Menezes family rejects $1m offer

The Guardian
Aug. 20, 2005

The parents of the Brazilian man gunned down by police at London's Stockwell Tube station have reportedly turned down a one million US dollars compensation offer from Scotland Yard for his mistaken shooting.

Jean Charles de Menezes, 27, was shot seven times in the head by police marksmen on July 22, but his parents Matozinho and Maria de Menezes are believed to have rejected the offer as an insult.

They told the Daily Mail newspaper: "We will not be bought off. We will not be silenced. This is not about money, this is about justice."

The paper said the Met's deputy assistant commissioner, John Yates, flew to Brazil two weeks ago to make the initial offer of payment.

But Yasmin Khan, of the Justice4Jean campaign, reportedly said it was flatly rejected: "Money was being bandied about, but was not accepted. The family felt it was insulting and was not prepared to be bought off. A sum of $1m was offered. Compensation is a given in such cases, but the money was not accepted.

"It is unbelievable that at the same time as the Met chief (Sir Ian Blair) is lying in Britain and misleading the public, he is also sending officers out to Brazil to offer money. It adds to our suspicions of a cover-up."

Scotland Yard refused to comment on any offer of compensation. Sir Ian has urged the public not to let furore over the death of Mr de Menezes "outweigh" the loss of many more lives in the London terror attacks.

The under pressure officer, who has faced repeated calls for his resignation, once again rejected suggestions that police had been engaged in a cover-up following the fatal shooting of the Brazilian.

In an interview to be broadcast today, Sir Ian also said the Independent Police Complaints Commission investigation into the killing had not begun immediately because of the "unique situation".