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The Association of Relatives and Friends of Gol's Flight 1907 Victims Issues Statement Regarding the Brazilian Justice's Ruling
The Judge's Decision to Release the American Pilots for Deposition in the USA Disturbed the Family Members
| Source: Lide Multimidia
CURITIBA, BRAZIL--(Marketwire - March 20, 2008) - The following is a statement issued by the
The Association of Relatives and Friends of Gol's flight 1907 Victims.
The ruling issued by Judge Murilo Mendes, responsible for the criminal
process related to the accident that took place between Gol's Boeing 737
and Excelaire's Legacy jet on September 29, 2006, caused concern among the
members of The Association of Relatives and Friends of Gol's flight 1907
Victims. This group was founded after the accident between Gol's Boeing
373 and a Legacy jet, with the purpose of providing support to the
relatives of the victims as well as supervising the investigations on the
second largest aerial accident in Brazil's history, which carried a death
toll of 154 people in the state of Mato Grosso. The ruling allowed the
depositions of the pilots, Joseph Lepore and Jan Paladino, to take place in
the USA.
Angelita De Marchi, President of the Association of Relatives and Friends
of Gol's flight 1907 Victims, said that the decision surprised all the
families. "The decision caught us by surprise. The Brazilian justice
system was convinced that the deposition should take place in Brazil and
that the pilots did not want to cooperate; they were being judged in
default, since even after signing documents saying that they would return
to Brazil, officially summoned and the Justice department declaring that
they would cover the costs of the process, they were refusing to
cooperate," remembers Angelita.
The biggest surprise came with the decision made by the judge in Sinop (MT
- Mato Grosso), while there is a pending process in the Supreme Court
regarding a petition for a writ of habeas corpus for the pilots; they are
requesting that the depositions take place in the USA. "We were waiting for
the decision from the Supreme Court, when we received the news that the
judge was now authorizing the deposition in the USA. We find all of this
embarrassing for us and for our country, which is forced to concede in that
type of situation. If these were Brazilians being judged in the USA, the
pilots would not have even been released to return to Brazil while the
duration of the process," said Mr. De Marchi.
Rosane Guhtjar, a victim's widow, was very upset with the judge's take.
"This decision is issued at a time when the pilots claim to the American
justice system that they were coerced to sign the documents, that they were
forced to sign. If we already had little hope for their return to Brazil,
now it is for sure that we won't know what happened in the accident; if
they refuse to cooperate here, who knows having to declare, in writing, in
their country," says Guhtjar.
The relatives' hope is that the Federal Prosecutor's Office, responsible
for the case, appeals judge's Murilo Mendes decision and that the pilots
are required to come back to Brazil to take a deposition or that they
continue to be judged in default. "This is a public process in Brazil. The
Federal Prosecutors Office represents us, and we hope that this position is
questioned. What happened in this accident is a crime, the death of 154
people due to irresponsible behavior. We expect that justice be done,"
requests the widow Rosane Guhtjar.