A Judge of the Criminal Section of the Court of Appeal of Évora (THREE) rejected the arguments presented by the Prosecutor of the Public Ministry of the Central Criminal Court of the Court of Beja and foreshadowed the same for trial.
The magistrate is accusing him of an aggravated crime of persecution and a crime of defamation with slanderous advertising, committed against a colleague in the same court.
The Judge Judge considered that the first crime committed by Attorney Manuel Sota, results as qualified in the public accusation and the second as imputed in the private accusation, taking into account that the victim became an assistant in the process.
According to the TRE indictment/indictment order, that the Lidador News (LN) We had access, the judge devalued the defendant's arguments, which invoked invalidity of the messages attached to the files downloaded from the victim's and a witness's cell phones, a judge from the Court of Beja because “the seizure was not carried out under the terms of and through prior judicial order”.
The Judge justifies the Prosecutor's accusation with the fact that “he does not deny the exchange of messages or their content, before giving them another framework and reading, assigning contact initiatives to the assistant”, concluded.
The magistrate responsible for the prosecution argues that “although none of the witnesses (three in total) witnessed the events that occurred inside the office, the truth is that they witnessed instrumental facts and some lack of awareness on the part of the defendant for his acts. It was through the combination of these evidentiary elements that the evidentiary conviction formed was formalized.”, ends.
The victim formalized the complaint with the Regional Attorney General of Évora (PGRE), who forwarded it to the Superior Council of the Public Ministry (CSMP). Requested opening of instruction, a year later Manuel Sota learned the pronunciation of TRE, having been suspended from his duties last day 18 April by CSMP, which also has an ongoing disciplinary process that could range from dismissal to dismissal, and awaiting the court decision.
The case was revealed exclusively by LN on the day 19 April last year, after receiving a complaint stating that “Manuel Sota, Prosecutor of the Republic of Beja harassed a colleague, also a prosecutor in the same court. In view of her refusal, there was a persecution that caused a climate of fear and insecurity, while she is teleworking”, was referred to not document.
The situation led by the prosecutors began in the first quarter of 2022, inside the court building and then by messages via cell phone, the complaint was formalized at the end of January last year. The prosecutor who was the target of her colleague's advances, spent several months shipping at home, only going to court when he was on shift duty.
Teixeira Correia
(journalist)
