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P.D.L RESIDENT 16 MAY 07 |
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1352 to 1355 Witness
statement of
Jorge Manuel
Rocha da Silva
2007.05.16
1356 to 1357 Emails to Romigen re: business cards |
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TRANSLATIONS BY INES |
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05-Processos Vol V Pages
1352 to 1355 |
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05_VOLUME_Va_Page_1353 |
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05_VOLUME_Va_Page_1354 |
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05_VOLUME_Va_Page_1355 |
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05_VOLUME_Va_Page_1356 |
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Witness statement
Jorge Manuel Rocha da Silva
Date: 2007.05.16
Occupation: Businessman
Place of Work: Putos &
Graudos, Lagos
He was born in Portugal but
in 1967 (when he was 6) he
went to the US with his
parents and returned in
2003.
In November 2006 he moved to
Lagos with his wife and two
children.
As his wife already had some
experience in clothes
retail, they decided to open
a shop Putos & Graudos, for
selling children’s clothes.
He thinks that it was in
February of last year that
he got to know Michaela
Walczuch who told him that
she had a company - Romigen
– which could produce
business cards for the
witness' shop. He was given
a sample (joined to the
files) and the witness
placed an order for the
proposed product. He did not
pay, but has till not
received the cards, thinking
they have not yet been
completed.
Michaela told him that her
partner in Romigen was a man
called Robert who was in
England. That this company
had an Internet site where
they published the cards
they produced as well their
real estate activities.
She said that she liked to
talk with the witness and
his son, that she liked his
manner and because of the
fact they had lived in the
States, they had good ideas.
In subsequent conversations
with Michaela, she got to
know that one of his sons -
J**** - was good at graphic
design and had knowledge in
the area of computers and
could help them with the
maintenance of the Romigen
site. They exchanged ideas
about this but nothing was
ever made concrete.
Almost two months ago
Michaela introduced Robert
to the witness. They had
some meetings where they
discussed improvements to
the site. They talked about
the possibility of the
witness becoming a partner
in Romigen as they all had
good ideas, but they never
talked in terms of values.
The conversations always
related to the expansion and
maintenance of the site.
They told him that the
existing site had been done
by a designer called Sergio
or Sergy, of Russian
nationality. That they
wanted to reform the site
and this work would be done
by this individual (S), who
would inform them of the
cost. This cost would be met
by Robert, Michaela and the
witness.
However, at the current date
and in spite of having met
several times, they have
never talked about the
project process.
The witness knows that
subsequently Robert went to
the UK for a clinical
examination, for defect to
the eye and that there was
the possibility of an
operation to replace the
eye.
He does not remember when
Robert returned from the UK,
but he knows that Robert and
Michaela turned up at this
shop on May 1st bank
holiday. He remembers that
the shop was closed that
day.
On the 2nd May Robert and
Michaela turned up at the
shop as a surprise (they did
not let him know previously)
and arrived at 11.00 -
11.30. They, together with
the witness and his son J***
went to the Taquiler
Goncalves cafe to talk about
themes relating to their
previous discussions.
It was mainly in this
meetings that Robert
proposed that J**** should
reconstruct the site. The
latter said he would help
with ideas but that he was
not a website designer like
Sergy whom Robert had told
them about.
The witness makes it clear
that neither he nor J*****
knows Sergy.
They were in the cafe for
about an hour until they
left at 13.00.
On the following day May 3rd
they met at the South West
bar in Lagos marina at about
11.30. He does not remember
whether Robert or Michaela
phoned him to ask for the
meeting or if they had
agreed upon it the day
before. The witness and
J**** went to the place on
foot. When they arrived
Michaela and Robert were
already there. They talked
there for half an hour, but
as it was very noisy, Robert
suggested they went
elsewhere. The four of them
left in the VW transporter
to Palmares Golf, about 5
minutes away by car, a place
where the witness and his
son had never been. They
remained there conversing
for about 3 hours, very much
at the insistence of Robert.
In spite of the witness and
his son being hungry, Robert
prolonged the conversation,
saying that he was not
hungry. Only at about 16.00
did Robert and Michaela drop
the witness and his son near
to their shop. On that day
they had no further contact,
neither personally or by
phone.
On the following day, the
witness heard from the news
about what had happened to
Madeleine.
After this occurrence, the
witness and his son met
Robert and Michaela again,
but he does not remember the
date. Naturally the
conversation turned to the
missing girl, Robert having
been informed that he lived
100 metres away from the
apartment from which she had
disappeared.
Robert informed him that he
was to be an interpreter for
the police, and even if he
did not want to be there was
nothing he could do to
avoid, that by law he could
not refuse this. And this
was the reason he gave for
having to postpone some
meetings they had planned.
They met a further two or
three times, once on the
10th or 11th May at 11.00
upon the suggestion of
Michaela and in order not to
always meet in cafe,
Michaela suggested they met
at her house. He cannot
remember the exact name of
the street but it was near
the pharmacy Lacobrigense.
They talked for about an
hour. They went for lunch in
the Bom Bom restaurant and
returned to Michaela's
apartment until 16.30 -
17.00.
He did not notice any
difference in Robert's
behaviour, or in his way of
being, before and after the
disappearance of Madeleine.
Reads, ratifies, signs. |
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