The Lisbon Criminal Court of Appeal has rejected the request for the suspension of the 'Galpgate' case, the one involving three former secretaries of state, Fernando Rocha Andrade, João Vasconcelos and Jorge Costa Oliveira and the former adviser to the Prime Minister, Vitoria Escária, and others. The four named above were charged with receiving undue advantage by accepting travel and tickets to Euro 2016 matches, courtesy of Galp Energia. This beano did not come cheap, costing Galp €1,040 per person entertained at the group games and €1,710 for those watching the final. In total, the company splashed out more than €150,000 to curry favour with these government officials - a sum willingly approved by Galp’s management. Now that the Lisbon court has decided that the case will continue, the investigation will carry on into the circumstances surrounding the generous hospitality taken advantage of by the four main offenders, Carlos Costa Pina (a senior Galp … [Read more...] about Lisbon Court overrules State Prosecutor
Court
Dad who punched teen and called him a “black c***” walks free from court
A dad who attacked a 15-year-old boy and called him a "black c***" walked free from court. Dale Hart punched the teen and shouted the racist language but a judge at Bolton Crown Court accepted that it was a 'heat of the moment' attack. The 29-year-old attacked the 15-year-old after he thought the boy had accidentally brushed past his baby son's pram while running to catch a bus, reports the Manchester Evening News. Hart, a customer service advisor, told the teen to 'speak English' as the lad waited for his mother and his two sisters, aged 14 and 13, to catch up. He then punched the teenager and grabbed his shirt. The boy's mother, 39, who had been taking the family to church for Sunday service, intervened to stop the fight escalating but after she and her children got on the bus she collapsed with a potentially fatal bleed to the brain. She underwent emergency surgery after and was in hospital for three weeks. Hart, of Bolton, was arrested the following day but claimed his attack was … [Read more...] about Dad who punched teen and called him a “black c***” walks free from court
Father-of-two threatened to slit garda’s throat and ‘smash her face’, court hears
Father-of-two Corrie Grimes (22) initially denied making a threat to kill or cause serious harm to the garda at Ferrymans Crossing, North Dock, Dublin 1 on February 28, 2017 and told gardaí the allegation was “a load of bo**ox”. However he later pleaded guilty and wrote a letter of apology to the garda, the court heard. Garda Ciaran Harford told Dean Kelly BL, prosecuting, that he was on duty in a marked patrol car on Sheriff Street in Dublin with a female colleague on the day when they got a radio call for help from another garda. They arrived at Ferrymans Crossing to see their garda colleague putting a young man they knew as Jordan Grimes, a cousin of the accused, into a patrol car. Their grandmother, Anne Grimes, was present. The court heard that Corrie Grimes came up to the patrol car, red-faced and extremely angry, with his fists clenched, shouting aggressively to the female garda in the car. “I'm going to kill you, I'll slit your f**king throat. I'll smash … [Read more...] about Father-of-two threatened to slit garda’s throat and ‘smash her face’, court hears
French luxury dynasty in court battle over ‘Mona Lisa’ of Ferraris
The descendants of a French luxury leather dynasty sparred in a bitter court case on Friday over the ownership of a vintage Ferrari racer described as a "Mona Lisa", valued at tens of millions of euros. On the second and final day of the case in which Patrick Bardinon is being sued for betrayal of trust by his brother and sister, the proceedings, however, came to an abrupt end when he was taken ill in court. The case was adjourned while paramedics attended the scene and the case adjourned for a ruling on March 7. "My brother and sister have never accepted that (my father) gave this car to me," Patrick Bardinon, 61, told the court as proceedings opened Thursday in Gueret, not far from the family's estate in central France. According to his younger brother Jean-Francois and older sister Anne, he sold the prized 1964 Ferrari 250 GTO for a record 38 million euros ($43 million at current rates) to a Taiwanese collector four years ago. The racing model, one of just a few dozen made by the … [Read more...] about French luxury dynasty in court battle over ‘Mona Lisa’ of Ferraris
Tunisia ‘truth commission’ calls for govt to back courts judging torturers
A Tunisian commission tasked with securing justice for victims of decades of dictatorship called Friday at its final congress for authorities to back the work of special courts set up to judge torturers. The body -- which has faced internal disputes and political resistance arising from the return of former regime figures to government -- also called for security sector reform. Established in 2014 after the revolution that brought the downfall of dictator Zine el Abidine Ben Ali, the Truth and Dignity Institute has a mission to "reveal the truth about the human rights violations" in Tunisia between 1955 and 2013. It is to submit its main findings -- based on interviews with nearly 50,000 witnesses -- to Tunisia's leadership by the end of the year, when its mandate ends. The commission "will recommend the preservation of memory and the protection of the judicial process," said its head Sihem ben Sedrine. She called on authorities to support 13 specialised courts set up to judge the … [Read more...] about Tunisia ‘truth commission’ calls for govt to back courts judging torturers