José António Saraiva was convicted by the Lisbon Judicial Court for the wanton crime of private life due to the publication of the book “Me and the Politicians – What I could not (or did not want) to write until today”. The former director of “Expresso” and “Sol” was sentenced to a daily fine of 30 euros for 180 days, making a total of 5,400 euros.
According to “Daily News”, José António Saraiva was also ordered to pay compensation to journalist Fernanda Câncio and her ex-boyfriend (15 thousand euros each), both complainants and assistants in the process.
The reason for the complaint is related to Gradiva’s “Me and the Politicians – What I couldn’t (or didn’t want to) write today”, published in September 2016. In one of the chapters, about José Sócrates, Saraiva mentioned details of life of Fernanda Câncio and her boyfriend.
Saraiva was convicted of the crime of wanton privacy, and the judge considered that references to the two complainants could not be tolerated under freedom of expression.
In April 2017, when he was accused by the Public Prosecutor, José António Saraiva told Lusa that the accusation “does not make any sense”, since he limited himself to “telling a true episode that was not contested”.
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