Portuguese president calls for restraint over paedophilia case

RDP Antena 1 radio, Lisbon

[Presenter] Speaking last night, Portuguese President Jorge Sampaio once again spoke about the Casa Pia [state-run home for children at risk] process [paedophilia case involving high profile figures]. He reacted to a newspaper report about an anonymous letter annexed to the process, which has in fact been described as irrelevant by the Public Prosecutor's Office. The letter links the president to paedophile acts. Four days after the news was published, the president has once again spoken about the matter to say that this is a punishable crime. The report was published by Jornal de Noticias.

[Sampaio] On 1 January a newspaper of reference, in fact the only one of that day, published very prominently and in breach of sub judice rules, a report on the existence in that same process of an anonymous letter slanderously involving the president of the republic, and causing the subsequent media frenzy. These are crimes which will have to be punished at the appropriate time and place as it is not legitimate for the head of state to ignore insults which have the gravest of consequences for the respect and consideration the president deserves.

[Reporter] [Passage omitted]

[Sampaio] It is vital for the rule of law and for the enormous debt society has towards the Casa Pia children, to create immediately the conditions so that the charges already filed and the evidence supporting them, can be evaluated on merit, I repeat on merit, and not on procedural mistakes, be they by the prosecutors, the defence lawyers or even the judicial magistrates.

[Reporter] [Passage omitted]

[Sampaio] More than proclaiming my confidence in the effort demanded of the judicial authorities to enforce the law and to repress any violation, I make a vehement appeal to the sense of citizenship of the media and justice officials to start behaving with the utmost restraint and with the utmost reserve within the strict limits of the duty to inform and to provide information, so that they will contribute to allowing the courts to do the job only they can do: to administer justice.