Considering he fooled what TVi television called “half the world” – claiming to be a former presidential advisor and UN financial researcher – economics conman Artur Baptista da Silva has come off very lightly. The convicted forger, who created a stir last year when it was revealed he had none credentials he claimed, has been fined just €150 by a Lisbon court and given the freedom to choose which charitable institution it should go to.
The judgement came as an extraordinary end to an extraordinary case. For weeks at the end of 2012, Silva was riding high on the crest of a self-made wave. He enjoyed centre-page spreads in leading national dailies, TV slots and even a part-standing ovation at the prestigious International Club in Lisbon. The attraction? His views on Portugal’s economic situation. As TVI remarked: “He said everything people wanted to hear.” And the nation’s media lapped it up, until journalists checked into his CV and found Silva was spinning them all a line.
The smooth-talking 61-year-old had actually been convicted of 10 crimes between 1982 and 1998, and was only recently released from jail. His winning thesis was none other than the work of a World Bank economist which he had copied and pasted off the internet.
But none of this weighed too heavily on the District Attorney General of Lisbon which handed Silva a surprisingly modest fine last Friday, leaving the decision of which charity should benefit from the donation completely up to him.
