The discrepancy between the military's testimonies made during the PJ inquiry and yesterday in court, led the Public Prosecutor's Office to extract a certificate for false declarations. Closing arguments to 19 of December.
Second Sergeant Rúben Pereira, deputy commander of the GNR post in Vila Nova de Milfontes, failed to identify all of the seven soldiers who are being tried for mistreatment of Hindustani citizens and was the subject of extracting a certificate for false declarations.
The military statements were made yesterday (Monday) at the Court of Beja in the second session of the trial of those seven defendants for acts committed in 2018 and 2019, inside and outside the station in that locality.
Chief Sergeant LuÃs Robles' subordinate, saw a first video and identified the four defendants, Reuben Candeias, Nelson Lima, Diogo Andrade and Nuno Andrade, who can be seen inside the station giving water and using pepper spray against the victims.
In another video, filmed inside a jeep where a victim is attacked with military voices, one of which used a shotgun, Rúben Pereira did not identify any of his subordinates.
Whereas the military was lying, compared to the statements made during the investigation before PJ inspectors, the Prosecutor of the Public Ministry of Beja ordered to extract a certificate, with a view to punishing him for false statements.
The second sergeant questioned the court about the reasons why such a certificate was extracted, led the president of the panel of judges to criticize his behavior. “Or did you want to flatter yourself before the PJ, or here is taking the pains of the Guard, since at the beginning he was very angry with the defendantsâ€, said the magistrate.
The then commander of the Post, Luis Robles, who had already given testimony last Wednesday, returned to court to clarify that on the night of 11 November 2018, who lifted the material, including the weapon, was the military Paulo Lopes, who never interviews the SIC television channel, without seeing the face, and whose images were seen in court, denied being involved in this situation of aggression inside the jeep.
Closing arguments were scheduled for the next day. 19 from december to 09,30 the Court of Beja. Remember that Rúben Candeias, João Lopes and Nelson Lima, have already been sentenced to suspended sentences in a previous case with the same contours, which have become final, in July 2020.
Teixeira Correia
(journalist)
