Luz declares the Portuguese libel trial is not a libel trial ?

[Alfred R Jones]

There are people who think Bush was responsible for 9/11...there are people who think the Queen is a shapeshifting lizard...so it is not surprising  that some believe the McCanns are guilty....what's important is that SY believe they are not involved

Yes - there are many people who believe the parents of the children killed in the school massacre in the US a couple of years back were state-employed actors - because one or two of them smiled when they talked about their dead children, and because another didn't appear to shed tears.  And let's not forget all those McCann doubters who were similarly convinced that Joanna Yeates boyfriend and / or own father had a hand in her disappearance, based on nothing more than the way they looked and spoke. We don't hear those particular doubters crowing about their amazing perception with regard their initial suspicions anymore - I wonder why.

[ferryman]

Did we ever fathom why Santos asked for proceedings to be in camera to protect Madeleine lest Madeleine be alive?

[John]

Posters are reminded to stay on topic. TY

[John]

Did we ever fathom why Santos asked for proceedings to be in camera to protect Madeleine lest Madeleine be alive?

Santos was only interested in protecting one person and that was his client.  Work the rest out for yourself.   

[ferryman]

Santos was only interested in protecting one person and that was his client.  Work the rest out for yourself.   

He wanted to protect Amaral from (thoroughly deserved!) ridicule at the preposterousness of his claims!

You may have a point ...

[Wonderfulspam]

It was a while later you knew they dunnit, based (one could probably successfully argue) on much of the PJ & then Amaral sponsored propaganda that poured out of PT from the Summer of 2007 onwards.

It was when they were made suspects & then fled the country. That's what dunnit for me.

[Mr Gray]

It was when they were made suspects & then fled the country. That's what dunnit for me.

who would want to share a cell wth the ciprianos...and the twins put in Casa Pia

[John]

who would want to share a cell wth the ciprianos...and the twins put in Casa Pia

You never cease to amaze Dave!   

[Victoria]

Did we ever fathom why Santos asked for proceedings to be in camera to protect Madeleine lest Madeleine be alive?

You'd have to ask Luz, apparently she's got her finger on the pulse. She is Portuguese, after all, and will therefore know far more about it than you.

[Brietta]

It was when they were made suspects & then fled the country. That's what dunnit for me.

Probably dunnit for a number of folk, at the time.

It was only later that it was revealed they had been made arguidos because the forensics had been misinterpreted.

It is an error to say they 'fled' the country.  They did not.

[Wonderfulspam]

Probably dunnit for a number of folk, at the time.

It was only later that it was revealed they had been made arguidos because the forensics had been misinterpreted.

It is an error to say they 'fled' the country.  They did not.

Ok, they left the country, and didn't go back to assist the investigation, because they are 100% innocent.

[John]

Probably dunnit for a number of folk, at the time.

It was only later that it was revealed they had been made arguidos because the forensics had been misinterpreted.

It is an error to say they 'fled' the country.  They did not.

Didn't Kate write in the book that Gerry was on the verge of loading them all in the Scenic and getting the hell out of there pronto?  They didn't of course but the thought was there.

[sadie]

Didn't Kate write in the book that Gerry was on the verge of loading them all in the Scenic and getting the hell out of there pronto?  They didn't of course but the thought was there.

John

As you well know, Gerry was told lies by Amarals gang at that Arguido interview.  The Amaral gang told him that they had proof that a dead Madeleine was carried in the car.  Gerry knew this to be untrue and realsed, that along with other irregular things, they were being stitched up.  He would also have been warned by the Consular officials about what went on in PT, with torture, [Michael Cook, Leonor Cipriano, Virgilino Bourges etc.]  Then Leandro Silva, bless him ... I like Leandro, put his neck on the line by warning tham what happened to poor Leonor and Joao.

Then Kate was offered a deal ..  A deal !  Can you believe it? 

The Deal:  "Admit you did it and you will only get 2 years in jail!    JEZUZ can you believe it?  What a farce,  How wicked.



To tell you the truth, I would have been out of there like greased lightning. 

They could see that Madeleine wasn't being looked for ... and they knew
... That they could not have carried on their search had they both, or even one, been in jail


They would have been crazy to stay in the circumstances

[Mr Gray]

John

As you well know, Gerry was told lies by Amarals gang at that Arguido interview.  The Amaral gang told him that they had proof that a dead Madeleine was carried in the car.  Gerry knew this to be untrue and realsed, that along with other irregular things, they were being stitched up.  He would also have been warned by the Consular officials about what went on in PT, with torture, [Michael Cook, Leonor Cipriano, Virgilino Bourges etc.]  Then Leandro Silva, bless him ... I like Leandro, put his neck on the line by warning tham what happened to poor Leonor and Joao.

Then Kate was offered a deal ..  A deal !  Can you believe it? 

The Deal:  "Admit you did it and you will only get 2 years in jail!    JEZUZ can you believe it?  What a farce,  How wicked.



To tell you the truth, I would have been out of there like greased lightning. 

They could see that Madeleine wasn't being looked for ... and they knew
... That they could not have carried on their search had they both, or even one, been in jail


They would have been crazy to stay in the circumstances

That's exactly as I see it Sadie...makes perfect sense

[Carana]

On appeal?

Are you sure about that?

Hmmm. Looking at it again... Good point. I may have misunderstood it when I first went through it. 

I – “A”, intentou ação declarativa, com processo comum sob a forma ordinária, contra “B” – ..., S.A.; “C”, “D” e “E”, pedindo a condenação dos Réus a pagar ao Autor a título de danos patrimoniais, o montante de € 20.000,00 e o montante de € 10.000,00, a título de lucros cessantes, e € 30.000,00 a título de danos morais, acrescidos de juros legais, desde a citação até integral pagamento.

What I now think happened (from the above) is that he was initially suing for €20k for "patrimonial" damages (loss of assets?), €10k for lost business and € 30.000,00 for moral damages (plus costs).

And right at the end of the appeal ruling:

III – Nestes termos, acordam em julgar o recurso parcialmente procedente, revogando a sentença recorrida,--------------
e, julgando a ação parcialmente procedente,---------------
condenam os RR., solidariamente, a pagar ao A....[/i]

The appeal court's ruling is dated 18/04/2013
http://www.dgsi.pt/jtrl.nsf/33182fc732316039802565fa00497eec/8ae65886ef70827180257b63003d7a75?OpenDocument


Basicly, it seems that the appeal was considered partially founded, but I may well have been mistaken as to who appealed the ruling.

If that's the case, the appeal court upheld the finding that he had been defamed and had suffered damage as a result, and the issue was the category (financial cost, loss of income, moral) and the amount of damages.

The court seemingly didn't find satisfactory evidence of financial damage, but upheld that he should be awarded an amount for moral damage. 

What may have confused me is that the articles at the time of the appeal ruling made it sound as if Murat had finally won his case, when in fact he DID win his case in terms of defamation, but lost on the amount awarded.

A Publico article published on 06/05/2013
Correio da Manhã condenado a pagar 15 mil euros a Robert Murat

(CdaM condemned to pay €15k to RM.)
http://www.publico.pt/sociedade/noticia/correio-da-manha-condenado-a-pagar-15-mil-euros-a-robert-murat-1593550

Skimming through that article again, it doesn't actually refer to the initial ruling at all.

O Tribunal da Relação de Lisboa decidiu que o Correio da Manhã terá de pagar 15 mil euros de indemnização a Robert Murat...
The Lisbon Appeals Court decided that CdaM will have to pay €15k in damages to RM...

His intention to sue Portuguese media was announced in an Expresso article way back on 30/4/2008.
http://expresso.sapo.pt/robert-murat-processa-jornalistas-portugueses=f308674