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An anonymous group of Portuguese
“business and legal workers” have
ploughed over €11,000 (£8000)
into the online appeal set up by a young
single mother to raise money for
beleaguered ex-Maddie cop Gonçalo
Amaral. Amaral’s appeal against the
€600,000 in damages awarded against him
in the civil case taken out by the
parents of missing Madeleine is due to
be decided by Lisbon’s Appellate Court
“any day now”.
The cash boost has brought the Legal
Defence for Gonçalo Amaral to over
€65,000 (£47,010).
Donated in the Portuguese language, the
text claims to be from “an anonymous
group of business and legal workers who
are appalled by what has happened”.
It continues: “Portugal and Britain are
old allies, but the McCanns and the
British gutter press have tried to drive
a wedge between us.
“We can all see what they are trying to
do, freezing Dr Amaral’s assets to
prevent him from defending himself,
whilst using the donated millions to sue
him.
“That is not justice. It is not right.
“The McCanns lost five out of the seven
issues, but the British press has not
reported that, nor the strong terms used
by the judge against their so called
‘evidence’.
“They have to pay 60% of the costs, but
the British press has not reported that”
either, the text continues, stressing
that “this small donation is to ensure
that this act of hate and venom does not
succeed”.
The donation - arriving in the legal
fund early on Tuesday morning - has been
widely shared on social media where a
veritable avalanche of support for
Amaral has accompanied him for the past
eight years. But so far it has been
ignored by the British mainstream media.
As to the former PJ detective’s appeal
against the ruling that effectively
orders him to pay the McCann’s over
€600,000 in damages, that is advancing
now through the Appellate Court in
Lisbon.
As a friend of the former detective’s
explained, “it is not a public process.
There is no court date.
“At some point, the judges reach a
verdict and then they communicate that
verdict to all parties. There is however
no deadline. It may take weeks or months
until we hear anything”. |
