Beja: Lawyer in custody. Defendant's human trafficking crime.
The lawyer Bejense, Hugo Machado, He remained in custody. Will await trial in the Prison of the Judicial Police, in Lisbon. It is charged of trafficking in persons.
Hugo Machado, lawyer with an office in Beja, arrested on the afternoon of Thursday, by inspectors of the National Counter Terrorism Unit (UNCT) the Judicial Police (PJ), for eventual human trafficking, in part to exploitation at work, We saw him be applied to remand measure.
The barrister, about 42 year old, It was heard on Friday, for nearly six hours in Criminal Court (TIC) Lisbon, after being driven to the nearby facilities of the Prison Lisbon (EPL), subsequently transferred to the Prison of the Judicial Police, where he will await trial.
Despite having requested sponsored the Bar Association, the defendant was represented by a public defender.
A lawyer said the arrest to Lidador News (LN), explaining that "it is strange, it is something very serious. There should be plenty of evidence beyond the material seized in searches ", justifying the ICT of the judge's decision on remand, that "considered when verified the assumptions", danger of flight, disturbance of the investigation and continued criminal activity, because it is a crime punishable by a sentence of 3 a 8 years in prison.
While dozens of inspectors scoured PJ Air Base 11, in Beja, under the operation "Zeus", six inspectors UNCT, accompanied by a judge of the Court of Beja and a representative of the Bar Association, They have searched first in the lawyer's office and accounting office managed by father, which the lawyer is a partner, located in Valley Galleries, in the historic center of Beja.
Men's PJ began searches in Hugo Machado office to 10,30 hours, where it was accused constituted, and ended in lawyer's home six hours after, taking with him the lawyer, with the detainee status, getting in the cells of PJ facilities, in Lisbon.
According found the LN concerned is a process that investigates, since December 2015, trafficking in persons, titrated by DIAP-4th Section of the Public Prosecutor (MP) de Sintra, which has four Romanian citizens as defendants.
This process began in the extraction of a certificate of another title by the same institution, that during the operation "Tightrope", arrested eighteen people, seventeen Romanian and Portuguese, the only in freedom.
Hugo Machado is a lawyer who has defended the Court of Beja, several cases involving Romanian citizens arrested and accused of that Eastern country citizens trafficking, who came to Wyoming to pick olives.
Besides, the barrister would be responsible for the creation of businesses run by Romanians service providers, conclusion of employment contracts between the companies and farms where workers would provide services, It was the enrollment of workers in Social Security and performed accounting firms, through the accounts managed by the parent office.
Hugo Machado "A moody lawyer"
Married, father of two, a lawyer from 12 September 2006 and belongs to the Évora Regional Council of the Bar.
In 2006 He was sentenced by the Court of Beja, to one year in prison, for a drug trafficking crime minor, suspended for a period of 2 year old, which ended in May 2009.
In 23 September 2015, He was sentenced to a fine of 1.400 euros and an accessory penalty 6 months of disqualification, for disobedience towards Transit Detachment military GNR Beja. He appealed to the Court of Évora Relationship, which upheld the decision.
In 5 November 2015, It was constituted defendant, subject to TIR, by PJ, charged with two counts of trafficking and two functions theft crimes.
The procedures resulted in two certificates withdrawn by judges VÃtor Maneta and Ana Batista, during the trial of two Romanian clan accused of trafficking in persons, occurred in June and December 2014, no Tribunal e Beja. In March of this year, the Beja MP filed the lawsuit, considering that the lawyer "acted in the competence of their duties".
Pinela Fernandes (President of Beja Delegation of the Bar)
"We will wait for the proceedings without judgment. As in all professions, there are good people and less good. Each lawyer thinks through your mind and this will not cause problems for the class. The General Council of AO, It has not yet taken any decision on the co sponsorship. We believe that the defender will appeal the decision, to amend the coercion measure. Hopefully it is placed in another prison ".
