A court order dated July 2, accessed by Lusa, states that Judge Carlos Camacho of the Sintra Court has granted the Public Prosecutor’s request to establish a 45-day deadline to receive recordings repeatedly requested from Brazilian authorities.
This 45-day period will conclude after the judicial holidays. If the Brazilian court fails to send any video or audio evidence by then, the Public Prosecutor’s Office will need to decide on the future of the case concerning Rosalina Ribeiro’s death, which had been scheduled for trial in November 2022.
Last June, Brazilian authorities indicated they did not possess the requested digital recordings, prompting the Portuguese Procurator General to send a new formal request to Brazil on November 12 of the previous year.
In an order signed on October 28, 2024, the presiding judge requested another formal request and attached copies of the procedural documents that reference these recordings “for complete clarification.”
In another order signed three days earlier, the same judge stated that the initial request “was perfectly clear and fully understood.” Given the “stalemate” caused by the absence of the recordings, Judge Carlos Camacho acknowledged that “the protracted delay in receiving the complete process is unsustainable.”
The Public Prosecutor’s Office emphasized that the recordings requested by Portugal are “crucially significant for the proper resolution of the case and uncovering the material truth,” according to a request made last year, which advocated for a renewed request specifying the procedural documents containing references to the recordings.
Former deputy Duarte Lima has been accused of murdering Rosalina Ribeiro in Brazil in 2009. The trial was initially set for November 2022 but has been postponed—first due to the failure to notify Brazilian witnesses and then due to the absence of the recordings.
The Public Prosecutor’s Office suspects Duarte Lima received funds in his bank account transferred by Rosalina Ribeiro, linked to Lúcio Thomé Feteira’s inheritance. The former PSD deputy allegedly pressured Rosalina Ribeiro to sign a declaration stating that Duarte Lima did not possess any money that wasn’t rightfully his. Following her refusal, the Public Prosecutor’s Office contends that Duarte Lima killed Rosalina Ribeiro.
