http://www.cmjornal.pt/cm-ao-minuto/detalhe/julgamento-de-pereira-cristovao-suspenso-ate-decisao-do-supremo?ref=Bloco_CMAoMinutoThe Central Court of Lisbon suspended Friday the trial of Paulo Pereira Cristóvão and 17 other defendants accused of violent assaults on residences until a ruling by the Supreme Court of Justice (STJ) on an appeal. The defense of the former Judicial Police inspector filed an appeal to annul the trial and the investigation phase, in which he alleges "material incompetence of the Central Criminal Investigation Court" to deal with the crimes in question, during the investigation phase, arguing that Should have been carried out by the Court of Criminal Instruction of Cascais. The decision of the STJ was scheduled for Wednesday, but after a vote of the counselors judges there was a tie: seven votes in favor and seven against. In these cases, the chairman of the STJ is the one to be disbanded, António Henriques Gaspar having voted contrary to the original judgment. In view of the outcome of the vote and the rapporteur having been unsuccessful, the judgment was to be drawn up by ... (1) The deputy winner, "said the minutes of the session held on Wednesday, which Lusa agency had access to today. At today's session of the trial, which takes place at the Central Criminal Instance of Lisbon, at the Justice Campus, the panel of judges initially defended the continuation of the session, in which the final allegations were expected to take place.
"The new [STJ] judgment can take 15 days, one, two, three months." We do not know, but since this is an extraordinary appeal, without suspensive effect, and, given this uncertainty, we will proceed with the trial. " Explained the president of the group of judges, Marisa Arnedo.
Immediately, the lawyer of the former PJ inspector filed an application asking for the trial to be postponed until the STJ's decision, alleging in particular that President of the STJ already wrote on the matter of the appeal filed by the defense of Paulo Pereira Cristóvão. "If you are consistent with what you write, you will grant the appeal," recalled Rui Costa Pereira in the application, corroborated by most of the other lawyers in the case. The panel of judges left the room to deliberate and, a few minutes later, announced the suspension of the trial, which would enter into the final allegations, until the STJ's decision to appeal the Uniformization of Jurisprudence brought by the former PJ inspector.
Judge Judge Marisa Arnedo explained that the court was "sensitive" to the defense's arguments and, as a way of "minimizing potential damages", until the STJ ruled, "it will not really make much sense to complete the judgment". Should the Supreme Court grant the appeal, the investigation phase and the trial, which began in June 2016, will be annulled. In order for there to be no loss of evidence, a new session must be scheduled within a maximum period of 30 days. Thus, the court scheduled the next hearing for February 27 and the next hearing for March 22. According to the prosecution, the former PJ inspector and also former vice-president of Sporting, two other defendants and the three police gathered information and decided which people and places to attack by the group, namely in the Lisbon area and the bank South of the Tagus River. Later, the information was transmitted to the other elements, which comprised the operational side of the alleged criminal network, the indictment said. The 18 defendants, including three police officers and Juve Leo's cheerleader Juve Leo, Nuno Vieira Mendes, known as 'Mustafa', respond by criminal association, robbery, kidnapping, possession of a prohibited weapon, abuse of power, domicile violation by employee And document forgery.
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What hope did the McCanns have when the Supreme Court can't even decide how the laws apply to its own system of investigating & prosecuting crime?
