A court official absolved of the murder of his lover’s husband two years ago heard appeal court judges in Lisbon this week find him guilty – condemning him to 25 years behind bars.
António Joaquim has always insisted he had nothing to do with the murder of fitness fanatic Luís Grilo. But Loures court, hearing evidence last year, decided his lover, Rosa Grilo, did.
Rosa was condemned to 25 years while António Joaquim walked free.
Prosecutors however put in a swift appeal, and this came back ‘guilty as originally charged’ on Monday.
For now, António Joaquim will remain at liberty. His lawyer told reporters the news is “not a defeat but an obstacle”.
He has however been suspended from his job as a court official as this was one of the recommendations from the new panel of judges which ruled that the evidence pointing to his involvement in the murder was ‘insuperable’.
The next step will be an appeal by his defence to the Supreme Tribunal of Justice. If found guilty there though, António Joaquim will be going to jail, writes tabloid Correio da Manhã.
National media was full of lurid details of this case when it originally played out in 2018 (click here) and it has returned to the same kind of coverage this week.
Rosa Grilo’s defence lawyer also tried for an appeal for her client, but the judges ruled that her guilty verdict was sound.
It’s unclear whether Rosa Grilo will be lodging a new appeal.
