Originally jailed for 17 years, which has been progressively reduced on appeal, the former Scrap Metal King of Ovar Manuel Godinho – kingpin in the massively costly Face Oculta (Hidden Face) trial which ended in 2014 with a ‘slew of guilty verdicts’ – has once again sidestepped serving time because a judge has decided that “some of the crimes” he was condemned for have now ‘expired’.
Public prosecutors are appealing the decision but for now Godinho remains as free as the proverbial bird while others condemned for lesser jail terms in the same case (one of them former government minister Armando Vara) gave up their struggle to stay out of jail earlier this year and are presumably behind bars (click here).
