Gonçalo Amaral Legal Defence fund to be closed on 28 October 2015

[misty]

If it is done within a short space of time of posting it goes unregistered.  I'm not sure how long.

Thanks, Eleanor. I have wondered for a while.

[mercury]

If I'm wrong, I'm wrong. I'm wrong less than I'm right, but there's no shame in not being perfect. I perhaps would apologise if I could but I've no idea who to apologise to, so secret is the GGFM appeal.
BTW - how do you edit your posts without the "last edited" statement appearing at the bottom?

Fair enough, no big deal, long as you're honest with your opnions not a problem

As for edited posts, not sure what you are asking. You can edit your posts to either correct spelling, delete words or whole sentences or add them, anywhere in the post.
Oh hang on, I know  what you mean now, you have a short period of time after posting, to edit the post and no "edited post" message appears on the bottom...not sure how long it is but no more than a couple of minutes max

[John]

http://pjga.blogspot.co.uk/

21 Oct 2015
Sufficient

Dear friends,

Since it was started on April 29, 2015, by Leanne Baulch, the gofundme page dedicated to Gonçalo Amaral's defence has collected donations in excess of 50 thousand pounds. These funds have been transferred to the bank account that is held by Dr Paulo Sargento and other friends of Mr Amaral. Less than half of this amount has been spent on legal expenses for the defence of Gonçalo Amaral.

The Paypal account that is associated to the bank account has received over 6 thousand euro during the same period. Donations totaling a smaller amount have also been made directly to the bank account.



We believe that it is time to close the gofundme page, as the bank account currently stands at an amount that seems largely sufficient to face eventual future expenses.
As we await the verdict of the Appellate Court of Lisbon on the appeal that has been filed by Mr Amaral's lawyer, the remaining funds will be kept in the bank account. They will be used if necessary in the future. Any unused funds will, as we stated in 2009, be donated to a Portuguese children's charity.
May we use this moment to wholeheartedly thank those who have expressed their support of Gonçalo Amaral's right to an appropriate defence? Whether you have contributed financially or by sending a support message - you have made an impact. You have made a difference.
Thank you so very, very much.

The gofundme page will be closed on the 28th of October, 2015.
 Posted by Kazlux     at Wednesday, October 21, 2015

It is good to see that the Portuguese who now control this account and the funds therein have at last saw fit to respond to calls for an update.

Some additional information now being provided on the GoFundMe page...


PJGA was founded as a quest for justice and backed by supporters from all over the globe, in solidarity, friendship and above all, in the interest of furthering the investigation of the case into the disappearance of Madeleine McCann. Within this scope, with the relentless support of those who will not let this case pass into obscurity, who do not tolerate the leaving of unanswered questions, there are many who follow Amaral’s dissatisfaction, and whom, like him, urge for the day the truth, or some more of it will emerge.

During the last months of 2009, a group of Gonçalo Amaral friends realised that it would be impossible for him to face the costs of his defence in the civil suit that was filed against him personally – as well as against others – brought by the McCann couple and their children, in response to his book “Maddie, A Verdade Da Mentira”.

Lawsuits in Portugal are expensive, like anywhere else in the world, and the Portuguese State will only help funding legal costs if one is completely destitute. With part of his pension and the total of his assets frozen, Gonçalo Amaral would not be able to cover the legal expenses; what was left of his pension was barely enough to meet everyday living costs, but it was more than enough for the State to refuse financial support. 

Therefore, his friends decided to open a private bank account, where funds would be kept to pay, whenever necessary and whenever possible, expenses that were presented by Mr Amaral’s lawyer. Projecto Justiça Gonçalo Amaral was born out of solidarity and friendship.

The trial is ongoing, since 2009, nothing has changed, pending final judgment. We continue to accept your donations only into this one bank account and we continue to meet only legal expenses out of that very same account.

If any funds are left unused, they will be donated to a Portuguese children’s charity, according to Gonçalo Amaral’s wishes.

There are many ways to contribute to this Project. You can help by spreading information about the disappearance of Madeleine McCann by highlighting the Case File information. You can help by voicing your support for freedom of expression and freedom of opinion. You can help by supporting Gonçalo Amaral’s defence account.

We trust that Justice will be served.

Thank you.

https://www.gofundme.com/Legal-DefencePJGA

[Eleanor]

What is left of Amaral's Pension is more than twice as much as I have to manage on with my State Pension. So I don't know what they mean by barely enough to meet his everyday living costs.

PS.  And I'm not complaining.

[Alice Purjorick]

I think there's another Portuguese court before the ECHR.

But if the court hearing the present appeal affirms the verdict of the lower court reached back in May, I think that's it!

Maybe he has been given the nod his assets are about to be released?
Or perm any one from lots.

[pegasus]

that's what it seems to say.....which is strange

Why do you think it should it be expensive? Remember Mr Amaral has only one lawyer (not dozens like some).

[pegasus]

Over 50K yet at the beginning of this thread we were told that Mr Amaral has only a "handful" of supporters.

[misty]

Over 50K yet at the beginning of this thread we were told that Mr Amaral has only a "handful" of supporters.

Jesus turned water into wine....allegedly.....

[Eleanor]

Jesus turned water into wine....allegedly.....

That would save him a few bob.

[stephen25000]

Jesus turned water into wine....allegedly.....

So he had a matter replicator.

Very nice.

[pegasus]

It seems that a handful of people don't want to admit that there is a huge amount of support for Mr Amaral in both the UK and Portugal and therefore are claiming that the £50K+ raised by many hundreds of supporters is a cunningly created illusion?

[misty]

It seems that a handful of people don't want to admit that there is a huge amount of support for Mr Amaral in both the UK and Portugal and therefore are claiming that the £50K+ raised by many hundreds of supporters is a cunningly created illusion?

Perhaps it is. Still a stubborn silence from PJGA when asked to provide accounts.

[Eleanor]

It seems that a handful of people don't want to admit that there is a huge amount of support for Mr Amaral in both the UK and Portugal and therefore are claiming that the £50K+ raised by many hundreds of supporters is a cunningly created illusion?

I don't think this is entirely true.  Amaral has supporters, obviously, but not a huge number, and most of them are Brits.

But prior to the Go Fund Me Page the Portuguese Fund raised very little, so little in fact that it remains embarrassing, although the two Funds are now one and the same.

Not that this matters.  Everyone has a right to spend their money as they please, and everyone has the right to accept it if offered.
And at least we won't be left with Amaral failing through lack of money.  So all in all a good result.

[pegasus]

I don't think this is entirely true.  Amaral has supporters, obviously, but not a huge number, and most of them are Brits.

But prior to the Go Fund Me Page the Portuguese Fund raised very little, so little in fact that it remains embarrassing, although the two Funds are now one and the same.

Not that this matters.  Everyone has a right to spend their money as they please, and everyone has the right to accept it if offered.
And at least we won't be left with Amaral failing through lack of money.  So all in all a good result.

8K was donated to gfm by someone who writes perfect portuguese. Or are you suggesting that was a brit who paid a translator to translate his comment into portuguese? 

[Eleanor]

8K was donated to gfm by someone who writes perfect portuguese. Or are you suggesting that was a brit who paid a translator to translate his comment into portuguese?

Why did this person not donate to The Portuguese Fund?  It has been going for far longer that The Go Fund Me Page.  But this isn't something I want to fall out about, especially not with you who always appears to be reasonable.

Most McCann Supporters really don't mind that this money has been raised, although perhaps some of us mind about some of the comments that are left with donations.  And perhaps we mind that The Find Madeleine Fund has frequently been accused of Fraud when in the end they are entirely the same thing.  Any one person's right to donate where ever they choose.

Amaral's profit from his book wasn't just sequestered to pay damages to The McCanns if they won.  He had already acquired a reputation for not paying his debts long before The McCanns ever went to Portugal, and The Portuguese Court knew that, which is why it was done.  So he has no one to blame for that other than himself.

It is a pity that he didn't pay those debts while he still had the money at his disposal.  Everyone would have admired him for that.  And then there would not have been much money to sequester, if any at all.