More from the Brazilian justice beat that I am so intimately familiar with:
CNN is reporting: "Two U.S. air marshals who arrested the wife of a Brazilian judge on a flight to Rio de Janeiro -- and were themselves arrested and had their passports confiscated by Brazilian authorities -- fled the country using alternate travel documents rather than face what they believed to be trumped-up charges, sources said.
The incident has impacted air marshal operations on flights to Brazil, officials said, and air marshals contacted by CNN said the case raises questions about Brazil's willingness to support future law enforcement actions by U.S. officials on international flights. ..."
Developing, as they say ...
On the subject of Brazilian justice, I might add that just two weeks ago, a process server hired by a New York law firm working for a Brazilian court showed up at my house in the dead of night to serve me with papers from Brazil notifying me that I am the subject of a criminal proceeding, for the crime of causing "insult" to Brazil. The real offense, as anyone who has followed my case knows, is that I reported accurately and aggressively on the ongoing attempt by Brazilian authorities to scapegoat and criminally prosecute the two American pilots in the 2006 mid-air collision over the Amazon that killed 154.
The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board, as is well known, found that systemic and operational errors by Brazilian air traffic control were the probable cause of that catastrophe, in which I was one of seven survivors.
The charges against the pilots are trumped-up, as I have reported from day one. So are the charges against me.
In the air marshals' case, the U.S. State Department told CNN that is has "broad deep relations with Brazil" etc. I can tell you from personal experience that in the mid-air collision case, the U.S. State Department was worse than useless, doing everything it could to enable the outrages the Brazilians perpetuated against the Americans after the crash.
Also developing, in the book ...
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By JOE SHARKEY
Oh Christ, Joe
ReplyDeleteThe Brazilians are overdressed clowns. "Defamation" is a phrase that should be relegated to Mahmoud Ahmadinejad or others of his ilk.
If it weren't so serious that these idiots are calling for your head, I'd have a good laugh. This issue has been put away so many times now and all the evidence has been stowed countless times so it's just posturing from a frustrated and primitive system. Schoolyard bullies who've been one-upped.
Gotta have a scapegoat; that's the tool of the losers.
Wish I could say "Fuggedaboutit" but I know you can't.
But rest in peace knowing that they can't drag your ass to Brazil to face jungle "justice."
F' 'em, is what I have to say to them.
This crapola is no longer enforceable in the U.S. but in theory they could try to execute these warrants if one travels abroad to countries such as the UK where libel law is a joke. As for the marshalls, I wonder what the State Dept. is up to. This was a drunk, belligerent, dangerous passenger. Does Brasil have any jurisdiction at all over an incident taking place on an American plane? The judiciary there is corrupt beyond belief. People with money and influence believe that they can get away with murder and they frequently do.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the info, very good and detailed! I liked this post!
ReplyDelete