Post date: Sep 03, 2010 11:8:20 AM
Defendants including a top TV presenter, diplomat and doctors await the verdict in a case involving alleged child abuse at a state orphanage, after almost six years of court sessions.
LISBON, PORTUGAL (SEPTEMBER 03, 2010) REUTERS - A verdict in one of the largest trials in Portuguese legal history, involving alleged child abuse at state orphanages, will be announced on Friday (September 3) after almost six years of court sessions with intense public scrutiny.
The case, in which seven defendants are charged with participating in a network created to abuse children from the Casa Pia state orphanages, has drawn intense public attention ever since it was reported in late 2002 by the 'Expresso' weekly newspaper.
The spotlight on the case prompted police to raise security at the courthouse area for Friday's verdict, as was done during the first court session in November 2004.
Portuguese media, which had previously shied away from reporting on child abuse, was preparing blanket coverage of the case on Friday, which was due to start with the planned reading of the verdict at 0930 local time (0730gmt) by a Lisbon criminal court judge.
Many Portuguese believe convictions would serve as an exemplary punishment of predatory networks created for the wealthy, while others feel the case has been blown out of proportion and failed to address a wider problem.
But few people disagree on how the trial has highlighted the inefficiency of the Portuguese courts, incapable of handling such a large trial -- 460 court sessions to hear 920 witnesses -- with reasonable speed.
"What is going to happen today is that they are going to be judged. The guilty ones, the not guilty ones. We don't know yet. It's difficult," said Portuguese citizen, Joao.
Expresso's initial revelations that a driver at the Casa Pia had for years abused children at the institution were followed by more alarming reports that he had allegedly taken children to be abused by wealthy individuals outside the school's premises.
Former Casa Pia director Catalina Pestana didn't want to speak before the end of the trail.
"We can speak later. We can speak later. I'm not talking before the trial is over," she said before the trail.
Carlos Cruz, a highly popular TV presenter and producer, Jorge Ritto, a former diplomat, two doctors, a former Casa Pia director and driver Carlos Silvino have been accused of around 900 crimes in total. If convicted, they could face prison sentences of up to 10 years each.
Silvino confessed to some of the crimes but all other defendants say they are innocent.