Trial of Duarte Lima for 2009 homicide begins at Sintra Court
Former PSD deputy Duarte Lima goes on trial for the murder of Rosalina Ribeiro, 17 years after the crime in Brazil.
Former PSD deputy in the dock 17 years after Rosalina Ribeiro's murder
The trial of former PSD deputy Duarte Lima for the murder of Rosalina Ribeiro began on Thursday afternoon at Sintra Court, 17 years after the crime, according to CNN Portugal.
The first day of hearings, scheduled for 14:00, included questioning of the defendant himself, who chose to remain silent after identifying himself before the panel of judges, according to information accessed by Lusa. The court also heard Rosemary Espinola, a close friend of Rosalina Ribeiro and one of the first to report her disappearance.
The 2009 crime and the motive put forward by the Public Prosecution Service
The case dates back to December 2009, when Rosalina Ribeiro, widow of millionaire Tomé Feteira, was shot dead in Maricá, near Rio de Janeiro. Her body was found the following day in Saquarema, on a dirt road approximately 100 kilometres from Rio de Janeiro.
According to the prosecution, the motive for the crime was a transfer of 5.2 million euros made by Rosalina Ribeiro to an account of Duarte Lima, a former parliamentary leader of the PSD. The Public Prosecution Service argues that the defendant demanded that the widow sign a document confirming that the money was, in fact, his — and that, when she refused, he killed her.
Duarte Lima has consistently maintained that the over five million euros corresponded to fees for years of legal services provided to Rosalina Ribeiro. The daughter of Tomé Feteira rejected this version, claiming that the money was diverted from her father's accounts, and even filed a complaint for breach of trust — a crime of which Duarte Lima was acquitted in 2019.
Defence invokes statute of limitations based on Brazilian law
Even before the hearings began, Duarte Lima's defence submitted a motion to the court on Monday arguing that the homicide had already become time-barred. Under Brazilian legislation, homicide becomes time-barred after 20 years, a period that is halved when the defendant is over 70 years old — precisely Duarte Lima's current age.
Trial postponed several times since 2022
The trial was initially scheduled to begin in November 2022, but was repeatedly postponed: first due to failure to notify witnesses residing in Brazil, then due to the absence of recordings requested from the Brazilian authorities.
Portuguese justice made several requests to Brazilian courts for the missing documentation. Later this year, the Public Prosecutor's Office submitted a new request, this time demanding that the case file be sent in physical format rather than digital.
Source: CNN Portugal