1.19 The Rise and Fall of Bruno de Carvalho - Judgement Day

In the last few posts we've looked at the testimony provided by some if not all of the players, the technical staff, club staff, GNR officers and some of the defendants. The case of the prosecution sits in the hands of the court judges. Unlike in the UK system, defendants in Portugal are rarely tried before a jury of their peers. Did the alleged moral authors of the attacks Bruno de Carvalho, Bruno Jacinto and Nuno Mendes have a case to answer for? Was sufficient evidence provided to support the prosecutions charges or would they be acquitted? For those who perpetrated the attacks, what sentences would they be handed down as punishment? If this was a podcast we'd have someone with a rich smooth voice asking you these questions under a bed of music that would have just ended with a climatic ‘dun, dun, dunnnn,’ but it's not a podcast so you'll just have to use your imaginations.

Finally on May 28th, 2020, after months of court sessions Judge Sílvia Pires gave her ruling against the three parties who stood accused of moral authorship of the attacks that took place on May the 15th, 2018. Those being the former club president of Sporting Clube de Portugal Bruno de Carvalho. Bruno Jacinto who was the club’s liaison officer to fan groups and Nuno Mendes more commonly known as Mustafá, the leader of Juve Leo. All three were … ‘dun, dun, dunnnn,’ acquitted of all charges of which they had been accused. Yep all three, home free and dry. Like Teflon pans nothing stuck to them. That being said nothing of note was ever truly thrown at them to have stuck in the first place.

In relation to de Carvalho it could not be proven specifically that the criticism on social media had been intended to provoke the fans against the players. In addition, in regards to the expression he used in the April meeting held with members of the Juve Leo where he had stated "do what you want" it could also not be proven that he had used the expression with the explicit intention of encouraging their members to attack the players and staff members. It was accepted that the change in training time from morning to late afternoon had no connection with the attacks. Judge Pires concludes: "It is not proven that the defendant planned the attack.”

In relation to Mendes, it's important to note that not one witness stated he himself had any prior knowledge that fans were due to attend Alcochete that day. Neither were there any messages from the defendant in the records in WhatsApp groups about the invasion of Alcochete.

No evidence exists that Jacinto participated in the acts of violence or in turn that he had encouraged them. It was noted that in addition, Jacinto had warned the Academy's security director of the fans' trip to the Academy of Alcochete, a few minutes before the attack.

Whilst moral authorship of the attacks wasn't proven, the attacks that took place against the players and technical staff were however. The judge ruled that in total 37 of the defendants in the case illegitimately entered the Academy, "running, with their faces covered or partially covered.” It was confirmed that Jorge Jesus' injuries were caused by the defendant Rúben Marques, who also hit Bas Dost and Mišić.

It could not be proven that the defendants prevented the players from leaving the locker room or that in turn that they caused damage to the facilities. Only that Rúben Marques had damaged the Porsche of Nélson Pereira.

It's stated that Fernando Mendes and Nuno Torres always remained in the rear of the group that entered the Academy.

The judge emphasised that there was evidence of the planning of the attack through the groups created on WhatsApp. "Everyone knew what they were going to and everyone had the opportunity to go back." The CCTV images of the Academy served as proof of the preserved action of the group that had acted with their faces covered deliberately trying to conceal their identities.

Speaking in relation to Fernando Mendes, "he did not show any emotion" to Jorge Jesus' request for help. The judge makes light of the incidents at Madeira airport in which Mendes made a tense exchange of words with some Sporting players, namely Marcos Acuña.

For the proven crimes of aggravated threat and offense to physical integrity, in all nine defendants are sentenced to five years in prison including Fernando Mendes, Elton Camará, Domingos Monteiro, Nuno Torres and Getúlio Fernandes. Twenty eight were passed down suspended sentences between three years and six months and four years and 10 months, suspended for five years. Four were fined. Judge Pires acquitted all the defendants of the crime of kidnapping and terrorism, since they had a defined target, without interfering with public peace.

Among those defendants with a suspended sentence was Rúben Marques, who admitted at trial to having hit Bas Dost with a belt and faces a sentence of four years and 10 months in prison, suspended for five years and with 200 hours of community work, for offence to physical integrity.

Judge Pires concluded in her final statements: "Not everything goes in life. Being a man is not covering your face and running out of there. I hope you accept your mistakes, serve your sentence and start over.”

"They didn't fulfil Sporting's motto. Neither effort, nor dedication, nor devotion, nor glory. It was all on the side. Learn to respect others and serve your sentence and do not commit any more crimes."

And so the trial which began on November the 18th, 2019 had finally concluded and two years and 13 days after the attacks the matter had legally been put to bed. We are of course now past the five year mark for the toughest of sentences handed down and those who served sentences will have been released back to the community.

In response to the decisions Sporting Clube de Portugal as an institution issued the following statement.

"At a time when the process of invasion of the Sporting Academy, in Alcochete, comes to an end, Sporting Clube de Portugal appeals to Society and the Portuguese State not to repeat moments like this, which in no way dignify Sport in general and Football in particular.

These events indelibly marked Sporting CP and the Sportinguistas, bringing very disastrous consequences for everyone, which shocked the world.

Sport is and should be more and more a healthy space and not one of gratuitous violence and crime.

Two years after the darkest day in the history of Sporting Clube de Portugal, the Club will continue to fight for its values and continue to echo, with the competent authorities, about the importance of eradicating this type of behaviour.

It is important that the entire world of sport unites so that these events do not happen again.

Sporting always, Alcochete never again!"

After the judgement, the board of the institution, now led by the current Club President Frederico Varandas pointed out that the invasion was "the darkest day in the history" of the club and that "it is important that the entire world of sport unites so that these events do not happen again." It should be noted that maybe unsurprisingly, the statement didn't address the acquittal of Bruno de Carvalho, former president of the club, who had since been expelled as a member.

Whilst Nuno Mendes was acquitted in this case of being connected with the attacks and had been released from remand on the last day of the sessions heard in relation to the charges of drug trafficking this didn't mean that the sword of Damocles wasn't still dangling perilously over his head.

The following article is taken from Notícias Ilimitadas

The Lisbon Court of Appeal upheld in full the effective prison sentences imposed on Paulo Pereira Cristóvão, former vice-president of Sporting, and Nuno Mendes "Mustafá", in the case of home burglaries.

In 2019, the Central Criminal Court of Cascais sentenced former Sporting vice-president Paulo Pereira Cristóvão, a former PJ (Judicial Police) inspector, to seven years and six months in prison for his involvement in two burglaries in Cascais and Lisbon in 2014. Nuno Mendes "Mustafá," leader of the Sporting supporters' group Juventude Leonina, was also found guilty and sentenced to six years and four months in prison. Both appealed the decision, as did other defendants, but the Court of Appeal upheld all sentences.

"The judges comprising the 3rd section of the Court of Appeal agree to dismiss the appeals filed by the defendants Cláudio Raposo Máximo, Elói Alexandre Machado Fachada, Emilson Tiago Cabi Vaz (on 17.02), Celso Pedro Augusto, Nuno Miguel Rodrigues Vieira Mendes, Mário Hugo Teixeira Lopes, Bruno Miguel Machado Martins Pereira, Paulo António Pereira Cristóvão, Paulo Alexandre dos Santos and Luís Manuel Emídio da Conceição, thus upholding in full the learned decision under appeal," reads the ruling to which JN had access this Tuesday.

JN understands that Paulo Pereira Cristóvão intends to appeal "to have alleged nullities and unconstitutionality remedied."

The heaviest sentences, 16 and 17 years in prison, were given to the two PSP officers, Eloi Fachada and Luís Conceição. They were penalised in the length of their sentences for the role they play as police officers in society.

"These are quite high penalties," acknowledged the presiding judge of the Cascais Court, while reading the verdict, noting that these were "reduced" in the case of the defendants who admitted to committing the acts. The others were "not penalised but were not given any benefit either."

Pereira Cristóvão was convicted, in total, of co-authoring one aggravated robbery, three kidnappings, and one attempted aggravated theft, and acquitted of membership in a criminal organisation, among other offenses.

All in all I can't say that I was in any way surprised that none of the three accused of moral authorship were found guilty, mainly because there was no evidence to support the claims. The fact that Judge Pires allowed the trials against the three men to proceed on the first instance seems far more of a surprise to me. That a waste of tax payers money. Labelling under the umbrella of terrorist attacks as defined under Portuguese law also reflects badly on Cândida Vilar. I don't think it was wrong to arrest Jacinto, de Carvalho and Nuno Mendes originally as part of investigations but it should have become apparent pretty quickly that charges shouldn't have been made against them and none of them should have gone to trial but in the end justice was at least served for them. I don't think too many would disagree with me if I claim that de Carvalho is the sort of man to rub people up the wrong way and it wouldn't be a surprise to me at least that he didn't help his own cause in the slightest during the entire process. Yet that doesn't excuse the fact he was put on trial at the end of the day. You'd surely want to play Vilar at poker because she wouldn't be able to bluff a hand all night.

Finally though we get to put the court cases to bed and go back to the main original part of the story as we chart the rise and fall of Bruno de Carvalho and so you can guess which part finally comes next.