OFFICIAL INQUIRY FILES and DOCUMENTS
SILVIA MARIA CORREIO ROMOS BATISTA

This information belongs to the Ministério Público in Portimão, Portugal.
It was released to the public on 4 August 2008 in accordance with Portuguese Law

MAINTENANCE 15 MAY 07

355 to 356 Witness statement of Silvia Maria Correia Ramos Batista 2007.05.07
TRANSLATION BY ANA BETANCOURT
02-Processos Volume II Pages 355 - 356
02_VOLUME_IIa_Page_355
02_VOLUME_IIa_Page_356
Silvia Maria Correia Ramos Batista

Date/Time: 2007/05/07 11H20
Maintenance Services Director
Portuguese

FIRST PAGE BATISTA
She works at Ocean Club since 03/03/1986, as a receptionist for about a year and a half, and as head of Reception for about three years. After and until the present date, as a head of maintenance and services .
The head of maintenance and services, in the area of services, is responsible for the admission of employees and, in the area of maintenance, is responsible for the admission of employees and the good functioning of all equipments of the Ocean Club, including : flats, swimming pools, gardens, fences, etc.
Concerning the admission of staff, it is done in the traditional way, ie when an employee is needed for a particular area the situation is discussed between the various
heads and other employees . Usually some employee or head indicates a person he/she knows and, in most cases, resident in Lagos.
The witness, being a native of Lagos and knowing many people in that
town, tries to find out about the reputation and character of the candidate to the job.
It may happen that employees are looked for in the Centre for Employment of Lagos Either way, is always carried out a labour contract with the employee, for a
minimum of six months. A special form is filled that includes all the data identifying the employee and sometimes informations about his/her previous professional occupation.
The exception is when you hire a company to provide a service : that company is responsible for its employees, who are nevertheless under the eye of the head of works and maintenance, Mr. Joao Carlos Silva Batista .
She is aware of the events that occurred in the Ocean Club resort, having had knowledge of the girl's disappearance, by 22H.30 on 03/05/2007, through
a telephone call from the administrator George Robin Crosland .
She immediately went to the Ocean Club resort where later arrived the GNR. A search started immediately throughout the village. Many residents and employees of OC participated.
On the 03/05/2007 she started working by 09H30, having entered the Ocean
Club through the area of the Club, having walked through the swimming pool area and later having checked the other swimming pools.
At about 13:00 she went to Lagos, with her husband, Mr. Joao Carlos Silva Batista and came back at about 14H30 .
At about18H00 she left the resort and only came back when the circumstances outlined above occurred.
During the day 03/05/2007 she did not detect anything unusual or different.
No strange situation was reported to her.
After the events and in conversation with other employees and heads of the Ocean Club, nothing was reported or commented concerning odd situations, such as the presence of strangers close to the resort.
She states that the Ocean Club Resort has no system of video surveillance.
Ratifies and will sign. ..........................


SECOND PAGE BATISTA
She's here as a witness. She is responsible for maintenance in the Ocean Club Resort located in Praia da Luz - Lagos. Because of her profession she knows many people of the English community, who live in Praia da Luz.
She knows the Murat (sic !) family, who has been there for about 30 years. In particular Mr. Murat and his wife Jenny. Mr. Murat was linked to building business and development of tourism enterprises, in Salema in her opinion. Mr. Murat died some years ago.
The Murat live in a house named "casa Liliana", near the Ocean Club.
Asked, she said not to remember whether the Murats have any child.
Asked, she said that on the night when Madeleine McCain (sic...) disappeared (03-05-2007), she was called by her boss, at about at 22:30. As she lives in Lagos she arrived shortly after at the resort. Close to the apartment A-5 of the OC there were already about 60 people to look for the girl.
She remembers, although she is not absolutely certain, given the time already elapsed, that an individual of about 1,70m, short light brown hair, with thin framed and light brown glasses, wanted from the start to help finding the child Madeleine McCann.
She doesn't remember at what time she saw him.
She doesn't remember how he was dressed up.
She doesn't remember who was with him, whether he came walking or in some vehicle. That same individual, she was told later, is the son of Morat, his first name is ROBERT.
Robert speaks fluently English and Portuguese. He helped the GNR of Lagos and later the PJ, translating the testimony of some British persons.
She admits as possible that Paul and June of the bar "Duke of Holland" and Mr. Byron of the firm JNB (management of properties in PDL) should be able to confirm if Robert Murat was there when Madeleine disappeared, and eventually other details.
She states that she spoke for the first time with Robert on Saturday (05-05-2007) or Sunday (06-05-2007) or may be on Monday (07-05-2007), during the breaks between the interviews in which he participated as a translator.
She describes him as a very sympathetic and direct guy. RM was very communicative and extrovert during the conversations they had together. He didn't mention any personal subject.
She ratified and will sign...............................


THIRD PAGE BATISTA
She made already statements concerning this process several times and remembers what she stated earlier, repeating here what the content of previous statements.

She is here because, with the passage of time since Madeleine disappeared she has remembered a few details on the testified facts that she believes may be somehow of interest to the investigation.

As she said earlier she was alerted about the disappearance of Madeleine between 22.30 and 23:00. She was at home and was informed of the event via a telephone call.

She drove immediately to the Ocean Club where she arrived a few minutes before elements of the GNR popped in.

After she arrived she went immediately to the apartment A5 where she found several people inside the apartment and outside of it. She entered in the flat but soon left without having spoken with anyone, because she was informed that elements of the GNR were in the principal reception. She went there to meet them.

When she came close to the elements of the GNR she found that behind her was
Gerry, Madeleine's father, accompanied by another man whose identity she doesn't remember.

Then Gerry kneeled down, hit the floor with both hands, positioning himself as if he were a praying Arab, and screamed twice of anger, what he said being impossible to understand. Then Gerry stand up and accompanied her (the witness) and the other man in the car of the GNR to the apartment A5.

She entered the apartment and asked for the passports of all elements of the family, and also photographs of the missing girl. She went with Gerry to the GNR car to hand over the requested documents. She mentions she did this, as well as other tasks, at the request of the GNR Commandant, because she could translate their questions and the missing girl's family's answers.
She remembers Gerry gave the Commandant of several photographs of the missing girl. They were postcard-like pictures, taking into account their size and shape and seemed all the same to her.

She understood also that since the very beginning either Gerry or the others insisted on stating that Madeleine had been snatched, all using the word "abducted" instead of missing, and all showing much interest in informing the press of the situation.

She also recalls entering in the room where Madeleine should be sleeping and remembers now that the door was closed. The room was dark. The blinds were down, some light entering through their holes. The windows were closed and the curtains slightly open. Gerry, who followed her and the elements of the GNR, said he did close the window because of the babies sleeping in the room, a fact she confirms.

Gerry said that when he discovered the disappearance of Madeleine he noticed that the window and the blinds were open and the curtains fluttering.
She recalls that the beds which were in the middle of the room and used by the babies
were aligned and therefore found it strange that someone had taken Madeleine from the bed where she would be sleeping and had gone to the window because there was no space to pass.
She opened the wardrobes of that room in order to confirm that Madeleine wasn't eventually hiding there.

Then everyone left the room and someone shut the door. She remained for some time in the living room, near the GNR elements, Gerry and other elements of the group who got in and out and spoke on their cellular phones.

She observed that none of the elements of the group including the father and mother
of the child was concerned with looking for her.
The mother was sitting on the bed of her room, the father was with her (the witness) and the elements of the GNR, and other elements of the group got in and out and spoke on the phone, anxious, in her opinion, to tell the press what happened.

She thought that the child's mother was devastated, the father was worried and also asked to notify the press and to get dogs to search.
About the others she only remembers that Fiona and her husband, Payne, were hysterical with the situation.

At a certain time, after the arrival of the PJ elements, the parents removed the twins
from the beds in which they were still sleeping and took them to the first floor flat.

At the request of Kate she (the witness) removed the toys and a blanket that she took to the first floor flat. Only the mattresses remained

She wanted to mention that around 3h00 Madeleine's parents asked for a priest to be present. They didn't explain why they wanted a priest but she (the witness) was amazed, because there were no indications that the little girl was dead and only in these circumstances is usually asked the presence of a priest.

At some point she translated the statement of one of the ladies who belonged to the group and that she describes as a brunette one. This lady said to the GNR elements, and she (the witness) translated, that she had seen a man on the road who might have carried a child.

This situation surprised her because she (the witness) was convinced that when the lady saw the man, the lady was in a place from where she had no angle of vision for the place where she saw the man. She doesn't know exactly what was the position of the lady when she saw the man, but she knows that the lady said she saw the man in the street in front of the Madeleine's bedroom window, walking in the direction of the street that then leads to the Baptista supermarket.

Asked about the way the members of the group were dressed up in that night, she only remembers that Fiona was wearing a green blouse, that Gerry was wearing a dark shirt
and the husband of Fiona wearing clear pants, beige she thinks.
And more she did not say. Read the self as the thought, ratified and will sign
1289 to 1290 Witness statement of Silvia Maria Correio Ramos Batista 2007.05.15
1291 Declaration of above witness

TRANSLATIONS BY INES

5-Processos Vol V Pages 1289 to 1290
05_VOLUME_Va_Page_1289
05_VOLUME_Va_Page_1290
05_VOLUME_Va_Page_1291
Witness Statement

Silvia Maria Correio Ramos Batista


Date: 2007 ? 05 ? 15

She is responsible for maintenance of the OC resort in P da L. Because of her profession she knows many people from the English community who are resident in P da L.

She knows the Murat family, had done for about 30 years. Mainly Mr Murat and his wife, Jenny. Mr Murat was linked to a civil construction business and the development of tourist resorts, in Salema as far as she knows. Mr Murat died some years ago.

The Murats live in a house near to the OC, called Casa Liliana. When asked she says she does not remember whether the Murats have a son.

When asked, she says that on the night of Madeleine?s disappearance, 3rd May, she was called by her boss at about 22.30. As she lives in Lagos, she arrived shortly afterwards at the resort. There were about 60 people close to apartment 5 A, helping to look for the girl.

She remembers, but is not absolutely certain, given the time that has passed, that from the start, there was an individual helping to look for Madeleine, about 1.70 tall, with sort, light brown hair, with thin framed, brown glasses, who was also helping to search.

She does not remember at what time she saw him. She does not remember how he was dressed. She does not remember whom he was with or know if he arrived on foot or by car.

The same individual, she knew later to be the son of the Murat?s, Robert Murat.

Robert speaks fluent English and Portuguese. He helped the GNR in Lagos, and later the PJ to translate the witness statements of some English individuals.

In principal, she thinks it should be possible to confirm whether Murat was there on the date that Madeleine disappeared as well as other details, with Paul and June from the Duke of Holland bar and Mr Byron from the property administration company JNB in P da L.
She clarifies that on Saturday (05-05-2007) or Sunday (06-05-2007) or even Monday (07-05-2007) she spoke to Robert for the first time, during breaks between interviews, where he was acting as translator.

She describes him as a pleasant and easy going individual. He was quite open and extrovert in the conversations with her, he never spoke of anything personal.

Reads, ratifies, signs.
1975 to 1977  Witness statement of Silvia Maria Correia Ramos Batista 2007.07.26

TRANSLATED BY ALBYM

08 Processo Volume 8 pages 1975 to 1977
08_VOLUME_VIIIa_Page_1975
08_VOLUME_VIIIa_Page_1976
08_VOLUME_VIIIa_Page_1977

Witness statement of Silvia Maria Correia Ramos Batista 2007.07.26
Date: 26 July 2007; Time: 16h00; Place: DIC Portimao
Officer: Paulo F., Inspector
To the matter at hand she said:
--- Already having given declarations in this case several times recalling the content of what she
had stated previously, reproducing [repeating] them all unchanged for this document.
--- The deponent appears again given that in the time since Madeleine disappeared she [S.B.] has
remembered some details of witnessed facts/events that she considers may, in some way, be of
interest to the investigation.
--- As already stated she was alerted to disappearance of Madeleine between 22h30 and 23h00.
She was at home and was informed of what happened by telephone. She went immediately to the
Ocean Club where she arrived a few minutes before the GNR officers arrived there. When she
arrived at the resort she went immediately to apartment 5A where she found several people as
much/many inside the apartment as outside it. Still she entered the apartment but left straight away
without having spoken with anyone who was there, since at the same time she was told that GNR
officers were at the main reception and she went to find them.
--- When she arrived at the officer's location she saw that behind them was Gerry, Madeleine's
father, with another person but she does not remember who it was. At that time Gerry was on the
ground on his knees, he hit the ground with both his hands, looking like an Arab at prayer, and
emitted two screams of rage [fury, madness] but she could not understand what he said. Then
Gerry stood up and accompanied the deponent and the other person to the GNR vehicle next to
the 5A apartment.
--- Once inside the apartment she asked those present for the passports of all members of their
families, as well as photographs of the missing girl. The deponent accompanied Gerry to the GNR
vehicle in order to deliver the requested documents. She states that she did this work, as well as
other work, at the request of the GNR Commander because they used her knowledge of English to
translate questions put to members of the family of the missing girl, as well as the answers that
were given. She recalls Gerry delivered several photographs of the missing girl to the GNR
Commander. The photos were postcard-style, they having that dimension and format. In truth they
were photographs of the dimension and format [size and shape] of a postcard, and they all looked
the same to her.
--- She was aware that from the first moment either Gerry or the others insisted in affirming that
Madeleine had been abducted always using the word "abducted" instead of disappeared, and all
showed great interest that the press were informed of the situation.
--- The deponent recalls further that she entered the bedroom where Madeleine had been
sleeping. Remembering it now that the door was closed. The interior of the room was dark. The
external blinds were down, light entering [the room] only through the holes in them. The windows
were shut and the curtains were slightly open. Gerry accompanied her on this visit, also with GNR
officers and he said that it had been him who had closed the window because the babies were still
sleeping there, which the deponent noticed to be true. Gerry stated that when he he was told about
Madeleine's disappearance he had found there the window and the blinds open, and the curtains
fluttering [as in the wind]. The deponent recalls that there were beds in the middle of the room and
that those being used by the babies were aligned [with each other] and therefore she thought it
strange that someone had taken Madeleine from the bed where she had been sleeping as far as to
the window because from that layout [of the beds] there had been no space to get past. The
deponent opened the wardrobes in the bedroom in order to check if possibly Madeleine wasn't
hidden in there. Then everyone left the bedroom someone having returned to close the door. The
deponent then spent some time in the room [lounge], with the GNR officers, Gerry and other
members of the group there who were in a large whirl, who came in, left and spoke on the mobile
phone. She noticed that none of the group, including the child's parents, were occupied with the
search. The mother was seated on the bed in the couple's bedroom, the father accompanied her
and the police officers and the other members of the group entered, left and spoke on the phone,
appearing to her to be preoccupied with informing the press about what had happened.
--- She thought that the child's mother was dejected [downcast; depressed; discouraged], the
father was preoccupied [worried] and also asked whether the media had been advised or the
search dogs had been arranged [organised]. Of the others she only recalls that Fiona and her
husband, Payne, were hysterical with the situation. At a given point, soon after the PJ officers
arrived, the parents took the twins from their beds where they were sleeping, taking them up to the
apartment on the first floor. At Kate's request the deponent took from the babies' cots the dolls and
a blanket also up to the first floor. The cots stayed with only the mattresses [in them].
--- The deponent wanted also to state that around 03h00 Madeleine's parents asked [about] the
presence of a priest in the area. They didn't explain their reason for wanting a priest but the
deponent found it strange since there was no indication that the child was dead and it is usual only
in those circumstances that one would ask for a priest.
--- At a certain point the deponent translated a statement from one of the ladies of the English
group, the lady she indicated as being dark-skinned. This lady said to the police officers, and the
deponent translated, that she had seen a man walking [passing] in the street, possibly with a child
in his arms. The deponent thought this strange because she was convinced that when she had
seen the man the lady was positioned in an area that had no line of sight to the area where she
would have seen the man. She doesn't know exactly where the lady was positioned when she saw
the man pass, but she knows that she indicated having seen him passing in the road that was in
front of the bedroom window where Madeleine had been, walking in the direction of the road of the
road that then goes to the Baptista supermarket.
--- Questioned as to the clothing the members of the English group had worn that night she states
that she only recalls that Fiona wore a green blouse, that Gerry wore a dark shirt and that Fiona's
husband wore plain trousers, cream, she thinks.
Nothing more said. Read, ratifies and is going to sign.

2218 to 2219 Declaration from PJ regarding return of keys to Silvia Batista 2007.07.31 ( 2219-2220 (English)
2220 to 2221 - Declaration from PJ (pages 2218-2219) in English and with tenant signatures
08-Processo Vol 8...Pages 2218 to 2221
also Outros Apensos IV, Vol I Pages 281 to 284
08_VOLUME_VIIIa_Page_2218
08_VOLUME_VIIIa_Page_2219
08_VOLUME_VIIIa_Page_2220
08_VOLUME_VIIIa_Page_2221


Page 2220 :

STATEMENT
(Plus Illegible, to me, Signature, but probably that of Tavares de Almeida)

The people undersigned and identified are temporarily lodgers, during their holidays, of the apartments, also identified.

They state that they authorise that Portuguese and English police officers displace themselves to the said apartments, on July 31 (Note : plus August also included but no date indicated), between 8 p.m. and 11 p.m. This is the reason why they gave the keys of the said apartments to Mrs. Silvia Baptista, Manager of the Ocean Club Resort.

In witness whereof we have drawn up this document, which, having been read and found correct will be duly signed by the identified people and by me, Tavares de Almeida, Chief-Inspector of Policia Judiciaria, who has written it.

This document is also signed in English.

4G Apartment
Mr. Jerrett
British passport No : 20XXXXXXX
(Signed)

5A Apartment : empty apartment,
Ocean Club Manager, Mrs. Silvia Baptista
(Signed)

5B Apartment
Mrs. Amery
British passport No : 30XXXXXXX
(Signed)

Page 2221 :

5D Apartment
Mr. Farrel
British passport No : 45XXXXXXX
(Signed)

5H Apartment
Mr. Brossington
British passport No : 10XXXXXXX
(Signed)

(Also at bottom of page are two lines of Portuguese handwritten text. Unable to decipher this, but seems to be an entry by Tavares de Almeida with his Signature added).

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