QUEEN PAOLA OF BELGIUM

PRINCE PAUL OF GREECE'S WEDDING

KING CONSTANTINE AND QUEEN ANNE-MARIE'S WEDDING

RAINHA SOFIA CONSIDERA-SE 100% ESPANHOLA

SARKOZY E CARLA BRUNI EM MADRID

BETANCOURT SUES THE GOVERNMENT

Because she's worth it

Jul 12th 2010, 17:24 by The Economist online BOGOTÁ





"UNGRATEFUL", "shameful", "cheeky", "hypocrite". Those are some of the kinder epithets being bandied about in Colombia in reference to Ingrid Betancourt, the French-Colombian politician who was once the nation's most famed hostage. On Friday, the Caracol radio station reported that Ms Betancourt had filed a legal request to the Colombian government for $6.8 million in damages, in compensation for being kidnapped by the FARC guerrillas during her 2002 presidential campaign. On radio talk shows, blogs and chat forums, Colombians have suggested that the government should instead sue Ms Betancourt for the costs of the military operation that led to her release six years later, which she has called a “perfect” rescue.

Ms Betancourt has tried to backtrack. In a televised prime-time interview on Sunday, she said her request was merely a “symbolic” move to help other former hostages make their own claims, and that she has "no intention" of suing if the government does not comply. She also contends the move was meant to spark discussion of her accusation that the government of Andrés Pastrana was partly responsible for her abduction. The kidnapping took place when she tried to reach a town in southern Colombia where the then-president had just ordered a guerrilla safe haven dismantled. Ms Betancourt blames the government for removing her bodyguards and denying her a seat on military helicopters. In contrast, the officials involved say they warned her not to go.

After Ms Betancourt was rescued, many Colombians expected her to storm back onto the country’s political stage. Instead, she has primarily remained abroad, dividing her time between Paris and New York while she writes a book about her ordeal. Given the indignation her financial claim has caused, chances are it might not even make the best-seller list once it hits Bogotá’s bookshelves.

EDITORIAL DO "SÉCULO DE JOANESBURGO" ACERCA DE JOSÉ SARAMAGO

OLIVEIRA E COSTA JULGADO A 11 DE OUTUBRO

BPN

Oliveira e Costa será julgado a 11 de Outubro

O ex-presidente do BPN vai começar a ser julgado a 11 de Outubro, disse hoje fonte do Tribunal Central de Instrução Criminal (TCIC).

Oliveira e Costa, em prisão domiciliária desde 21 de Julho de 2009, é acusado de crimes como abuso de confiança, burla qualificada, falsificação de documento e branqueamento de capitais.

Segundo o despacho de pronúncia, o juiz do TCIC, Carlos Alexandre, decidiu que além de Oliveira e Costa outros 15 arguidos vão a julgamento no chamado caso BPN, que levou à nacionalização do banco.

Segundo a acusação do Ministério Público (MP), Oliveira e Costa concebeu um esquema ilícito para obter poder pessoal e proveitos financeiros com o apoio dos restantes arguidos - pessoas singulares e empresas (pessoas colectivas).

Entre os acusados está um laboratório industrial de cerâmica (Labicer), sendo Oliveira e Costa o único arguido sujeito a medida privativa de liberdade, neste momento prisão domiciliária, depois de ter estado em prisão preventiva.

Na decisão, com mais de 700 páginas, o tribunal remeteu também para apreciação no Tribunal de Julgamento a alteração de medidas de coação relativas a controle de contas bancárias de dois dos arguidos.

Económico com Lusa

12/07/10 17:58