Re: Case to be re-opened?

by Rosie Sat Feb 13, 2010 9:16 pm

maria wrote:Rosie, Isabel said that some looked like Madeleine, others not so, some were shocking. So not 'shockingly like Madeleine'. Actually, the correct word should probably be 'disturbing'.

Oh no Maria, you do not know how much I did not want to read that! I am past shaking with anger now, that rage has been replaced with white heat and calm and I am absolutely resolute that the Portuguese government (yes government) are now going to be forced to intervene in this absolutely scandalous feux investigation. It is now plainly obvious that the policia judiciaria under Goncalo Amaral never searched for Madeleine, it was just show to keep people quiet. I do not even think they searched for Madeleine when the corrupt disgraced Amaral was booted off the investigation and replaced with Paulo Rebelo, it was just more of the same under a more acceptable figure, with the occasional little side show put on to keep people quiet and give the impression that the PJ were actually doing something, there were not, they were doing less than nothing, the investigating PJ and the Portuguese government never cared about that little girl and neither do the people that follow Amaral, they don't care about her either. Now we have this Ricardo Paiva admitting that the PJ have done nothing under him either, worse still, they have blatantly ignored what could have turned out to be vital leads, at least Paiva had the sense to collect this information and put it into a folder, who knows maybe he was not allowed to investigate? Apparently he knew Kate and Gerry better than anyone else, allegedly he has told them several times he believes them to be innocent, perhaps this was his way of trying to help? Who knows? I keep saying this, but we do have to be mindful and remember that it is not our family being threatened with death if we revealed anything, we are not placed in an intolerable situation.
I saw a picture of Ricardo Paiva yesterday the snapper caught him well and the image portrayed a very troubled Ricardo Paiva, the 20 million dollar question is, " for which reason does he look so troubled"?

We do not fear our police, or ex police officers who have been found to be corrupt, greedy, money grabbing liars and murderers, or sellers of porn, or those police that turn out to be paedophiles and sellers of child pornography, or those involved in the abduction of children for whatever reason, we can comfortably report them and be certain that if reason is discovered then a full scale investigation will be launched and every decent copper cheers and breaks open the champagne went a bent copper is exposed, put on trial and convicted. The Portuguese people and the Portuguese government cannot be blamed because some police, or some government officials are corrupt, however, if they know and do nothing and then support someone such as the obviously corrupt Goncalo Amaral, then they should expect to be criticised and expect that people will not really want to chance the safety of their children in Portugal for family holidays. It is one thing to be afraid of repercussions, but it is quite another to support the obvious corruption of someone like Amaral.

What is deeply worrying me and what has always worried me, under Amaral, just how much information which could have turned out to be vitally important, was filed away under B for bin?

I raise this question also and I believe this to be a very strong possibility, and almost certainty and I have asked this question before and it is the reason why I heavily associate what happened to dear little Joana Cipriano and her mother Leonor:

As we know the same policia judiciaria inspector, coordinator, Goncalo Amaral, headed both investigations into the disappearance of Joana and Madeleine, who disappeared just over 2 years apart and 7 miles from each other and we all know that the Joana investigation ended with an almost certain miscarriage of justice involving the conviction of Leonor Cipriano, again Amaral was involved in the mother of all controversies, with many high ranking judges and leaders of campaign for judicial change in Portugal, condemning the conviction as unsafe and "not proved beyond reasonable doubt". Huge black marks were placed over the "evidence" that convicted Leonor and her brother and those huge black clouds are still there to this day, they have not cleared, in fact they have been added to with yet more controversy when it was proved in court that Leonor Cipriano was tortured into confessing to the murder of her daughter and Goncalo Amaral, the leading detective was convicted of his part in the cover up of that torture. In any other modern civil country, torture once proved and the conviction of the detective in charge when that torture occurred would have guaranteed the conviction being overturned and Leonor set free or a mistrial declared and a date set for a new trial, NOT so in Portugal, they would rather bury their heads in the sand and act like ostriches.

Which brings me to why when he was under this kind of pressure and this kind of serious doubt about his "investigative techniques" even though the Leonor torture trial had not then taken place, the serious suspicions were still there hovering like the sword of Damocles over Amaral's head, then why did the powers that be allow this man, Goncalo Amaral to head the investigation when Madeleine was taken? That was the gaff of all gaffs, who was responsible the political wing of the PJ? The then in charge Alipio Ribeiro? Or was it the person in charge of the PJ? Who exactly? We really need to know the answer to this question.

OK was placed in charge and we cannot ignore all the advice coming from people that investigate child abductions, these people experienced in child abductions all said that the close proximity of Joana Cipriano and the disappearance of Madeleine McCann (within 7 miles of each other) and the time frame (within 2.5 years) and the abductor not found in Joana's case and neither a body, then the chances of Joana's disappearance and Madeleine's disappearance being connected should have been thoroughly investigated and because of the involvement of Amaral and because a woman was languishing in prison almost certainly convicted in error, the connection was never even considered, let alone investigated.

I ask, if during the Madeleine "investigation" something turned up that could have connected the two abductions, would it have been properly investigated? Would Goncalo Amaral have ordered the necessary inquiries? Inquiries that could bring his entire world crashing down around him?

From what I have learned about that man Amaral, I think the answer to that is a resounding no! He would have no doubt "busted" anyone's head for even mentioning it, so therefore again we have a potential lead into Madeleine's abduction simply ignored.

In my opinion, I believe the two abductions could be connected, in so far as there is a common denominator in them and that is the "coordinating inspector" himself Goncalo Amaral, there is a huge, colossal suspicion hanging over this man, one that must be investigated properly by an independent body, someone capable of remaining impartial and a body that is not corrupt, and a body that does NOT have one eye on the £2.8 billion Portuguese tourist industry.

The latest revelations concerning Ricardo Paiva, I believe will start to prove this very serious allegation, but what will the Portuguese government do? Will they do as they have done thus far and totally stuff their heads beneath the sand, if they cannot see it it is not happening? Or will they wake up and at long last realise that this attitude has not got them anywhere and that it will never get them anywhere and perhaps this time someone will grow a pair of balls and actually do what needs to be done? For the sake of Madeleine, Joana, the McCanns, Leonor and the Portuguese people via their tourist industry, I hope the Portuguese government wake up and realise that until they take decisive action this is never, ever going to go away and that Portugal is beginning to look like some backward country run by right wing police who terrorise people into submission, it is grave, it is serious, after all Portugal is supposed to be a modern member state of the European Union!

The time has come for Goncalo Amaral to be arrested and questioned officially over his part in the disappearance of Madeleine McCann, there is more than enough evidence to do this, certainly more evidence than there was when Amaral had the McCanns made arguidos. His part must be investigated, whatever part it was must be discovered, until this is done in my personal opinion the mystery into Madeleine's abduction is never going to be solved.

This is why I pin so much importance to what has lately been revealed by Ricardo Paiva and which the courageous lawyer Dra Isabel Duarte has made public. I believe Isabel has let the cat out of bag, the cat that the Portuguese judiciary and judiciaria and the Portuguese government have tried so hard to keep trapped!

by Sabot Sat Feb 13, 2010 9:44 pm

Forget reopening the case. There needs to be a full scale enquiry with all of the evidence laid open, and what was done about it.

I don't know about Paiva. Did he say he believed that the dream was significant, or did he just report whatever was said and then for Amaral to decide? Who gives him his orders now?

Basically it is corruption that needs investigating, reopening the case won't do that. It is far wider than just Madeleine. And I can hardly believe that the court rejected The Cipriano Appeal.

Two children, 7 miles, and about two and a half years. Are they thick, or what? There is something very nasty in the woodwork.

Good post, Rosie.

by Rosie Sat Feb 13, 2010 10:10 pm

Thanks Sabot and I agree with you, this has gone far wider than Madeleine, bless her, but Madeleine AND Joana can both benefit from an official inquiry, this needs to happen, but I do think that meanwhile the iinvestigation must be reopened, with completely new people in charge, but I really fear that even if this happens that further corrupt officials will be put in charge!

Someone has to push for a proper investigation into Madeleine's disappearance and I think the time has come for this damned protocol to be ignored and some common sense injected, let Scotland Yard come in and work with thee PJ and take this case back to its barest roots, this way I really believe can benefit Joana and Leonor too!

by Sabot Sat Feb 13, 2010 10:24 pm

Difficult, Rosie. Scotland Yard can't interfere without invitation. It would cause a Diplomatic Inncident.

Neither can they gain access to all of the Portuguese evidence without it being offered . Without the evidence they would be searching in the dark.

It needs Portuguese people to holler about this, and I'm not sure if there are enough people who are brave enough. I suspect that I wouldn't be that brave.

Perhaps someone could contact Isabel Duarte and ask if there is anything to be done.

by May Sat Feb 13, 2010 10:39 pm

But isn't Portugal concerned about its reputation and what the rest of the world thinks? Time for the EU to declare some kind of investigation because the powers that be are listening to no-one else.

by Sabot Sat Feb 13, 2010 10:55 pm

May wrote:But isn't Portugal concerned about its reputation and what the rest of the world thinks? Time for the EU to declare some kind of investigation because the powers that be are listening to no-one else.

Amnesty International have been watching Portugal for a very long time. And gotten absolutely nowhere. They have been on The Cipriano Case almost from day one. Six fecking years. Useless.

Perhaps we should approach them, but don't hold your breath. They are more concerned with Police Officers shooting people. And I don't think this is going to happen here.

by dianeh Sun Feb 14, 2010 12:34 pm

Did you know that Amnesty International put the former Australian Prime Minister John Howard on their list of dictators alongside of Mugabe, and the Burma military Junta.

After that I think you might get the idea that Amnesty International is a joke.

If Portugal get bounced from the EU, it wont be over corruption issues, it will be over financial ones. They are in the same situation as Greece, as is Spain. And the EU will be concerning itself with that for the immediate future. Corruption will not be high on the agenda.

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