ortugal's highest-profile trial for years began at a Lisbon court yesterday with a leading television presenter, a former ambassador and five others accused of involvement in a child prostitution ring which allegedly abused orphanage children over a period of 20 years.

Carlos Cruz, 62, the chat show host known as Mr Television, arrived at the court looking relaxed as his lawyer warned about the failings of Portugal's judicial system.


"Normally trials produce justice in Portugal," Ricardo Sá Fernandes, told the state news agency, Lusa. "But sometimes they do not."


Mr Cruz faced six charges of sexually abusing or having sex with underage boys from the 224-year-old Casa Pia network of orphanages and schools which looks after 4,500 children.


"I want, and all Portuguese want, that the truth be found in a rapid manner. I've never lied," Mr Cruz said.


Jorge Ritto, 69, a former Portuguese ambassador, faced nine charges of sexually abusing children and two of procuring.


Among the defendants is Manuel Abrantes, a former deputy director at Casa Pia, who faces 51 charges of abuse and child prostitution crimes.


Carlos Silvino, a Casa Pia driver, was allegedly at the centre of the ring, hiring out boys under 14 to people from the social and showbusiness elite.


Mr Silvino, accused of 669 acts of abuse, arrived at court with an armed escort and wearing a bulletproof vest as local media reported death threats against him.


Psychiatrists said yesterday that the 32 alleged victims who would give evidence, some still under 16 years, would be under extreme pressure.


Counsellors appointed by the authorities said they had uncovered 130 cases of abuse at the main Casa Pia home in Lisbon.


The judge said yesterday the case may be transferred to a courthouse better able to deal with a trial with a 13,000-page case file that would last several months and involve about 800 witness.


Paulo Pedroso, a former government minister, against whom charges were dropped after he had spent four months on remand, was not in court. He has suggested he may sue those who accused him while his Socialist party has claimed the charges against him were politically motivated.


The case has shocked Portugal, making some people aware of paedophilia for the first time and throwing into question the way governments have run orphanages.


But its shockwaves have gone further. The police were first informed of abuse at Casa Pia in 1982, while a series of high-profile politicians, including Antonio Ramalho Eanes, a former president, have known about the allegations for 20 years, according to Teresa Costa Macedo, a former secretary of state for families.


Leaks from the investigation have put the judiciary, police and journalists under the microscope.


The attorney-general was forced to state publicly earlier this year that the president, Jorge Sampaio, was not being investigated after the press discovered that an anonymous letter naming him had been included in the evidence. Mr Sampaio made a national television address last year, calling the affair a national disgrace and urging people to trust the legal system.


Joao Correia, vice-president of the bar association, said media coverage and breaches of judicial secrecy had damaged public confidence.


Each conviction for an act of child sex abuse carries a jail term of up to eight years. But the maximum prison term in Portugal is 25 years.