludes the lawyer. In their approach, the detectives emphasised the advantages
of the proposal, "They told me that money for expenses was not a problem", stressed the lawyer.
Leonor Cipriano was defended by Joao Grade of Santos during all the inquest period but, on the eve of the start of the
trial, the client dismissed the lawyer's services.
Months after having refused the proposal for collaboration with Metodo 3, Joao Grade dos Santos was replaced by Marcos
Aragao Correia, a young lawyer with offices in Madeira. From him it was a swift, but symbolic, passage through the continent:
Aragao Correia had participated in the searches for Madeleine, as a medium. The lawyer had visions of the girl's corpse in
the dam of the river Arade, in Silves. "The Judiciary Police - recognises Aragao - completely devalued this evidence, though
I was a lawyer, but Metodo 3 were very interested", he adds.
But the interest of the agency would focus on another objective: the detectives needed a lawyer who would assume the
intertwining of the Joana and Maddie cases.
Aragao Correia accepted what Grade dos Santos had refused: "The detectives came to me and told me: 'We are worried because
there's an element that is common to both cases. Goncalo Amaral, who is not interested in looking for the children, he is
only interested in incriminating the mothers. It happened in Maddie's case and also in Joana's case'. Metodo 3 asked me to
get involved in the case, they didn't ask me to be Leonor's lawyer, they asked me to make certain investigations as a lawyer".
Marcos Aragao Correia accepted the challenge and, when he consulted Joana's case, he immediately identified with the
thesis of the Spanish detectives. "I was outraged - he remembers - I thought that Mr. Goncalo Amaral had an occult interest
in systematically incriminating the mothers, without any proof against them."
As a result of the interest that he had felt about the case, Marcos Aragao Correia visited Leonor Cipriano at the Odemira
jail and ended up leaving the visit very close to becoming the substitute of Joao Grade dos Santos: "It was Leonor that asked
me. She told me that nobody had ever defended her like this. After much reflection I decided to accept and I communicated
Leonor's decision to Dr. Joao Grade dos Santos."
As soon as Marcos Aragao Correia assumed the defence of Leonor Cipriano, the process about the Faro trial against the
five PJ inspectors, changed it's track. He assumes the change himself: "The biggest nightmare for Goncalo Amaral was my entrance
in the case," he proclaims.
Paulo Pereira Cristovao, ex-inspector of the PJ and one of the 5 arguidos of Faro accuses Marcos Aragao Correia of tryng
to make an "arrangement" with the arguidos. "And that arrangement was: you all accuse Goncalo Amaral and I'll make sure that
Leonor Cipriano says that you had nothing to do with this - well, agreements like this are only for Hollywood", says Pereira
Cristovao with irony.
Marcos Aragao Correia doesn't deny the existence of such an agreement, but alleges that it was related with an "outburst
of one of the arguidos" that had reached his ears. "That arguido made an e-mail reach a friend of mine, where he pointed the
guilt at Goncalo Amaral," denounces the lawyer.
Marcos Aragao Correia confesses that he doesn't only share the negative opinion about the way that Goncalo Amaral investigated
the cases of Maddie and Joana, with Metodo 3 - hired by the McCanns. The lawyer feeds the enigma: "If I am taking sides for
one of the parties, it's obvious that that part is giving me moral support".
Aragao Correia does not reveal who, in fact, is behind this puzzle: "The secrecy of the contract that binds me to Metodo
3 doesn't allow me to reveal details regarding the private investigation," he concludes.
Contacted by SIC, Metodo 3 decided not to make any comments. But the PR of the McCann family alleges that the family
does not comment on angles they consider negative.
SIC in depth report: Maddie and Joana Cases strange connections, 15 February 2009
*The video above is the complete SIC programme. The short teaser video, referred to in the text below,
is no longer available*
SIC in depth report: Maddie and Joana Cases strange connections
A quick summary of this story, previewed in the trailer above, is as follows:
'The Spanish Agency, Metodo 3 hired by the McCanns to allegedly find their mysteriously disappeared daughter, recruited
the psychic lawyer Marcos Aragao Correia to incriminate Goncalo Amaral. SIC had access to documents which apparently prove
that the Spanish agency has tried to undermine the credibility of the Portuguese investigation on the Madeleine McCann Case.'
SIC in-depth report is signed by the journalists Pedro Coelho and Rita Jordao, camera by Luís Pinto and edition by Ricardo
Tenreiro.
You can read a description of what is being said in the teaser video for tonight's SIC special report in the SIC article
reproduced below, entitled: 'Detectives hired by the McCanns tried to frame Goncalo Amaral'.
Screenshots from the SIC documentary:
Joana Case: Prison guard made arguido, 20 February 2009
The prison guard, who said that the prison director of Odemira had suggested a change to the report on the alleged aggressions
made to Leonor Cipriano, has been constituted an arguido in the disciplinary process.
Initiated by the General Directorate of the Prison Services, this process originated in the statements given by Antonio
Maia during the trial of the five Polícia Judiciária (PJ) Inspectors, which today returns to the Court of Faro.
Currently working in Silves, the former former sub-chief of the Odemira prison guards was heard as a witness in October
last year. As he was questioned by the lawyer of the arguido Goncalo Amaral, he said that the mother of Joana explained that
the abrasions she had on her face were the result of "fall on the stairs" inside the premises of the PJ in Faro as a consequence
of "dizziness" after a day of questioning, in 2004. "Do you believe this is correct? Do you think she fell down
the stairs? Wasn't it torture?", asked Ana Maria Calado, director of the establishment, while reading the report. Before the
court of jury, Antonio Maia stated he did not alter the document.
JN knows that Ana Maria Calado has been an object of an inquest process, which was eventually shelved.
Expert says lesions are from distinct moments, 23 March 2009
The trial over the alleged aggressions against assistant Leonor Cipriano by Judiciária inspectors returns to the Court
of Faro on Tuesday, with the hearing of a forensics medicine expert, who concluded that the bruises have occurred at three
different moments.
The 12th trial session, which is scheduled to start at 9.30 a.m., is expected to hear Teresa Magalhaes, an expert at
the National Institute for Forensics Medicine, who wrote a report on request by the Court of Faro, about the photographs where
Leonor Cipriano can be seen with lesions on various places of her face and body.
A source that is connected to the process has told Lusa Agency that in her report, the expert concluded that the bruises
had been made during "three different trauma episodes", with hematoma that is three to four days old, others that are eight
to nine days old, and further ones that are 21 days old.
The expert, who never saw Leonor Cipriano's alleged lesions live, further excludes, in her report, that a fall from stairs
could have been the cause for the lesions.
The defence for the present and former Polícia Judiciária (PJ) inspectors nevertheless argues that the stair fall theory
cannot be excluded, because of the "trauma mechanism".
During a previous session at the Court of Faro, a forensics expert had already stated that the lesions that Leonor Cipriano
presents in the photographs may have been made on two distinct moments and that they could be a consequence both of falling
off the stairs or being assaulted.
Marcos Aragao Correia, Leonor Cipriano's lawyer, is not expected to attend Tuesday's trial session.
In February, Marcos Aragao requested the removal of this trial’s presiding judge, arguing that the magistrate's
behaviour indicates bias. Nevertheless, the Appeals Court of
Evora has denied the request for the removal of the presiding
judge.
Aragao Correia was notified of the decision from the Appeals Court of
Evora last Thursday, and when confronted with the
decision, that allows for no appeal, informed Lusa that he wouldn't attend the next trial sessions, although he continues
to represent Leonor Cipriano in writing.
The "Joana case" dates back to the 12th of September 2004, the day when the girl, aged eight, disappeared in the village
of Figueira, near Portimao, in the Algarve, and whose mother, Leonor Cipriano, and her uncle, Joao Cipriano (both siblings)
have been condemned by the Supreme Court of Justice to 16 years in prison over the crimes of homicide and concealment of the
child's cadaver.
Before serving her sentence at the prison in Odemira, Joana's mother was under preventive detention and was questioned
several times by inspectors at the PJ’s Directory in Faro.
The Public Ministry's accusations against present and former Judiciária inspectors appeared following the interrogations
at the PJ in Faro. Three stand accused of the crime of torture, one stands accused of failing to give assistance and omitting
a denunciation, and a fifth one stands accused of document forgery.
The last session of the trial of the five former Polícia Judiciária inspectors that stand accused of aggression
and of omission of assistance to Leonor Cipriano, and of document forgery, will be held on the 22nd of April, at the Court
of Faro. At that session, apart from closing statements, there will be the possibility of the arguidos speaking, which is
something that they have not done yet, during the trial.
Yesterday's session, the 12th, which Leonor's lawyer, Aragao Correia, didn't attend, was used to hear Teresa Magalhaes,
an expert at the National Institute for Forensics Medicine [Instituto Nacional de Medicina Legal] (INML). The medic defended
that Leonor's lesions, based on the photographs that she analysed, "are not caused by a fall from stairs" because "the pattern
doesn't suggest that", no "cuts" were visible and one cannot see lesions "on the elbows or feet". The Director of the Northern
delegation of the INML, who believes that the lesions were caused "on at least two different moments", still admitted that
the photos "are not of good quality".
The five inspectors' lawyers rebutted Teresa Magalhaes by arguing that the report "was based on suppositions and suggestions",
according to Antonio Cabrita, Goncalo Amaral's lawyer. The Defence further criticised the manner in which the report was requested
from the expert. "The request that is made to the Professor is badly formulated", said Pragal Colaco, the lawyer to three
of the five inspectors, said upon leaving the court.
Leonor Cipriano: Doctor excludes fall, 24 March 2009
This Tuesday, at the Court of Faro, an expert forensics doctor has excluded the hypothesis of Leonor Cipriano falling
off the stairs, a theory that could explain the alleged aggressions on the face and body of the assistant in this process.
"Those
lesions [some of Leonor Cipriano's lesions that can be observed on photographs that are part of the process] are not caused
by a fall from stairs. It would be very difficult for lesions on the face and in the abdominal area to occur if this was a
fall from the stairs", stated Teresa Magalhaes, the director of the Northern delegation of the National Institute for Forensics
Medicine, and a member of the directors' board.
When questioned by the Public Ministry, the expert went as far as admitting that some of the lesions, due to their distribution
on the body, where "suggestive of kicks and punches" and that with a fall from stairs "there would be more lesions to the
back and to the hands" and less lesions to the eyes, because they are better protected.
During the technical scientific consult, that was requested by the Court of Faro, and which the expert carried out based
on the photographs where Leonor Cipriano can be seen with lesions on several areas of her face and body, Teresa Magalhaes
has also mentioned that the ecchymoses (commonly known as black bruises) were caused "at least on two different moments".
"The lesions to the arm look older than those on the eyes and abdomen, which don't look older than two days", the expert
stated, nevertheless adding that the "photograph is worth what it is worth", that images "are never a rigorous element" and
that these are "virtual images of what happened" in reality.
Leonor Cipriano's lawyer abandoned complaint at European Court, 29 March 2009
Leonor Cipriano's lawyer abandoned complaint at European Court Duarte Levy Wordpressand 24horas
Duarte Levy
March 29, 2009 • 7:14 am
Without any reply from Leonor Cipriano's lawyer, Marcos Aragao Correia, and given his manifest lack of interest in answering
the judges' requests, the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has archived a complaint that had been filed by Joana's mother
against the Portuguese State, in which she complained about the alleged lack of impartiality in the decision by the Court
of Portimao that condemned her, at a first instance, to 24 years in prison over the homicide of her daughter.
Despite the fact that the ECHR accepted that complaint, Marcos Aragao Correia didn't follow up on the process and didn't
send any argumentation or details concerning the complaint, within the regular deadlines.
The initial complaint had been sent to Strasburg by Leonor's first lawyer, Joao Grade dos Santos, who in the meantime
was removed from the case through a letter from Leonor, that was sent after she was convinced by Marcos Aragao Correia that
he was the most appropriate lawyer to represent her in the process of the alleged aggressions that features Goncalo Amaral
as one of the arguidos.
This is not the first time that the lawyer from Madeira fails to react as one would expect from a professional, as his
performance as Leonor's lawyer in Faro was also branded by the presentation of several requests that equally failed the legal
deadlines. According to the European Court's archiving decision, the judges waited for Leonor's arguments and fundaments until
the end of October 2008.
Leonor Cipriano was initially condemned to 24 years in prison over her daughter Joana's homicide, a sentence that was
later reduced to 16 years and eight months, by an appeals court.
Both of Leonor's lawyers, past and present, declined to comment on the case, but a source that is connected to the process
at the court of Faro, contacted by 24horas, didn't show any surprise about the fact: "Since the beginning, we have
been stressing that the gentleman is not here in order to represent Leonor's interests, but rather to personally target some
of the arguidos, namely Dr Goncalo Amaral, and at the same time, to seek for a certain protagonism in the media", the source
said.
Cipriano Case: No Evidence Against Goncalo Amaral, says Lawyer, 21 April 2009
Cipriano Case: No Evidence Against Goncalo Amaral, says Lawyer Diário Digital / Lusa
Goncalo Amaral's lawyer in the case of the alleged aggressions against Leonor Cipriano has stated today that "solid proof"
was never produced in court, concerning the omission of denunciation of criminal facts, and false testimony by the former
inspector.
The trial into the alleged aggressions against assistant Leonor Cipriano by Polícia Judiciária (PJ) inspectors is back
in the court of Faro on Wednesday and the start of the session is scheduled for 9.30 a.m.
"There was never solid proof produced in court that Goncalo Amaral had any knowledge of criminal actions. I never noticed
that anything whatsoever was proved about this accusation", Antonio Cabrita told Lusa Agency.
In this judicial case, former PJ inspector Goncalo Amaral stands accused of the crime of false testimony and omission
of denunciation.
According to Antonio Cabrita, the Public Ministry (PM) used "two weights and two scales" when it accused Goncalo Amaral
of omission of denunciation and did not also accuse the director of the Prison of Odemira of the same crime.
"The director said she found Leonor Cipriano with lesions and had photographs taken, but the first thing that she should
have done is to demand an inspection by the Forensics Institute in order to verify the lesions and to describe them",
the lawyer argued.
The 13th session of the trial over the alleged aggressions against Leonor Cipriano should be occupied by closing arguments,
but only if none of the arguidos wishes to make a statement to the court.
"I'm prepared for closing arguments, the preparation is constant, I just need to revisit the witnesses' statements and
to check the contradictions, but it all depends on whether the arguidos wish to make a statement or not", Goncalo Amaral's
lawyer told Lusa, recalling that during the previous session, the former PJ inspector publicly expressed his will to speak.
Closing arguments begin with the Public Ministry's prosecutor, followed by assistant Leonor Cipriano's lawyer, Marcos
Aragao, and by the assistant from the Lawyers' Order, Rodrigo Santiago, and only then do the defence lawyers start their final
arguments about the case.
Lusa tried to contact assistant Leonor Cipriano's lawyer, Marcos Aragao, but it was not possible.
The process of alleged aggressions against Leonor Cipriano by PJ inspectors is related to the so-called "Joana case"
that dates back to the 12th of September 2004, the day when the little girl, aged eight, disappeared from the village of Figueira,
Portimao, Algarve.
The Public Ministry's accusations against five Judiciária inspectors and former inspectors appeared following the interrogation
sessions at the PJ in Faro in 2004, a time when Leonor appeared at the Prison of Odemira, where she was under preventive custody,
with lesions on her face and body.
Three inspectors stand accused of the crime of torture, one stands accused of the crime of false testimony and omission
to denounce, and a fifth one stands accused of the crime of forgery of a document.
Joana's mother, Leonor Cipriano, and her uncle, Joao Cipriano (both siblings) were condemned by the Supreme Court of
Justice to 16 years in prison each, over the crimes of homicide and concealment of the child's cadaver.
Cipriano Case: Inspector's defence exhibits proof, 22 April 2009
The defence of the inspectors indicted for the alleged aggressions to Leonor Cipriano is going to request an adjoinment
to the process of another analysis to a diskette which reaffirms the conclusion regarding the 'manipulation' of the images
where Joana's mother appears with haematomas.
The request of the lawyers of Leonel Marques, Paulo Pereira Cristovao, Paulo Marques Bom and Antonio Cardoso will be
delivered, today in another session of 'Joana Case' trial, at the Court of Faro, given that 'the correct, exact and complete
digital forensics analysis is crucial.'
Photos are not Trustworthy
In the report elaborated by the computer forensic expert Filipe Custodio, to which the news agency Lusa had access, it
was concluded that 'the images presented in the diskette, identified as Photo 1 to Photo 20 (…), cannot be constituted
as a trustworthy document'. Therefore, we reiterate that the photos where Leonor Cipriano shows haematomas in different parts
of the body 'are completely put into question in their authenticity, for the lack of a date, for the evidence of software
tampering, and for not being possible to reproduce in a reliable manner the 'chain of custody', since their capture up to
their presentation in an digital format'.
Goncalo Amaral's defence requests acquittal, 22 April 2009
Today, the defence has asked for the acquittal of Goncalo Amaral, a former Polícia Judiciária
inspector, from the accusation of omission of denunciation and false testimony in the case of the alleged aggressions against
Leonor Cipriano, as it considers that proof was not made during the trial.
In his closing arguments, that took place in the Court of Faro today, Goncalo Amaral's lawyer, Antonio Cabrita, told
the jury tribunal that the accusation "failed to demonstrate beyond the shadow of a doubt", the crimes of which the coordinator
of the investigation into the disappearance of Joana Cipriano is accused.
"Mrs Leonor Cipriano, with all the credit that she may merit, and she merits none, said she didn't see who aggressed
her. Then she said it was Goncalo Amaral. If she didn't see, why did she take part in a line-up, during which she identified
persons who don't belong to the PJ and were not present at the date of the facts?", Goncalo Amaral's lawyer questioned in
his closing arguments.
Antonio Cabrita further defended that there could be no crime of omission of denunciation because Goncalo Amaral "had
no obligation to report something different from what his collaborators reported to him".
The lawyer also defended the accusation of false testimony because Goncalo Amaral "naturally believed that what had been
reported to him by his collaborators was true".
"You can only acquit all of the arguidos and especially the one that I defend", concluded the lawyer, who denounced contradictions
in Leonor Cipriano's statements, questioned the veracity of the photographs of the bruises that had been presented by the
accusation and stated that "the only witness who spoke the truth, prison guard Antonio Maia, was hit with a disciplinary process".
Antonio Cabrita thus followed the defence line of the three Judiciária inspectors who stand accused of the crime of torture
against Leonor Cipriano, who had earlier requested the acquittal of the arguidos by the jury tribunal, based on "manipulation"
of the photographs and witness contradictions, as well.
The trial of the five Polícia Judiciária (PJ) inspectors, who stand accused of alleged aggressions against Leonor Cipriano
within the "Joana case", returned to the Court of Faro this morning for closing arguments.
The reading of the sentence has been scheduled for the 22nd of May, at 2 p.m.
The process of alleged aggressions against Leonor Cipriano by PJ inspectors is related to the so-called "Joana case",
which dates back to the 12th of September 2004, the day when the eight-year-old girl disappeared from the village of Figueira,
Portimao, in the Algarve.
The Public Ministry's accusations against five Judiciária inspectors and former inspectors appeared following the questioning
sessions at the PJ in Faro in 2004, at a time when Leonor allegedly appeared with lesions to her face and body, at the Prison
of Odemira, where she was under preventive custody.
Joana's mother, Leonor Cipriano, and her uncle, Joao Cipriano (both siblings) were condemned by the Supreme Court of
Justice to 16 years in prison each, over the crimes of homicide and concealment of the child's body.
Joana Case: Leonor's lawyer requests a new inquiry and a revision of the girl's mother's
sentence, 19 May 2009
Joana Case: Leonor's lawyer requests a new inquiry and a revision of the girl's mother's sentence, 19 May 2009
Lusa/Expresso
Faro, 19 May (Lusa) – Today, Leonor Cipriano's lawyer, in the case
of alleged aggressions, has requested the opening of a new inquiry into the Joana case and the acquittal of the little girl's
mother, after Joao Cipriano confessed in writing that he tried to sell her.
Only a few days before the reading of the sentence in the case of alleged aggressions by PJ inspectors, that is scheduled
for Friday, Marcos Aragao Correia asks for the opening of a new inquiry and the revision of the sentence that was applied
to Leonor, who was sentenced to 16 years in prison.
With the new inquiry, the lawyers wants the alleged buyers of Joana to be identified and also that Leonor is acquitted
of the crime of her daughter's murder, as it is "only" up to Joao to reveal the destiny that he gave to the little girl.
To the document, which was sent to the Attorney General and to the press today, Aragao Correia annexes a copy of a statement
by Joao Cipriano, in which the latter confesses that he tried to sell the little girl, without further detail.
According to Leonor's lawyer, the confession – that was written "by the hand" of Joao Cipriano himself - corroborates
the version of Joana's mother, who in January confessed in writing to having given consent for her brother to sell the child.
In the document, it can be read that the confession from Joana's uncle – despite not adding any details about the
body's location -, and the one from Leonor constitute "sufficient" elements of proof to open a new inquiry.
Aragao Correia says that Joao Cipriano only confessed the truth due to the "fear" that he manifested of being killed
inside the prison by inmates "hired by the criminals that tried to buy Joana".
Therefore, the lawyer adds, the confession has the goal of ensuring that Joao is awarded State protection, given
the fact that it is the "same fear" that prevents him from identifying the "other criminals" and indicating the location of
the cadaver.
The new inquiry would serve the purpose of identifying Joana's buyers and recovering the body, says Aragao Correia, stressing
that given the fact that the transaction was not successful, only Joao Cipriano can reveal the destiny that he gave to the
little girl.
Aragao Correia further stresses that Joao Cipriano, who serves a 16-year sentence at the Prison of Carregueira, had already
served a seven year sentence over attempted murder.
Leonor Cipriano's lawyer confesses to lying to obtain a confession, 19 May 2009
Leonor Cipriano's lawyer confesses to lying to obtain a confession TSF
Lawyer Aragao Correia, who defends Leonor Cipriano, Joana's mother, told TSF this Tuesday
that he lied to obtain a written confession from Joao Cipriano, who revealed that he tried to sell the child.
Aragao Correia had already requested the opening of a new inquiry after Leonor Cipriano confessed to him that she handed
over her daughter to her brother, for him to sell her.
Now, the lawyer revealed that he visited Joao Cipriano in prison and that the latter confessed that he tried to sell
the little girl. But in order to force a confession, in writing, Aragao Correia admitted to bluffing.
The lawyer confessed that he told Joao Cipriano that the people who wanted to buy Joana "gave an order to murder him
in prison". "He was very fearful, which confirms that Leonor was telling the truth," he added.
For Aragao Correia, it was Joao Cipriano who murdered the child although the inmate at Carregueira prison never admitted
it.
Now, in a request that was sent to the Attorney General, Aragao Correia requests for the process to be reopened in order
to investigate the identity of the people who tried to buy Joana and for Leonor Cipriano to be acquitted of the crime of homicide.
The case of Joana Cipriano's disappearance, which dates back to 2004, will know further developments this week, at a
time when members of the Polícia Judiciária will hear the sentence over the accusation of having used torture methods against
Leonor Cipriano.
Leonor Cipriano: verdict to be read out on Friday, 21 May 2009
The jury tribunal has deliberated about the verdict for the five arguidos in the case of alleged aggressions against
Leonor Cipriano and the reading of the verdict by the presiding judge is scheduled for Friday at the Court of Faro.
Eight months after the date of the trial's start – on the 27th of October 2008 – the 14th trial session will
make it known whether the five Polícia Judiciária (PJ) inspectors and former inspectors are acquitted or condemned by the
jury tribunal.
The process of the alleged aggressions against Leonor Cipriano by PJ inspectors is related to the so-called 'Joana case',
which dates back to the 12th of September 2004, the day when the eight-year-old girl disappeared from the village of Figueira,
Portimao, in the Algarve.
The Public Ministry's accusations against five Judiciária inspectors and former inspectors have appeared following the
questioning sessions at the PJ in Faro in 2004, at a time when Leonor allegedly appeared at the Prison of Odemira, where she
was under preventive custody, with lesions to her face and body.
Three inspectors stand accused of the crime of torture, one stands accused of false testimony and omission of denunciation
and a fifth one stands accused of document forgery.
Three of the arguidos in the process are Pereira Cristovao, who was connected to the capture of the gangs of CREL and
Multibanco II and wrote the book "The Star of Joana", Leonel Marques, who investigated terrorism cases like the FP25 and the
Revolutionary Brigades, and Paulo Marques Bom, one of the main investigators in the 'Passerelle case'.
A fourth inspector, Nunes Cardoso, was working with the heavy crime squad in Lisbon when he was detached for the 'Joana
case'.
The fifth arguido in this process is Goncalo Amaral, a former coordinator of the PJ's Criminal Investigation Department
in Portimao, who initially coordinated the investigation into the disappearance of the little English girl, Madeleine McCann,
in May 2007, in the Algarve, but has since retired from the Judiciária.
Joana's mother, Leonor Cipriano, and her uncle, Joao Cipriano (both siblings) have been condemned by the Supreme Court
of Justice to 16 years in prison each, over the crimes of homicide and concealment of the child's cadaver.
In a statement to Lusa agency, Goncalo Amaral's lawyer, Antonio Cabrita, asks only for the collective of judges to "make
justice" on Friday.
If the arguidos are acquitted, the Public Ministry or the assistants can file an appeal with the Supreme Court of Justice
or the Appeals Court, respectively.
Four days ago, Leonor Cipriano's lawyer, Aragao Correia, asked for the opening of a new inquiry in the 'Joana case' and
the acquittal of the girl's mother, after Joao Cipriano confessed to him that he tried to sell the child.
