Portuguese lawyer Marcos Aragão Correia and the Arade dam search.

[sadie]

A brief insight into the life of Marcos Aragão Correia

1975 - Born: Madeira.

2000? - Aged 25, sets up legal practice in Madeira claiming he ‘specialises in human rights’ cases.

2001? - He sets himself up as head of a ‘Human Rights Association’, ACED, widely regarded as a self-promotional ‘joke’ in Portugal, and which has a track record of making outrageous legal claims.

2004? - Co-founds right-wing, nationalist, political party, which as yet has little popular support and no MPs or Councillors. That party has taken into membership a number of people with neo-Nazi ideology, some of them who have served prison sentences for their crimes.

3 May 2007 - Madeleine McCann reported missing.

5 May 2007 - He now claims that on this day, two days after Madeleine was reported missing, he attended a spiritualist church on Madeira for the first time, and on returning home, sometime before midnight, had a vision in which he learnt that Madeleine had been raped by paedophiles and killed (see also below). NOTE: We do not accept this account as truthful. He had previously claimed that ‘underworld sources’ had told him about Madeleine having been abducted, raped and killed (see next item)

6 May 2007 - This is the day Marcos Aragão Correia had previously claimed that his underworld sources told him that Madeleine McCann had been raped and killed and her body thrown into a ‘murky lake’. He later admitted that this had been a lie.

9 May 2007 - He claimed that on this day he told the Portuguese Police what the underworld sources had told him about Madeleine being killed. He says the PJ ignored him.

21 June 2007 - Aragão Correia organises a release of yellow balloons on Madeira in support of the McCanns’ claims that Madeleine had been abducted. This is the first clear sign that he was actively supporting the McCanns’ campaign.

June to November 2007 - There is no information about his actions during this period, except claiming that he sent a recorded delivery letter to the McCanns (see below). Other evidence (see below) suggests that by September 2007, or soon afterwards, he was probably in touch with private detectives from Método 3, negotiating a lucrative financial deal with them, on behalf of the McCanns, to (a) arrange searches of the Arade Dam (see below) and (b) to represent child murderess and serial liar Leonor Cipriano in a set of legal proceedings primarily intended to target Gonçalo Amaral.

2 Oct 2007 - Claims to have sent a Recorded Delivery letter from Madeira to the McCanns in Rothley on that date, allegedly containing details of ‘vital clues and evidence’ in the case. He also says that he had earlier notified the Polícia Judiciária in Funchal (Madeira) about his concerns but got no reply.

17 Oct 2007 - Says he was notified that the Recorded Delivery letter never arrived to the McCanns, although allegedly the letter was ‘signed for’.

13 Nov 2007 - Mysteriously sues the Portuguese postal service (the Correios de Portugal - CTT) for allegedly failing to deliver this letter. He told the court that heard his claim: “They are controversial matters, because there is no material proof of them, but I assure you there is a high degree of credibility about them. I am fulfilling my duty as a Portuguese citizen to take my ideas to the right place. I took my ideas to the PJ in Funchal, but since they didn’t reply, I took them direct to the McCanns”. He says a CTT official falsely reported that the Recorded Delivery letter had been received. The judge dismissed Aragão Correia’s claim as unsubstantiated and ordered him to pay court costs of 100 euros (around £80). Source: Madeira Daily News, 13 Nov 2007.

10 Dec 2007 - Says that on this day, he personally visited the Arade Dam with Método 3 detectives. He says that on the same day, he also told the Portuguese Police about his theory that Madeleine’s body was probably lying in the Arade Dam, near the tower by the lake. He said he had reached this conclusion after carefully considering information he said he had received from ‘underworld sources’, who told him that Madeleine’s body was ‘in a murky lake, with a beach, near some trees’. Later, when questions were asked about his sources of information and why he hadn’t acted sooner, he changed his story to say that he had had a ‘supernatural indication’ or ‘vision’ of where Madeleine’s body might be (see below).

Dec 2007 - late Jan 2008 - Said Portuguese Police did ‘nothing’ to act on his ‘information’.

Jan 2008 - Says that he paid British divers from Dive Time, Lagos, Algarve to search one part of the Arade Dam at a cost of at least £1,200 a day. He says he did this out of the goodness of his own heart, but he later conceded that Método 3 paid him ‘expenses’ [denied by Método 3]. He was described in sections of the British press as ‘a Good Samaritan’ for apparently funding these searches out of his own pocket. The media were conveniently on hand to record the discovery of a 17-foot length of cord, which he said ‘could have been used to tie up Madeleine’. At the same time the head of the Portuguese Police publicly stated that in his opinion the McCanns were made arguidos ‘hastily’ by Gonçalo Amaral and his colleagues.

Mar 2008 - Further search of the dam, this time managing to find ‘two black plastic bags of bones’ in the lake. Once again, media were on hand to take photos of Dive Time divers, bags of bones etc. - there were lots of pictures of divers in black wet-suits in British media. Aragão Correia says he is ‘99% certain that Madeleine’s body will be found here’ in the Arade Dam.

These stories served a number of purposes, including:

(a) promoting the claim by the head of the Portuguese police that they had acted ‘hastily’ in making Dr Gerald and Dr Kate McCann suspects
(b) promoting the notion that the Portuguese police had been incompetent by (allegedly) deliberately ignoring the vital evidence of Mr Aragão Correia’s underworld sources that Madeleine had been killed and her body dumped at the bottom of a murky lake
(c) re-opening the possibility that Madeleine’s body being dumped in the Arade Dam tied in with the suspicious sighting of a woman transferring a young child to another car in the Silves area, the woman being said to look like Michaela Walczuch, Robert Murat’s girlfriend
(d) promoting the view that Dr Gerald and Kate McCann were not responsible for what happened to Madeleine. Aragão Correia said: “I don't believe Kate and Gerry did it. It could have been a single madman or a gang”.

Mar - October 2008 - Silence from Aragão Correia, apart from, in the background...

8 April 2008 - Visits Leonor Cipriano in Odemira Prison and has discussions with the Prison Governor there.

October 2008 - Dramatically pops up in court to replace the lawyer representing the serial liar and murderess of her own daughter, Leonor Cipriano, currently serving a 16-year jail term for murder, in her claim that a confession was beaten out of her by Gonçalo Amaral and his four detectives. The original claim against Mr Amaral had been made in 2006 by other lawyers but was now, suddenly, being handled by Marcos Aragão Correia.

November 2008 - Admits to a proposed deal to ‘crucify Gonçalo Amaral’, He tells the lawyer representing the four detectives accused together with Gonçalo Amaral that his detectives will only get suspended sentences for a more minor offence if they give evidence against Gonçalo Amaral and state that it was he who ordered the torture and that he was there when it happened.

November 2008 - Calls defence lawyer for Gonçalo Amaral, Mr Cabrita, a ‘goat’ in the court room [‘cabrita’ is also the Portuguese word for goat].

21 January 2009 - Suspended as a lawyer/barrister by the Madeira Bar Association [Madeira Lawyers’ Order] and thrown out of court by the trial judge in the case against Mr Amaral based on Ms Cipriano’s allegations. He was later allowed to continue representing Ms Cipriano.

22 May 2009 - Wins the case against Gonçalo Amaral, at which Mr Amaral gets an 18-month suspended jail sentence for allegedly filing a false report. Says triumphantly: “Gonçalo Amaral has been convicted. The target has been hit”.

8 June 2009 - Brings new proceedings against Gonçalo Amaral on behalf of Leonor Cipriano, claiming once more that Amaral’s men had tortured her.

July 2009 - Brings further new proceedings against Gonçalo Amaral, this time on behalf of Leonor Cipriano’s former partner, António Leandro David da Silva, who also alleged that he had been assaulted by Amaral’s men.

3 October 2009 - Tries to sabotageGonçalo Amaral’s birthday partyby driving up outside the restaurant where the party was being held, making a provocative obscene gesture, and then fabricating to the Public Ministry Police claiming that he had been assaulted.

I shall not bother to answer much of that John.  So much is biased and untrue

But let's look at the last one.

Marcos and his clients, Ana and her hubby ... who Amaral had threatened over the phone ... arrive at the harbour and stop to watch a forework display .  They are lighting up and watching with Marcos sitting in the car ... and Amarals party come out of a restaurant to watch the fireworks as well.  A big group on the pavement, at his 50th bash.  They spot Ana and her hubby and Marcos.  They come over to the car, threatening him and trying to pull him thru the window. 
Are you suggesting that Marcos and Anas hubbie started it and were taking on that big gang?

Amaral kept back out of dangers wayas he always does. Wonder if he had his diamond earring in? 


An endangerd Marcos and clients drove off to the police station to report the very nasty incident




Now, John,  I notice that you have left out of the list the latest Court case between Amaral and Marcos.  Why is that?

Is it because Marcos and the other guy (?)Dore won the case hands down?  Amaral AGAIN got it wrong.  Amaral lost.


No wonder he (and all Amaral worshippers) hates Marcos Aragao Correia.  Marcos keeps beating him.

[John]

I notice you have totally avoided the main issues Sadie.  Marcos Aragão Correia, a proven liar and self acclaimed psychic medium who had a story for every occasion.  Remind me what was his last fairy tale about the Arade Dam?

[stephen25000]

As to Correia, he is a pure fantasist, and no more.

[Estuarine]

Marcos Aragoa Correia supported by Amnesty International?

So who's going to call them a bunch of liars?   I'm holding out the plate - please do step up

Oh dear! you can't even get that right.

[stephen25000]

Marcos Aragoa Correia supported by Amnesty International?

So who's going to call them a bunch of liars?   I'm holding out the plate - please do step up

Some people love to believe fantasists.

[Estuarine]

Well this should put some things straight.
I look forward to reading all the cherry picking and watching all the bobbing and weaving.

7 July 2012
Thanks to Ines for translation

This Tuesday, Faro Court acquitted Aragão Correia, Leonor Cipriano's lawyer – the mother of the girl who disappeared from the Algarve in 2004 -, as well as professor António Pedro Dores, of having defamed the ex-PJ inspector Gonçalo Amaral.

Gonçalo Amaral
Aragão Correia and the president of the Association Agaist Exclusion for Development (ACED), António Pedro Dores, were accused of having defamed the ex–inspector, who almost eight years ago investigated the disappearance of Joana, Leonor Cipriano's daughter.

In the summing up, the judge stated that the necessary conditions had not been met in order to even consider the legal possibility of sentencing António Pedro Dores, president of ACED, who published the "Report On the Torture of Leonor Cipriano Perpetrated by the Policía Judiciaria", the subject of the law suit brought by Gonçalo Amaral.

As regards Marcos Aragão Correia, the acquittal confirmed his compliance with the civil duty of denouncing acts of torture, an obligation of every citizen, and, on the other hand gave as proven that Leonor Cipriano's lawyer was convinced that Gonçalo Amaral was even a participant in the acts of torture against Joana's mother.

Upon learning of the acts committed against Leonor Cipriano – whose existence, already the subject of an independent judgement, was not questioned by the court – by means of a conservation with his client, Aragão Correia was convinced of the truthfulness of the version he heard, which, in the Court's understanding, annulled the seriousness of its publication.

However, based upon the witness statements heard – including that of Leonor Cipriano - the Court did not admit as proven that Gonçalo Amaral had been present at the acts of torture nor that he had coordinated the team which inflicted them.

Nevertheless, the judgement alleged that Aragão Correia knew that publicly attributing those acts to someone could constitute material "that was damaging to his honour and dignity", however he did this in the conviction that Leonor had told him the truth.

In 2009, Gonçalo Amaral was sentenced to a one and a half year suspended sentence for making a false statement in the trial of the ex–PJ inspectors and officers, accused of torturing Joana's mother.

The ex–inspector considers that the ACED report was "damaging to his honour and personal and professional considerations", which is why he decided to bring a complaint for defamation against Aragão Correia and the president of the association.

The Public Ministry requested the acquittal of both men, alleging that this was not a case of defamation, as all evidence pointed to the existence of torture, in spite of the fact that it has never been proven exactly who was responsible.

Heard as a witness during the final sessions of the trial, Leonor described that the inspectors placed a bag over her head, beat her all over her body and hit her with a phone book and a hard cardboard object.

Allegedly, the acts of aggression took place after she had been forced to kneel on two glass ashtrays, which according to her, had been supplied by Gonçalo Amaral himself.

Leonor and the missing girl's uncle, João Cipriano, were sentenced in November 2004 to 20 years and four months and to 19 years and two months imprisonment respectively, for the crimes of qualified homicide and hiding of a body.

http://www.mccannfiles.com/id398.html

[Cariad]

Well this should put some things straight.
I look forward to reading all the cherry picking and watching all the bobbing and weaving.

7 July 2012
Thanks to Ines for translation
SNIP///
However, based upon the witness statements heard – including that of Leonor Cipriano - the Court did not admit as proven that Gonçalo Amaral had been present at the acts of torture nor that he had coordinated the team which inflicted them.

Nevertheless, the judgement alleged that Aragão Correia knew that publicly attributing those acts to someone could constitute material "that was damaging to his honour and dignity", however he did this in the conviction that Leonor had told him the truth.

In 2009, Gonçalo Amaral was sentenced to a one and a half year suspended sentence for making a false statement in the trial of the ex–PJ inspectors and officers, accused of torturing Joana's mother.


http://www.mccannfiles.com/id398.html

Wow, so not quite as straight forward as some would have us believe tehn?

Thanks for the link Esty, it really shines a whole new light on it!

[Mr Gray]

Wow, so not quite as straight forward as some would have us believe tehn?

Thanks for the link Esty, it really shines a whole new light on it!

Why does it shine a whole new light on it?

We all know that amaral was convicted only of covering up the torture.......the court accepted that cipriano was tortured in police custody...there were no witnesses...how convenient...cipriano had a bag over her head so it was impossible to prove who assaulted her and who was present...the pj knew what they were doing

[sadie]

Why does it shine a whole new light on it?

We all know that amaral was convicted only of covering up the torture.......the court accepted that cipriano was tortured in police custody...there were no witnesses...how convenient...cipriano had a bag over her head so it was impossible to prove who assaulted her and who was present...the pj knew what they were doing

Well they had tortured before.  Plenty of experience how to hide the culprits.  This was, mainly anyhow, the terrorist branch, the DccB, brought in specially from Lisbon.

Amaral was head hioncho.  He must have brought them in.  If so, he is responsible.

[icabodcrane]

Why were the McCanns' private detectives giving Cipriano's lawyer money ? 

...  what did that  have to do with finding  Madeleine    ?   

[sadie]

Why were the McCanns' private detectives giving Cipriano's lawyer money ? 

...  what did that  have to do with finding  Madeleine    ?

Try and remember the time scale Icabod.

Not Rocket science ya know

[icabodcrane]

Try and remember the time scale Icabod.

Not Rocket science ya know

Why did the McCann's private detectives give Cipriano's lawyer money   ? 

How was that supposed to help them find Madeleine  ? 

It's a simple question

[sadie]

Why did the McCann's private detectives give Cipriano's lawyer money   ? 

How was that supposed to help them find Madeleine  ? 

It's a simple question

I dont know, do you?

I am not privvy to their private thoughts, are you?

Am off to bed now Icabod

Nigh night

[icabodcrane]

I dont know, do you?

I am not privvy to their private thoughts, are you?

Am off to bed now Icabod

Nigh night

No,  I don't know,  that's why I'm asking the question

It's an important question,  I think 

...   was  Cipriano's lawyer paid  from the Find Madeleine Fund ?

[Anna]

A very important question !

His expenses were paid by Metado 3