Main defendant sentenced to six years in prison. Two other defendants may serve a prison sentence due to the legal combination of convictions in two cases of the same nature.
Reuben Candeias, one of the seven GNR soldiers accused in the process of aggression against Hindustani citizens, it was yesterday (Monday) sentenced to an effective prison sentence of 6 year old, serving a sentence of 4 year old, suspended on execution, of a case judged in July 2020 with the same contours. Two other defendants sentenced in the two cases to suspended sentences, must also serve effective imprisonment, in view of the juridical cumulation of convictions.
The seven defendants were indicted for 32 crimes of abuse of power, offenses against physical integrity and kidnapping, were convicted of 19 of these crimes, in total 29 years and 3 months of prison sentence, substantially reduced with the legal cumulus.
The case was revealed exclusively by Lidador NotÃcias (LN) in 22 September 2020, when there were still only four military officers constituted as defendants and the process was born during the arrest of five military personnel, in 8 May 2019, for the acts perpetrated against immigrants. The PJ of Setúbal seized and analyzed the cell phones of the defendants, having detected the photographs and videos where other Asian citizens are forced to do push-ups, jumping jacks and crawling both outside and inside the post. The Odemira MP extracted a certificate that gave rise to the investigation and subsequent prosecution of the seven soldiers convicted yesterday.
The collective of judges of the Court of Beja had no doubts about the guilt of the seven soldiers from the Territorial Post of Vila Nova de Milfontes, condemning them because “all acted with direct intent, with profound disregard for the dignity of the victims, amusing himself at the cost of his humiliationâ€, justified the magistrates.
Considered the main person responsible for committing the crimes that were attributed to the Guards, Rúben Candeias left the court condemned for the leading role he played in the various situations that the defendants were involved in on four separate occasions at the end of 2018 and early 2019, inside and outside the post in vila alentejana. Another of the protagonists of the violent facts, João Miguel Lopes was sentenced to 4 years and 2 months in prison, being also sentenced in the previous process to 5 years in prison. Candeias and Lopes were also sentenced to the ancillary penalty of prohibiting the exercise of a GNR military function during 3 years and 6 months
Nelson Lima was the third defendant convicted in the previous process, with a feather of 3 years and 6 months and who yesterday was sentenced to the third heaviest sentence, 2 years and 6 months. Diogo Ribeiro was punished in 2 year old, Carlos Figueiredo and Paulo Cunha, in 1 year and 6 months each and Nuno Andrade, ended up suffering the lightest condemnation, with a feather of 1 year and 3 months.
During the reading of the judgment, the president of the collective of judges highlighted the fact that it was the seizure of Rúben Candeias' cell phone that "allowed to reveal the facts that occurred and judged, that would never have been known.â€, so burdensome, that the court ordered the destruction of the device seized by the PJ and that gave rise to the process.
The magistrate reverberated the position of the defendants on trial who “did not show regret or demonstrate that they had internalized the worthlessness of their conductâ€, reminding João Lopes that the interview he gave to a television channel “revealed his manipulative personality, seeking to sway public opinion in their favor, to the detriment of the image of Justiceâ€, finished the judge.
On leaving the court, Ricardo Vieira, lawyer for Nuno Andrade, referred that “I registered the words of the judge with regard to my client, I think they are rightâ€, defending that the defendant will be able to keep his functions in the GNR.
Crimes for which they were convicted
Ruben Candeias (26 year old, natural de Beja): 6 (six) years of imprisonment in legal accumulation, for eight crimes- 1 year in prison for one of abuse of power, 7 years and 3 months for five crimes of offense to qualified physical integrity, and 1 year and 6 months in prison in relation to the situation of the day 11 November 2018, 1 year and three months in prison for each of the three crimes covered by the current situation 13 January 2019, 2 years in prison in relation to the situation of the day 17 March 2019 and 3 years and 6 months for a crime of kidnapping. Acquitted of committing three crimes of abuse of power.
Nelson Lima (30 year old, Lajes-Praia da Vitória): 2 years and 6 months in prison for three crimes- 1 year and 6 months for a crime of offense to qualified physical integrity and 1 year and 3 months in prison for each of two crimes of offense to qualified physical integrity. Acquitted of a crime of abuse of power and
an offense to the crime qualified physical integrity.
Diogo Ribeiro (29 year old, Arnóia-Celorico de Basto): 2 years in prison for three crimes- 1 year and 2 months for each of three crimes of offense to physical integrity qualified. Acquitted of a crime of abuse of power and a crime of offense to qualified physical integrity.
Nuno Andrade (33 year old, Caçarilhe-Celorico de Basto): 1 year and 3 months in prison for three crimes- 8 months for each of three crimes of offense to physical integrity qualified. Acquitted of a crime of abuse of power and a crime of offense to qualified physical integrity.
Joao Miguel Lopes (31 year old, Watch): 4 years and 2 months in prison for two crimes- 1 year and 6 months in prison for a crime of offense to qualified physical integrity and 3 years and 6 months in prison for an aggravated kidnapping crime. Acquitted of a crime of abuse of power.
Carlos Figueiredo (32 year old, Watch): 1 year and 6 months in prison for a crime- 1 year and 6 months in prison for a crime of offense to qualified physical integrity. Acquitted of a crime of abuse of power.
Paulo Cunha (27 year old, Port): 1 year and 6 months in prison for a crime-1 year and 6 months in prison for a crime of offense to qualified physical integrity. Acquitted of a crime of abuse of power.
Convictions in July 2020
five military, three of whom were repeat offenders in the process concluded yesterday at the 1st Instance, were sentenced to prison terms among the 3 years and 6 months and 6 years and additional penalties of suspension from the Guard, that varied between 2 years and 3 years and 6 months. The defendants were convicted in co-authorship, for the practice of a crime of violation of domicile, two crimes of offense to qualified physical integrity and two crimes of kidnapping aggravated.
The case occurred on the night of 30 September 2018 in a restaurant in Almograve, that after a discussion between a participant at a dinner and the owner of the restaurant, both from indiana, culminated in the GNR military going to the victims' house who ended up being transported to the post in Vila Nova de Milfontes, where they ended up being attacked
André Ribeiro, military at the Odemira Post, was the only one to be sentenced to effective jail, which he still serves at the Military Prison of Tomar, intended for the fulfillment of sentences applied to military personnel of the Armed Forces and the National Republican Guard.
Teixeira Correia
(journalist)
