The Rodrigo Lapa murder inquiry - the 15-year-old who was strangled and dumped on land near his Portimão home - has one key suspect.
Rodrigo’s stepfather is wanted for questioning but he fled to Brazil at the time of Rodrigo’s disappearance leaving the teenager's mother to face police questioning and media scrutiny.
The stepfather, although now in Brazil, is not out of reach of the law and may be the subject of criminal proceedings in Brazil under a judicial agreement between the two countries.
While not commenting on this particular case, the Attorney General's office today clarified that Portuguese prosecutors "can issue a letter of request for inquiry or interrogation of Brazilian citizens," or ask that country for "other assistance" in obtaining evidence.
"When the Prosecutor has collected all evidence relevant to the investigation of a crime committed in Portugal, he can trigger an international mechanism for criminal proceedings" in order to delegate powers to the Brazilian state.
The teenager's stepfather is the prime suspect in this murder inquiry but he can not legally be extradited to Portugal.
According to the Attorney General's Office, the Brazilian State "does not extradite Brazilian citizens, except in the case of naturalized citizens who have committed a crime before their naturalisation or those with proven involvement in a crime."
Judicial cooperation between Portugal and Brazil is regulated by the Legal Aid Convention in Criminal Matters concluded between all members of the Community of Portuguese Language Countries in 2005, entering into force in Portugal in 2010.
Assuming this judicial agreement works in both directions between Portugal and Brazil, murder suspect Duarte Lima also could be arrested and charged in Portugal for the death of Rosalina Ribeiro.
Lima currently is at liberty, appealing a ten year sentence in the Homeland case.
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All presupposing that a naturalised citizen of Brazil or wherever in the group would not get fair treatment in the judicial process elsewhere. Or ... more worryingly for the Bandit Code is that they would !
Hence the irritation amongst the Portuguese elite that so many Portuguese banks failed following external triggers. In the absence of Portuguese language regulators - other countries regulators having to act. And, for example, how can the Bank of Portugal possibly regulate anything the Bank of Angola does?