Portugal Resident
Natasha Donn
September 22, 2015
Appeal to raise money for Maddie cop’s legal costs gets huge cash boost
An
anonymous group of Portuguese “business and legal workers” have
ploughed over €5,500 (£4000) 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”.
natasha.donn@algarveresident.com
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