News that the Iraqi twin brothers whose savage beating of a 15-year-old boy in Ponte-de-Sor shocked the country (click here) are finally being cited for attempted murder essentially means nothing, explain reports.
Tabloid Correio da Manhã agrees that “in theory” the formal accusation coming out of the Public Ministry puts the youths “at risk, if convicted, of being condemned to a maximum of 10 years and eight months in prison, but “practically speaking, they are free from Justice”.
The sticking-point of “diplomatic immunity” – due to the twins’ father being the Iraqi ambassador to Portugal at the time of the attack – remains.
And even though the ministry for foreign affairs has confirmed that “diligencies” are now ongoing to communicate the Attorney General’s decision to prosecute they will “serve for nothing”.
The Public Ministry’s statement coming out on Thursday said that the brothers “following a discussion and earlier physical confrontations, attacked the victim in a violent way, knocking him to the ground and inflicting kicks and punches especially to his head and face, leaving him unconscious.
“It was only due to medical and surgical intervention that (the victim) survived”.
Rúben Cavaco, now 17, suffered multiple fractures, lost several teeth and was put into an induced coma for six days while doctors fought to rebuild his shattered face and bring him back from the brink.
In later interviews his mother Vilma Pires talked of the physical and psychological consequences of the beating – but the family eventually agreed not to lodge a formal complaint after the Iraqi authorities paid them a purported €40,000, on top of the €12,000 paid towards hospital costs.
Rúben’s lawyer, Santana Maia Leonardo has expressed surprise at the news about the accusations – coming 17 months since the horrific attack – saying he had no advance knowledge of it and he wasn’t even sure if the twins could legally made made “arguidos” (official suspects) due to the fact that they still enjoy diplomatic immunity.
Adding to questions about the relevance of this news is the fact that the Public Ministry statement did not even mention the twins (Haider and Ridha Ali) by name.
Neither youth is in Portugal and their father was replaced as ambassador in January last year (click here).
natasha.donn@algarveresident.com
