The period of investigation into the case of four people who were partially blinded last year after an operation at an eye clinic in Lagoa has been extended until November.
The lawyer of one of the affected patients, António Vilar, told Lusa news agency: “The Department of Investigation and Penal Action (DIAP) of Évora, which is leading the investigation, has extended the deadline because of its complexity and difficulties in the translation of documents to be sent to Franciscus Versteeg, the doctor who performed the surgeries.”
Dutch ophthalmologist Franciscus Versteeg carried out the operations on July 20 last year in his clinic I-QMed and moved to Holland shortly after.
A source from the Attorney General’s Office (PGR) told Lusa news agency that the official notice requesting him to make statements about the case is finally being translated into Dutch, a process that is expected to be completed very shortly.
Meanwhile, António Vilar will proceed with a lawsuit against the Portuguese government for allowing the clinic to remain open for seven years without a licence.
