Thirteen policemen go on trial

**Pedro Silva** Tue Apr 30, 2013 10:27 pm

My friends, this was taken from Correio da Manhã newspaper:

http://www.cmjornal.xl.pt/detalhe/noticias/nacional/portugal/treze-policias-vao-a-julgamento

Thirteen policemen go on trial

Face charges of criminal association for private security illegal trafficking in drugs and arms, extortion, corruption and coercion.

The Criminal Court (ICT) decided on Tuesday to prosecute police 13 Division Cascais for criminal association for private security illegal trafficking in drugs and arms, extortion, corruption and coercion.

In the case of the crime of drug trafficking qualified, it was disqualified for simply having the judge also dropped the main crime of criminal association, considering that not proven the existence of an organized group that got the money with the practice of many unlawful in the area of Cascais area, as the prosecution argued prosecutors (MP).

During the reading of the decision investigator, held this Tuesday in the criminal courts of Lisbon, Campus of Justice, Maria Antonia Andrade gave the 13 policemen and 16 of the 17 civilians, the same type of crimes, from the process to have 29 defendants .

"It is noteworthy honesty lady judge who sought to truly understand the facts, and his courage by not prosecuting the accused by two major crimes that were charged: conspiracy and drug trafficking qualified", said a lawyer three defendants.

"Of course I believe in judging things will go well," said Christopher Helder, at the end of the session.

The 13 policemen and 17 civilians were accused by MP in May 2012 of criminal association, corruption, drug trafficking qualified private security unlawful coercion, extortion and arms trafficking.

After deducting the charge, some lawyers requested the opening statement and the nullity of the whole process, but all applications were rejected by the court, which considered that they had "no foundation".

According to the order for the prosecution of the MP, at a date not precisely accurate, but no more than five years, three of the suspects - a chief and two officers - along with other colleagues and civilians, "took advantage of the fact that police officers are to organize, sharing functions, developing and executing a scheme to obtain money from the commission of crimes. "

The MP stated that the alleged criminal network "only gave part of the money and drugs seized (cocaine and cannabis) to the order of processes", keeping the rest.

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"Face charges of criminal association for private security illegal trafficking in drugs and arms, extortion, corruption and coercion.", this reminds me paulo Cristóvão.