Some charges dropped in pedophile case
From Al Goodman
CNN
LISBON, Portugal (CNN) -- In a high-profile pedophile case involving some of Portugal's most prominent people, a judge Monday suddenly dropped charges against two defendants and reduced charges against eight others, their lawyers said.
Charges were dropped, for lack of evidence, against Herman Jose, a well-known comedian and television talk show host, and Paulo Pedroso, a spokesman for the main opposition Socialist Party until the scandal erupted, their lawyers said outside the Lisbon courthouse where the decision was made.
Eight others faced reduced charges, including Carlos Cruz, a former television talk show host, who was released from house arrest, and Jorge Ritto, a former Portuguese ambassador, who until Monday faced 16 counts of child molestation but now faces just nine counts.
Manuel Abrantes, the former head principal of the Casa Pia children's home in Lisbon -- from which young boys allegedly were lured by adults into acts of sexual molestation -- also saw charges against him reduced, from 95 counts of sexual abuse to 51.
A lawyer for the alleged victims -- close to a hundred boys -- told reporters that he planned to appeal the judge's decision.
CNN was not immediately able to obtain a statement from the court about the reduced charges.
The case has rocked the highest levels of political and social life in Portugal since the scandal became public in late 2002. The indictments against the 10 leading figures were issued last December. At that time, Prime Minister Jose Manuel Durao Barroso pledged that justice would be done and expressed complete confidence in the nation's judicial system.
Alleged to be at the center of the purported pedophile ring was a former Casa Pia employee, Carlos Silvino, who has been accused of arranging the clandestine meetings between the adults and the boys. The reduction of charges on Monday against 10 leading figures did not affect charges against him.
