Gonçalo Amaral. The Truth of the Lie. Foreword

 

The Truth of the Lie

by Gonçalo Amaral

“Soon, very soon, the world will know, the truth of the lie and we will gain truth and justice for a little girl who has no voice, dead on the evening of May 3^rd at apartment 5A, Ocean Club, Praia da Luz, Algarve, Portugal.” – Gonçalo Amaral, 22^nd April 2008.

Foreword

Certainly, this book responds to the need I felt to defend myself, having been discredited by the institution for which I worked for more than twenty-six years, without being given any chance to explain myself, publicly or within the institution itself. I made the request several times, but it was never heard. I, therefore, scrupulously respected the rules of the judiciary police and I refrained from making any comment. But this goes without saying: I experienced that silence to which I was constrained as an attack on my dignity.

Later, I was removed from the investigation. It was then that I understood that it was time to speak. To do that, I requested early retirement in order to be able to express myself freely.

However, the purpose of this work is more important: to contribute to finding the truth so that justice can finally be done in the investigation known as the “Maddie case.” Truth and justice are two values strongly anchored within me, which reflect my profound beliefs: they always guided the work I did for the institution to which I am proud to have belonged. Even in retirement, they continue to inspire me and to be present in my life.

In no way does this text seek to challenge the work of my colleagues in the judiciary police or to compromise the ongoing investigation. I am convinced that the disclosure of all the facts may, in the present case, result in harming the investigation. However, the reader will have access to unpublished information, to new interpretations of events – always with respect for the law – and, of course, to relevant enquiries.

The only objective of a criminal investigation is the search for truth. There is no place for the “politically correct.”

“All of this exists

All of this is sad

All of this is fado”

Aníbal Nazaré song O Fado.