Dear friends and supporters

We are deeply grateful to everyone that donated. A huge THANK YOU! I will be sending each one of you a personal email thanking you in the upcoming days.

It was with YOUR help that we were able to make a payment to our legal team this month, and we also made a nominal payment to another of our legal advisors that has stood stead fast behind us and has been waiting patiently for a long time to receive payment for some disbursements.

Some facts that you may be unaware of:

We have now received the final detailed account from JPalms, showing that their side of the battle resulted in them investing and billing ASMAA for 758 hours in the legal actions taken on behalf of all of you (and us) to stop Galp and Eni drilling attempts.

Had they charged us the going rate for their level of professionalism we would be expected to pay 250€ and 150€ per hour. Their rate was reduced to 80€ on average per hour, and a few hours were even charged at 50€ per hour plus VAT (IVA) at 23%.

This account from JPalms is only for their work, and does not include other legal support that we also received on a pro-bono basis, with only traveling and a few disbursements being covered by ASMAA. Nor does it cover the costs of international expert opinions and research. Nor does it cover our own in-house research, nor legal and campaigning administration and running cost.

When we embarked on this legal path, at that time (just over 3 years ago), we had less than 10€ in our legal fund. I genuinely believed at the time, that it was the only way to stop the drilling. I have not changed my original opinion.

But I did take a massive leap of faith when I gave the green light to proceed. In hindsight I was perhaps naïve, because I expected that the support would be there to cover all the legal costs we would be incurring.

After all we were representing 42,000 people that had a vested interest in stopping the drilling in Algarve and Alentejo. Had each one just donated 2.5€ we would have raised most of the funds needed to cover the legal battle, but that was not what happened.

However, soon into the legal battle, it became apparent, that only a very small number of people did in fact donate any funds to our legal fund – in fact just a handful made regular contributions during the years, with a few others making a once off donation.

But in our naivety, and even without that much needed funding, we all carried on. And we succeeded in STOPPING the drilling. In fact we were instrumental in stopping all drilling contracts in Algarve and Alentejo. So for that alone, this battle was well worth fighting for.

But back to current reality - Now that the risk has successfully been averted, and we have a reprieve before the next attack comes, we have even less support than we had while the legal cases were running, but the accounts still have to be paid by ASMAA.

We need to not only pay outstanding legal and campaign debts, but I believe its imperative that once they’ve been fully paid, if we are to attempt another legal battle in the future, we need to build a proper legal reserve fund.

As a result I’m asking each and every one of you to make a firm commitment to a monthly donation to our legal fund as February payment date is just around the corner.

WE ARE ALSO ASKING YOU TO MAKE A DONATION NOW, TODAY!

DONATE 20€, 50€ OR 100€ or whatever amount you feel is the right amount.

Donate directly via PayPal (including credit card payments) using email info@asmaa-algarve.org
or directly to Paypal via our website: http://asmaa-algarve.org/en/donate

Or via Bank Transfer (EFT)
BANK: SANTANDER TOTTA
ASMAA Algarve Surf and Marine Activities Association
IBAN: PT50 0018 0008 02686698020 51

REF: LEGAL (if its to assist in reducing our legal debt – aka arrears)
REF: OIL & GAS (if its to assist in reducing our campaign debt – aka arrears)

ASMAA OWN CONTRIBUTION TO THE LEGAL FUND

ASMAA will be allocating 20% of any profits made from sales in our charity shop in Lagos - opening to the public on 15 February - to this legal fund, in an endeavor to assist in reducing the legal debt backlog as quickly as possible. The balance of profits from the charity shop will be used to cover costs of our people and planet other causes that we are also involved in.

But we will also be counting on THE ONGOING SUPPORT from all of YOU, especially as the next payment for outstanding legal fees is due in less than 2 weeks.

Thank you

Laurinda & rest of team

(00351) 282 182 103 | 969 320 231