The Public Prosecutor’s Office has filed an appeal seeking a nine-year prison sentence for Fernando Madureira, former leader of the Super Dragões supporters group, after a court sentenced him to three years and nine months earlier this month. This information was accessed by Lusa today.
In the appeal, the Public Prosecutor argues that the sentence for Madureira, the only one among twelve defendants given an effective prison sentence at the initial trial, is “too lenient and lacks any preventive effect,” insisting it “fails to deter the recurrence of similar serious offenses.”
Prosecutor Susana Catarino also requests effective prison sentences for five additional defendants, including Sandra Madureira, Fernando Madureira’s wife. She had received a suspended sentence of two years and eight months and was barred from attending sports venues for six months.
The appeal further seeks the conviction of Fernando Saúl, former stadium announcer at Estádio do Dragão and Fan Liaison Officer (OLA), who had been acquitted in the initial trial, along with José Dias.
The Public Prosecutor maintains that all defendants actively participated in a plan aimed at intimidating Porto Football Club members and journalists during a General Assembly in November 2023, and insists that the charges of coercion and breach of press freedom should apply to all.
In addition to the sentences for Fernando and Sandra Madureira on July 31, the court imposed suspended sentences on eight other defendants, including Porto supporter Vítor Catão, Hugo Carneiro, known as ‘Polaco,’ and Hugo Loureiro, also known as ‘Fanfas.’
The Operation Pretoriano case concluded with the Criminal Court of São João Novo judges establishing the existence of a “criminal plan” designed to “create an atmosphere of intimidation and fear” at the General Assembly. This was to ensure the approval of a club statutes amendment proposal, mirroring the interests of the management led by Jorge Nuno Pinto da Costa at the time.
