Goncalo Amaral backer CARLOS ANJOS ***VINDICATED*** as Portuguese Appeal Court says Ana Saltao DID kill her husband's grandmother

by **Tony Bennett** 28.08.15 23:32

This is one amazing case which I wrote about in May, here:

https://jillhavern.forumotion.net/t11287-is-this-the-latest-attempt-to-smear-goncalo-amaral-his-supporters-hernani-carvalho-and-carlos-anjos-are-being-prosecuted-for-criminal-libel?highlight=anjos

To fully understand what has happened here, you'll need to read the above thread. 'Saltao' in Portuguese translates as 'grasshopper' and some of the Google translations I used to compile my article refer to her as 'Ana Grasshopper'.

This is the story as brief as I can make it.

Ana Saltao was a Police Inspector.

There was absolutely overwhelming evidence that she shot and killed her husband's grandmother, aged 82, using a stolen Glock pistol. The motive appears to have been to get at her inheritance.

To the utter astonishment of the PJ detectives who charged her with murder, she was controversially acquitted in what is the Portuguese equivalent of our Crown Court.

Bewildered by this obvious injustice, Carlos Anjos, former police inspector and head of Portugal’s equivalent of our Police Federation and Hernani Carvalho, political and crime commentator, appeared on SIC TV, Portugal, and basically said that Saltao was as guilty as hell and that the court had allowed the guilty murderess to go free. Amjos, it will be recalled, has been a firm supporter of Amaral throughout, and once said of Clarence Mitchell, the McCanns' chief public relations adviser: "He lies with as many teeth as he has in his mouth".

The judicial authorities were apoplectic - and lost no time in bringing a charge of 'criminal libel' against the two men - and against Julia Pinheiro, presenter at the SIC TV station, who hosted the discussion.

My previous article deals with the facts of the murder and reports news of these three men being prosecuted for libel.

But in a sensational and most welcome change of fortune, a Portuguese Appeal Court has ruled that Saltao WAS guilty of killing the grandmother - and has sentenced her to 17 years in jail.When you stop to examine this remarkable sequence of events, you will soon begin to see obvious parallels with another Portuguese case riddled with corruption and incompetence that many of us here are interested in.

Unsurpringly, one Portuguese citizen wrote tonight: "Honestly, sometimes it seems that Portuguese courts or Portuguese justice system are in the age of when dinosaurs ruled the earth".

Another social commentator wrote: "Utterly bizarre - staggering and terrifying that supposed judges could come out with a statement like "the chances that she had committed the crime were 'very low', although they could not confirm with certainty that she was innocent. Absolutely crazy. I have never heard of such behaviour in democracies before".

A short message from me to Carlos Anjos:

'Kudos to you once again for having the courage to speak out about this despicable crime, and I rejoice in the fact that you, Henri Carvalho and Julia Pinheiro have today been vindicated. Keep up the good work'.

++++++++++++++

Portugal Resident report below:

http://portugalresident.com/shock-as-pj-inspector-gets-17-year-jail-term-for-murder-after-being-absolved-of-crime-last-year

Eight months after being cleared of murder and being allowed to return to work, PJ inspector Ana Saltão has been slapped with a 17-year jail term and forbidden “from exercising her job” for five years.

Coimbra’s Court of Appeal sentenced the 38-year-old inspector yesterday, overturning the decision made by judges last September, who ruled there was not sufficient proof to convict Saltão for the shooting of her husband’s grandmother.

According to news reports at the time, the decision had left “the whole PJ in shock”.

But now it is Saltão’s lawyer who describes herself as in shock over the new ruling.

Talking to reporters after sentencing, she said: “I am absolutely surprised, as I know the whole case very well and there is nothing that can allow for a conviction at this time. We shall be appealing to the Supreme Tribunal of Justice.”

Thus, for now, Saltão remains a free woman – pending the outcome of the next appeal.

The case goes back to November 2012 when Saltão is understood to have shot her husband’s grandmother, 80-year-old Filomena Gonçalves, 14 times.

When Saltão was cleared of the charges against her last year, judges said that the chances that she had committed the crime were “very low”, although they could not confirm with certainty that she was innocent.

But yesterday, Coimbra’s appeal court bench showed that they had “no doubts that the defendant killed her husband’s grandmother”, wrote national tabloid Correio da Manhã, explaining that the motive had been to inherit the grandmother’s money.

According to CM, both Saltão and her PJ inspector husband had “serious financial problems”.

The sentences handed out yesterday involved a 16-year jail term for murder and a four-year term for the crime of “embezzlement” – relating to the fact that Saltão is believed to have used a Glock pistol stolen from a colleague in the force.

by **Jill Havern** 29.08.15 18:34

Some comments from Textusa on my CMOMM facebook page:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/JillHavernCompleteMysteryofMadeleineMcCann/permalink/1663518123892674/

Maria Santos Isabel Oliveira's reaction to this in another FB group:

Isabel Oliveira Quote from the post :
" Unsurpringly, one Portuguese citizen wrote tonight: "Honestly, sometimes it seems that Portuguese courts or Portuguese justice system are in the age of when dinosaurs ruled the earth".

Another social commentator wrote: "Utterly bizarre - staggering and terrifying that supposed judges could come out with a statement like "the chances that she had committed the crime were 'very low', although they could not confirm with certainty that she was innocent. Absolutely crazy. I have never heard of such behaviour in democracies before".

I shall make only one remark, if really we were on dinosaur age the Relação court would not have reviewed the sentence and convicted Mrs Saltão. Also the first instance trial in Coimbra was a jury trial ( 4 jurors selected by defence and public ministry and 3 judges). this is done on request of the defendant and relatively rare in Portugal . The Jury Tribunal decided after analysing all that , the "in dubio pro reo " principle should prevail . Totally agree . Within the scope of all existing doubts re evidence , it was not sufficient for the court to convict her but also it was not sufficient to declare her innocent. In doubt , the court absolved her ( did not convict ) " Com todas as dúvidas, não foi suficiente para o Tribunal a considerar culpada, mas também é insuficiente para a declarar inocente. E, na dúvida, absolveu-a. "

Jurors acted within the scope of the law and it is a danger that such trials pose when non legally trained individuals enter the decision process . They tend to follow the letter of the law inflexibly and rigorously . There were doubts and the inspector was absolved .

Carlos Anjos knows the legal risk he incurs when commenting as they did on such cases on national TV as does HC and SIC so they're no martyrs here.

One couldn't resist the temptation to slash the Portuguese judicial again and frankly I can't resist replying , yet again as well .
46 mins · Like · 1
Maria Santos As for myself I would like to point out that Anjos was not wronged with the decision of the 1st instance court.

Nor were Pinheiro or Carvalho. Both were brought into the process by Saltão. Their libel process, although factually related (Saltão alleges comments made on a TV show about trial were libellous) are legally independent.

The only ones wronged with the decision of the 1st instance court. were PJ and the Public Ministry. They were the only ones who could have been vindicated. And they weren't, not yet as I'll explain later.

Both PJ and Public Ministry part of a system previously called corrupt and incompetent and now referred to as from the dinosaur age. As is the Appeal's Court.

I wish people would finally grasp that in any legal process "it's only over when the fat lady sings" (with the due apologies to all overweight women).

That said, to say that PJ and Public Ministry were vindicated is as wrong as Saltão suing Pinheiro and Carvalho based on the decision of the 1st instance court.. There's still the decision from Supreme Court to which, I think, Saltão filed an appeal.

Until then any celebrations are premature.
9 mins · Edited · Like · 2
Maria Santos To be very clear, Júlia Pinheiro and Hernani Carvalho may still be sentenced in their libel trial after this overturning decision by the Appeal's Court.
When they said what they said the presumption of innocence was in place.
23 mins · Like · 1
Maria Santos Lastly, Isabel Oliveira provided a significant help to my post Dura Lex Sed Lex:
http://textusa.blogspot.pt/2015/07/dura-lex-sed-lex.html

Textusa: Dura Lex Sed Lex
Great post. I was particullarly comforted by your response to #18. Its to scary to comptemplate that...
textusa.blogspot.com|By Textusa

21 mins · Like · Remove Preview

by **Tony Bennett** 29.08.15 19:54

@ Maria Santos/Textusa & Isabel Oliveira

Thank you for the valid legal points that you make which I accept.

You have pointed out twice now that 'it isn't over until the fat lady sings'.

In relation to the case of McCanns v Amaral, though, it's necessary to say once again that after these proceedings have carried on for 6 years and 3 months and still there is no end in sight, it's well past the moment for the fat lady to sing.

I pointed out before that 'Justice Delayed is Justice Denied' and so it is. It is unjust to both parties in a dispute. Isabel Oliveira countered that justice must not be rushed. But not one person could accuse the Portuguese judicial system of 'rushing' McCanns v Amaral.

Could they?

You say that Carlos Anjos hasn't been vindicated and should not celebrate unless and until the Portuguese Supreme Court re-confirms that Ana Saltao is guilty of the murder. True. Though I can't see the Supreme Court contradicting the Portuguese Appeal Court.

Anjos is clearly a plain, no-nonsense speaker of the truth, as he has been in supporting Goncalo Amaral. There was absolutely overwhelming forensic and circumstantial evidence that Ana Saltao shot and killed her husband's grandmother. How any court, Portuguese or otherwise, could fail to convict her baffles me. The Court should have got this decision right first time. And they probably would have done if Portugal had the British system of letting 12-person juries decide guilt, not a panel of 3 judges and 4 lay people.

I trust the Portuguese Supreme Court will hear the case swiftly, confirm that Saltao is guilty and should serve 17 years in prison, and will order the ridiculous criminal libel claim that she has made against Anjos and the others to be swiftly withdrawn.

Goncalo Amaral backer CARLOS ANJOS VINDICATED as Portuguese Appeal Court says Ana Saltao DID kill her husband's grandmother