Freedom of Speech 2

President Jardim uses the Justice system to silence freedom of speech. Lawyers and legal fees are paid by the Government and compensations are asked for Jardim and his henchmen. It’s a good racket. They have no expenses and pocket the compensations themselves.

Jardim regularly issues threats of taking people to court merely to silence dissent. At a party meeting prior to the 2000 elections, for instance, he ordered Government departments to take his political adversaries to Court at the minimum provocation: ‘I have instructed all Government Departments that they should immediately institute criminal proceedings at the merest hint of slander’.

Following the disaster of the 20^th of February 2010, he again urged Government departments to sue the ‘vultures’ who criticized the Government.

He himself regularly issues such threats directly, some of which have no leg to stand on and are not followed through. In any case, the Madeira Courts are filled the proceedings of Jardim and his henchmen.

Recently, a court judged in favor of the Garajau satirical newspaper in a case where the newspaper argued the Vice-President was using Government funding to criminally sue the paper for publishing facts that had nothing to do with his position or the Government. It was a blatant case of misuse of public funding to harass a newspaper. The ruling was overturned at lightning speed by the higher court in Lisbon. The Vice-Presidency’s handpicked lawyer was the leader of the Maoist MRPP Party, Garcia Pereira. The case has now been taken to the European Court of Human Rights.