"The McCanns want to see what evidence is in the files, although they know there isn't any."   Martin Brunt, Sky News Crime Correspondent - 01 July 2008

The Portuguese 'investigation to trial' process

These are the steps a case will go through, under Portuguese law, before reaching the final 'Trial Phase'. Many thanks to 'SS' for compiling this list 1 - Police receive knowledge of an 'occurence'. They decide if it is likely to constitute a crime. 2 - After a maximum of 10 days, if it is likely to be a crime, the police have to report it to the Prosecutor Services (Ministério Público). 3 - The INQUIRY PHASE begins. The Ministério Público (MP) starts the investigation. A prosecutor heads the investigation, with the help of the police. Under certain circumstances, this phase can be under secrecy of justice (This results from the new code. Previously it was, by default, under secrecy of justice). 4 - Some powers can be delegated by the Ministério Público to the police (PJ). 5 - All is overseen by an INSTRUCTION JUDGE who has to approve certain measures like preventive arrest, etc. 6 - Art. 58 determines when and how the arguido status is given at this phase. Why's that? Because Art. 57 defines the arguido as the person against whom charges are layed or against whom instruction is required (ie, the general legal rule is that the arguido is only arguido when charged with the exceptions of art. 58 - which are many). The arguido remains an arguido until the end of the whole process. 7 - When the inquiry phase ends, the Ministério Público will have to decide whether or not to lay charges. Art. 279 regulates in which cases the inquiry can be re-opened if the MP decides not to lay charges. 8 - If the MP decides to lay charges (if enough INDICATIONS have been collected), then: 9 - The INSTRUCTION PHASE begins. This phase is OPTIONAL. The arguido has to request it. If not, it goes directly to trial. 10 - The instruction phase is LED by the instruction judge (as opposed to being 'overseen' as in the inquiry phase). 11 - The instruction phase is made of all instructory acts that the judge decides are necessary and including, ALWAYS, an INSTRUCTORY DEBATE which is an oral and adversarial instructory act, performed with all parties present, presided by the judge. 12 - Both the MP and the arguido can assist to ALL instructory acts. They can also request any explanations or ask the judge to ask any questions they find necessary to discover the truth, including calling witnesses or requiring further diligences. The judge can delegate some of these diligences to the PJ. Remember that even those performed by the PJ can be assisted by the arguido. 13 - The judge can deny requests that are obviously not necessary to discover the truth and/or have as their purpose the delay of the process. 14 - All acts and diligences performed in the inquiry phase NEED NOT be repeated as long as they followed the correct legal form or when such repetition is crucial to the purposes of the instruction phase. 15 - No CHARACTER WITNESSES are allowed at this phase. Art. 128 restricts their use. 16 - There follows an instructory debate, which is basically a rather informal 'get together' where everybody discusses what has been done so far so the judge will have a clearer perception if there is enough for an indictment or not. 17 - In Madeleine's case (no preventive prisioners), the judge will have FOUR MONTHS for the INSTRUCTION PHASE (counting from the date of the request to open that phase). 18 - The judge then makes the INSTRUCTORY DECISION which is to make the indictment or not. If so, it goes to trial. If not, it doesn't. 19 - The instructory decision is unappealable, unless it's null. 20 - It can be null if the Decision amounts to facts that are substantially distinct from the facts that originated the charge. In that case, the judges should have sent the whole thing back and the MP should do it all over. If during the instruction phase, there are only minor differences between charge and facts leading to the indictment, then the whole of this is 'adjusted' at this phase. 21 - The TRIAL PHASE begins. A new judge (actually a panel of 3), with the possibility of a jury - under certain circumstances and rarely used.

PJ without culprits in Maddie's case, 01 July 2008

PJ without culprits in Maddie's case Jornal de Notícias   The investigators finished the Enquiry. The filing is the probable outcome.   2008 JUL 01 - 00h10m Alexandra Serôdio Thanks to 'Luz' for translation   The Policia Judiciária (PJ) couldn't find any guilty parts for the disappearance of Madeleine McCann last May the 3rd. The investigators have already finished the enquiry without reaching a conclusion. The probable outcome will be the 'archiving'. After almost 14 months that Madeleine disappeared from the room where she slept on the Ocean Club resort, in Praia da Luz (Lagos), the investigation declenched by the Judiciary didn't allow to conclude if it was a kidnapping or a homicide. And it was also admitted that there was no evidence that related the three arguidos – Robert Murat, Kate and Gerry McCann – with the disappearance of the child. As the JN was able to conclude with sources close to the process, the report from the investigators "only describes the facts that were proved and not proved". This means that it is not conclusive and doesn't point at any direction – kidnapping, homicide or cadaver occultation. Sources from the Republic's General Prosecutor told the JN that, "for the moment, the process will wait for trânsito em julgado (N.T. it means that a certain amount of time must pass by until the timing for an appeal is extinguished) of a decision that the Portimão Criminal Court passed on about a means of proof, the reason why the enquiry in charge of the PJ was not considered as concluded and no report was sent to the Public Ministry". The same source clarified that the "secret of justice will be maintained until mid August of this year". The JN knows that what is at stake is the decision to validate or not the copies of Kate McCann's journal, that the PJ analysed and to which it didn't give any relevance for the process, that's why they considered their job concluded. This situation is criticised by a source close to the process: "The request was made in September last year and too much time has passed". The same source believes that based on this report of the PJ the decision will be the filing of Maddie's case, which doesn't mean that the process can't be re-opened if meanwhile new evidence emerges. From what was possible to find out, the process sent to the Portimão Court, last week, was returned again to the PJ because the Instruction Judge hasn't validated the diary yet. Pedro Frias, the judge, didn't ask any diligence from the investigators. If the 'archiving' is confirmed, as in other cases of missing persons, the police will keep alert to any new data. Maddie's case may be re-opened if any new evidence or important proof is discovered. Francisco Pagarete, lawyer of Robert Murat, said, yesterday, to the JN, that he knows nothing about the process. "Since we went to get Murat's belongings, more than three months ago, we weren't contacted anymore by the PJ", said the lawyer. About the possible filing of the process, Pagarete reminds that it is a "resolution that can happen with any case", assuring that he doesn't know "what evidences were found or not". The lawyer awaits the official document of the filing in order to know in concrete what are the reasons for that decision, in case that will be the one taken by the Portimão Judge. He assures that Murat is "quiet serene". And he concluded "All the diligences of the PJ were accompanied and so we will know what will be in the files". Carlos Pinto de Abreu, lawyer of the McCann, also awaits the decision. In case the process is archived, he says that he will study it "from the first to the last page" to do "what the (Maddie) parents always wanted, which is to understand what investigation was done and to keep on looking for the child".

Maddie case on its way to the archive, 01 July 2008

Maddie case on its way to the archive Correio da Manhã (No online version yet, taken from morning paper edition)   Crossroads – Accusation does not advance due to lack of evidence against the McCanns   Tuesday 01 July 2008 Thanks to 'astro' for translation   Prosecutor from the Public Ministry agrees with the PJ: the 13 volumes are archived before the 14th The senior officers at the Polícia Judiciária in Portimão and the prosecutor from the Public Ministry, Magalhães e Menezes, agree about the Maddie case: there is no evidence that allows for an accusation against the McCanns over their daughter's disappearance. The process will be archived before the 14th of July, the day on which the judicial secrecy ends. The Judiciária does not make a formal proposal to the prosecutor who is in charge of the process, even due to the fact that it is the Public Ministry that tutors the penal action, but CM knows that in the investigation's final report there is an explicit suggestion from Paulo Rebelo's team for the 13 volumes of the process, plus appendices, to be archived at the Portimão Court, waiting for better evidence. "The norm is for the PJ to opt not to make any proposals to the Public Ministry", judicial sources recall, and this case, even due to all the adjacent circumstances, did not escape the rule. Anyway, CM established that the prosecutor Magalhães e Menezes is fully in tune with what will be the final outcome of the investigation. Forgetting about the hypotheses of involuntary homicide or concealment of a cadaver, which for so many months were equated by the PJ and even led to Kate and Gerry being constituted as arguidos, the Public Ministry is likely not even to accuse the couple over the crime of exposure or abandonment, which punishes the act of abandoning a child with a prison sentence of up to five years. Given the fact that the investigation considered the possibility that Maddie's disappearance, on the evening of May 3, 2007, from an apartment in Praia da Luz, Lagos, originated from a homicide, the Public Ministry understands that the exposure or abandonment, or simple neglect, are crimes of a lesser importance. Therefore, the case returns to zero, with the McCann couple, but also with Robert Murat, the British man who was a formal suspect for abduction, since the beginning of the investigation, cleared in this entire process. As far as Maddie's parents are concerned, CM was able to establish, the decision is largely supported on the final report from the Birmingham lab, which was received early this year, and raises considerable doubts about the possible presence of the body in the McCanns' car boot.

Police 'closing' Madeleine case, 01 July 2008

Police 'closing' Madeleine case BBC News   Page last updated at 08:06 GMT, Tuesday, 1 July 2008 09:06 UK   Portuguese police are closing the investigation into the disappearance of Madeleine McCann, according to local media reports.   Her parents Kate and Gerry McCann are both official suspects in the case, along with a third man Robert Murat.   But two newspapers claim the police have said they "do not have sufficient evidence" to charge the McCanns.   Madeleine, from Rothley, Leics, was three when she disappeared from the resort of Praia da Luz on 3 May 2007.   The Correio da Manha newspaper said on Tuesday that sources within Portugal's judicial police said they "do not have sufficient evidence to allow formal charges to be brought against the McCanns in the disappearance of their daughter".   The Jornal de Noticias said: "The police have not found the guilty."   The newspapers said the closure of the investigation would be announced within the next few days.   The BBC's Alison Roberts, in Portugal, said reports suggested the case had been "archived" or shelved, meaning police would no longer devote resources to investigating it.   She said it could be reopened if new evidence emerged, but officers would not be actively working on it.   'Suffered enough'   The McCanns were declared official suspects - "arguidos" in Portuguese legal jargon - last September.   Their spokesman Clarence Mitchell told the BBC the couple did not know yet whether the reports were correct.   "If they are true, it's to be welcomed that Kate and Gerry are not to face any charges," Mr Mitchell said.   "It's quite right. They are innocent of any involvement in Madeleine's disappearance. They have suffered enough in this process.   "And surely the Portuguese authorities, if this is true, must lift their arguido status as a priority."   Mr Mitchell said the family wanted to know whether police now planned to stop searching for Madeleine.   If so, he said, all the information held by the police must be made public so the McCanns could carry on their own hunt.   "What happens to all those leads, all those contacts? There are thousands of pieces of information in those files," he said.   "What we don't want is that information to lie on a shelf somewhere gathering dust."   Mr and Mrs McCann are due to go to the High Court on 7 July to ask a judge to order police files on the disappearance of their daughter to be released.   *   Portuguese police are closing their investigation into the disappearance of Madeleine McCann, according to reports in Portuguese newspapers. The family's spokesman, Clarence Mitchell, gave his reaction. BBC News video   *   Police 'closing' Madeleine case BBC News (updated version)   Page last updated at 10:33 GMT, Tuesday, 1 July 2008 11:33 UK   Police investigating the disappearance of Madeleine McCann are closing the case, Portuguese media have reported.   Her parents Kate and Gerry McCann are both official suspects in the inquiry, along with a third man, Robert Murat.   But two newspapers claim the police have said they plan to close the case because of a lack of evidence.   Madeleine, of Rothley, Leics, was three when she disappeared in Praia da Luz on 3 May 2007. The family said they were awaiting confirmation of the reports.   The Correio da Manha newspaper said on Tuesday that sources within Portugal's judicial police said they "do not have sufficient evidence to allow formal charges to be brought against the McCanns in the disappearance of their daughter".   The Jornal de Noticias said the police did not have enough evidence to charge either the McCanns or Mr Murat with any wrongdoing.   "The police have not found the guilty," the paper added.   One newspaper said the case had already been closed, while another said the end of the investigation would be announced within the next few days.   The BBC's Alison Roberts, in Portugal, said reports suggested the case had been "archived" or shelved, meaning police would no longer devote resources to investigating it.   She said it could be reopened if new evidence emerged, but officers would not be actively working on it.   'Suffered enough'   The McCanns were declared official suspects - "arguidos" in Portuguese legal jargon - last September.   Their spokesman Clarence Mitchell told the BBC the couple did not know yet whether the reports were correct.   "If they are true, it's to be welcomed that Kate and Gerry are not to face any charges," Mr Mitchell said.   "It's quite right. They are innocent of any involvement in Madeleine's disappearance. They have suffered enough in this process.   "And surely the Portuguese authorities, if this is true, must lift their arguido status as a priority."   Mr Mitchell said the family wanted to know whether police now planned to stop searching for Madeleine.   If so, he said, all the information held by the police must be made public so the McCanns could carry on their own hunt.   "What happens to all those leads, all those contacts? There are thousands of pieces of information in those files," he said.   "What we don't want is that information to lie on a shelf somewhere gathering dust.   "Surely it's only humane and decent that information that could help find Madeleine comes to the investigators who will keep looking for her even if the police feel they can't."   The McCanns have their own "very sophisticated intelligence gathering operation", Mr Mitchell added.   Mr and Mrs McCann are due to go to the High Court on 7 July to ask a judge to order police files on the disappearance of their daughter to be released.   The BBC's correspondent said the period of judicial secrecy surrounding the case was due to end in August.   Briton Mr Murat lives with his mother in Praia da Luz close to the apartment where Madeleine was last seen. He strongly denies any involvement in her disappearance.   His lawyer Francisco Pagarete said he had heard nothing from the Portuguese authorities about the case being closed.   Asked whether he would welcome such a development, Mr Pagarete said: "Yes, we will, but it depends on the way it's going to be dropped.   "If it's going to be dropped because there's not enough evidence connecting my client to this case or if it's going to be dropped because Robert hasn't got any involvement in this case.   "Only the second way will make us happy.

Police 'Drop Madeleine Case', 01 July 2008

Police 'Drop Madeleine Case' Sky News   Breaking News 9:27am UK, Tuesday July 01, 2008   Portuguese detectives have dropped the Madeleine McCann case due to lack of evidence, according to media reports in the country.   Two Portuguese newspapers said the Public Prosecutor's office intended to call off their search for the girl before July 14, when the customary official secrecy period covering the investigation ends.   Police could reopen the case if new evidence emerges, the papers said.   The papers - Correio da Manha and Jornal de Noticias - cited unidentified police sources.   Madeleine disappeared on May 3, 2007, days before her fourth birthday, after she was left sleeping in a holiday apartment as her parents Kate and Gerry dined with friends in a nearby tapas bar in the southern Portuguese resort of Praia da Luz.   Her parents were made formal suspects on September 7 last year in one of the many dramatic twists in the case. They insist Madeleine was abducted.   Clarence Mitchell, the McCanns' spokesman, told Sky News: "As usual, these are non-attributed sources and we have not heard this officially. But if it is true it's not before time - kate and Gerry have suffered enough.   "Police should lift their arguido (suspect) status and should pass their information over to our investigators who continue to work on the case.   "We still need to find Madeleine."   Sky's Crime correspondent Martin Brunt said: "If the police stop treating the Mccanns as suspects the couple would hope that more effort would be put into finding their little girl."    Another Briton, Robert Murat, was also declared a suspect in the case.   The newspaper said the closure of the investigation would be announced in the next few days.   Spanish journalist Rui Pinto de Almeida told Sky News: "This is a formal legal requirement in Spain and there remains the possibility of reopening the case."

Maddie's parents 'to escape charges', 01 July 2008

Maddie's parents 'to escape charges' aap Australia   July 1, 2008, 6:25 pm (Australian time)   The parents of British girl Madeleine McCann will not be charged over her disappearance, and police in Portugal are closing the case, media reports say. Judicial police "do not have sufficient evidence to allow formal charges to be brought against the McCanns in the disappearance of their daughter," the Correio da Manha newspaper said. "The police have not found the guilty," echoed the Jornal de Noticias daily. Madeleine, known as Maddie, disappeared on May 3, 2007, days before her fourth birthday, after she was left sleeping in a holiday apartment as her parents dined with friends in a nearby restaurant in the southern Portuguese resort of Praia da Luz. Her parents, Gerry and Kate McCann, were made formal suspects on September 7 last year in one of the many dramatic twists in the case. They insisted Maddie had been abducted. Another Briton, Robert Murat, was also a suspect in the case. The newspaper said the closure of the investigation would be announced in the next few days. A spokesman for Madeleine's parents said that if the reports were true, the family hoped police would continue searching for her. The McCanns also hoped Portuguese police would no longer consider them official suspects and release all relevant documents relating to the search for their daughter. "If it is true then it is not before time," family spokesman Clarence Mitchell told Sky News in Britain. "Kate and Gerry have suffered enough in this process and the police are right to acknowledge they are not involved. "Kate and Gerry will never give up the search for their daughter." Mitchell said it was "commonsense" for the Portuguese police to now release to the McCanns all relevant documents relating to the search for Madeleine. "If they feel for whatever reason they've done enough, or can't do any more, then it is only humane for that information to be made available to our investigators who will follow up every single lead, every single piece of information in those files," he said. "That is a debate our lawyers will have in coming days and weeks. "If the police are about to shelve the case, we need information from their files and that's why the lawyers will continue to push for access to the police files and primarily for el guido (official suspect) status to be lifted from Kate and Gerry's shoulders. "What we don't want is all of that information sitting on a shelf ... gathering dust. "Madeleine is still out there. There is absolutely no evidence that she's been harmed let alone killed, as many people we think wrongly assume."

Madeleine McCann's parents finally CLEARED as Portuguese police reveal: 'The case is closed', 01 July 2008

Madeleine McCann's parents finally CLEARED as Portuguese police reveal: 'The case is closed' Daily Mail   By DAILY MAIL REPORTER Last updated at 11:09 AM on 01st July 2008   Kate and Gerry McCann are set to be cleared of any involvement in the disappearance of their missing daughter Madeleine.   A police investigation is expected to conclude that Portuguese detectives have found no evidence to implicate the couple.   Their daughter was six days short of her fourth birthday when she vanished from their holiday apartment in Praia da Luz in the Algarve on 3 May last year.   According to sources, the McCanns are now hoping their status as suspects - or arguidos - will be lifted by next month at the latest and possibly within a fortnight.   A third person named as a suspect, British-born Robert Murat, is also expected to be cleared.   The police case is now likely to be shelved after a 14-month inquiry which is said to have been 'inconclusive'.   A source close to the family said: 'We are assuming arguido status will be lifted when the case is shelved.   'Kate and Gerry's lawyers are making inquiries all the time. If the case is shut without charges being brought, they cannot be arguidos any more.   'The mood music we are getting from Portuguese authorities is the arguido status will be lifted and they will effectively be cleared.'   The couple's official spokesman Clarence Mitchell said that even if the official investigation is closed then the search for Madeleine will continue.   He said: 'Kate and Gerry's lawyers have not had any of this information confirmed so we cannot comment in any great detail.   'However if this report is true, it is not before time. Kate and Gerry have suffered enough in this process.   "We would doubt how much investigation has actually been done in the last months anyway.   'We would hope the Portuguese authorities, if these reports are true, would continue to look for Madeleine because she is a child who went missing in their country.'   "But if the criminal investigation has been halted due to a lack of evidence - which there is against Kate and Gerry because they are both innocent - we want the information made available to our investigators who will follow up every lead or piece of information in those files.'   The Journal de Noticias, a respected Portuguese-newspaper, reports today that the police inquiry has failed to reach any conclusion over what happened to Madeleine.   The newspaper says a judge overseeing the case is now expected to archive the investigation without ruling on Madeleine's fate.   According to Journal de Noticias, detectives are still unable to determine whether Madeleine was kidnapped or murdered on the night she disappeared from the bedroom of her parents' apartment as they ate at a nearby tapas restaurant with friends.   A source close to the case told the newspaper: 'The police report... is not conclusive nor does it point in any particular direction - kidnap, murder or the concealment of Madeleine's body.'   The police file on the case - likely to stretch to several boxes - will be made available to the suspects' legal teams if the investigation is shelved.   The McCanns, who are understood to be currently enjoying their first holiday since Madeleine vanished, will want to turn that information over to their own team of private investigators   Both doctors from Rothley in Leicestershire, they are still hopeful their daughter, could still be alive.   Their Portuguese lawyer Carlos Pinto de Abreu told Journal de Noticias he would study the case files 'from the first to the last page' if the case was archived 'to be in a position to do what the McCanns always wanted, which is to assure themselves the investigation was properly conducted and continue to look for their daughter'.   There remain concerns in the McCann camp that the couple could still be charged with abandonment of the child.   Although the couple's lawyers are privately being reassured that will not happen, the McCanns fear Portuguese authorities could bring such an action as a 'face-saving exercise'.

Madeleine McCann inquiry 'to be closed for lack of evidence', 01 July 2008

Madeleine McCann inquiry 'to be closed for lack of evidence' Timesonline   David Brown July 1, 2008   The investigation into the disappearance of Madeleine McCann will be closed by Portuguese police because of a lack of evidence, it was reported today.   Judicial sources said that detectives were dropping the inquiry but could re-open it if new evidence emerged, reported two Portuguese newspapers.   No evidence against Madeleine's parents, Kate and Gerry McCann, or the third official suspect, Robert Murat, had been discovered during the 14-month investigation, it was claimed.   Mr and Mrs McCann were today awaiting official confirmation of the report and insisted that they would "never give up searching" for their daughter who vanished last May from the Algarve resort of Praia da Luz.   Clarence Mitchell, the McCanns' spokesman, said: "If the reports are true, it is to be welcomed that no charges are to be brought and it is entirely right because Kate and Gerry are innocent of any involvement in their daughter’s disappearance and always have been."   He called for the couple's status as arguidos, official suspects, to be lifted but urged police not to leave the investigation files to "gather dust".   "They have suffered for far too long in this process and the Portuguese authorities must now lift their arguido status," he said.   Mr Mitchell urged the Portuguese police to continue their investigations into Madeleine’s disappearance.   "The police themselves must continue looking for Madeleine. We are concerned that if they are to simply shelve the case then what will happen to all of the information in their files?   "The information in their files surely cannot sit on the shelf gathering dust. Kate and Gerry will never give up searching for their daughter."   He added that the McCanns would give their view on the investigation after they had been told officially that it had been dropped.   Mr Mitchell said that if the inquiry was to be discontinued, then police files should be handed over to the McCanns' continuing private investigation. The McCanns will make an application to the High Court next week for the release of evidence held by British police.   Madeleine disappeared shortly before her fourth birthday from her bedroom at the Ocean Club resort. Her parents from Rothley, Leicestershire, were dining with seven British friends at a nearby tapas restaurant.   During the investigation into her disappearance, detectives named Mr McCann, 39, and Mrs McCann, 40, as formal suspects in the case.   The Correio da Manha newspaper reported today that sources within Portugal's judicial police had said that they "do not have sufficient evidence to allow formal charges to be brought against the McCanns in the disappearance of their daughter".   The paper reported that the police had requested that 13 volumes of findings, plus appendices, be "archived" at the Portimão Court until they receive new evidence. This means that the investigation is effectively closed.   The main lines of the police inquiry had been involuntary homicide or concealment of a corpse. However, the paper reported, the Public Ministry is unlikely even to accuse the McCanns of child abandonment, which carries a sentence of up to five years.   The Jornal de Notícias said that the decision to "archive" the case would be made only after the court had ruled on whether Mrs McCann's personal diary could be used in evidence. The police have been waiting for a ruling since September.   The official secrecy surrounding police evidence will be lifted in August, although because of the judicial holiday it will not be made available to the McCanns until the following month.   Carlos Pinto de Abreu, the McCann's Portuguese lawyer, said that he was preparing to study the police files. "What the parents always wanted, which is to understand what investigation was done and to keep on looking for the child." he said.

Portuguese Police Drop Madeleine McCann Case, AP video, 01 July 2008

Madeleine McCann's parents to continue hunt as police give up, 01 July 2008

Madeleine McCann's parents to continue hunt as police give up Telegraph   By Aislinn Simpson Last Updated: 1:14PM BST 01/07/2008   Madeleine McCann's parents have vowed they will not give up the search for their daughter, despite the revelation that police have closed the case. Gerry and Kate McCann are awaiting official confirmation of the police decision, which is likely to see them cleared as suspects in their daughter's disappearance. According to their official spokesman, they will not give up hope of finding her and plan to trawl the case files once they are archived for any information or sightings that were not followed up. "We are still trying to substantiate the reports coming out of Portugal," said spokesman Clarence Mitchell. "But if the criminal investigation has been halted due to a lack of evidence - which there is against Kate and Gerry because they are both innocent - we want the information made available to our investigators who will follow up every lead or piece of information in those files. "Kate and Gerry will never give up. Now is the time for their arguido (suspect) status to be lifted, along with the restrictions surrounding the police investigation." Local sources confirmed that Portuguese detectives have shut their files and referred the case to the public prosecutor for a final decision. As well as Gerry, 39, and Kate, 40, both doctors from Rothley in Leicestershire, British expatriate Robert Murat is also expected to be cleared as a suspect in Madeleine's disappearance. "The police have failed to find those responsible," the respected Portuguese paper Jornal de Noticias daily said. The McCanns' Portuguese lawyer, Carlos Pinto de Abreu, pledged to study the case files "from the first to the last page" to find out what evidence, if any, police had against his clients. He said: "I want to be in a position to do what the McCanns always wanted, which is to assure themselves the investigation was properly conducted and continue to look for their daughter." But a source close to the case said they would be disappointed with the material. "The police report barely outlines the conclusive and non-conclusive facts," he said. "What this means is that it is not conclusive nor does it point in any particular direction - kidnap, murder or the concealment of Madeleine's body." Unless the public prosecutor decides otherwise or new evidence emerges, he said, the investigation team will now be disbanded. "Police will continue to be attentive to any new information that arises once the case has been archived as happens with other missing children," he said. "But the Madeleine McCann case can only be reopened if an important piece of evidence comes to light." Robert Murat's lawyer, Francisco Pagarete, said he was yet to be informed about the latest development. "We haven't been contacted by anyone in the police for more than three months," he said. The disappearance of the three-year-old from her parents' rented apartment in the Algarve holiday resort of Praia da Luz on May 3 last year sparked one of the biggest inquiries in the country's history. In the months that followed, Kate and Gerry McCann, from Rothley in Leicestershire, launched a global campaign to find their missing daughter. The pair faced condemnation from some quarters since they had left their sleeping children alone in the apartment while they dined in a nearby tapas restaurant with friends the night Madeleine vanished. In a dramatic twist in September, Portuguese police switched the focus of their investigation onto the McCanns, making them official suspects along with Mr Murat. Reports in the Portuguese press claimed that police had forensic evidence suggesting Madeleine died in the couple's apartment. Madeleine's parents insisted their daughter had been abducted and hired a Spanish detective agency, Metodo 3, to investigate a series of sightings of the little girl as far afield as North Africa and South America. According to local newspapers, police will announce the closing of the case in the next few days. The revelation comes just over a week after the McCanns said they would ask a High Court judge to order the release of Leicester Police documents about sightings of Madeleine so they could be investigated by Metodo 3. In recent months the couple have become increasingly frustrated at the slow progress of the Portuguese investigation, and they suspect that many possible sightings of Madeleine have not been followed up at all.

Madeleine McCann's parents demand end to 'arguido' status, 01 July 2008

Madeleine McCann's parents demand end to 'arguido' status Telegraph   By Nick Britten Last Updated: 2:13PM BST 01/07/2008   Gerry and Kate McCann are demanding their status as official suspects in the disappearance of Madeleline be lifted "as a priority" as police prepare to close the case.   Their spokesman Clarence Mitchell said that the cloud hanging over the couple as a result of their "wrongly imposed" arguido status should now be removed so they can continue the hunt for their daughter.   Once the couple are no longer suspects, they will be allowed access to the police files and will also be able to talk publicly about the investigation for the first time since they were made last September.   He added that regardless of the police closing the case, their hunt for Madeleine would continue.   He said: "If it's true the police are about to shelve this case, on the one hand that will be welcome because it means that Kate and Gerry will be seen to be the innocent couple that they are - they are innocent of any involvement in Madeleine's disappearance and have been since Day One - and this wrongly-imposed arguido status must be lifted as a priority and our lawyers will be pressing for that.   "On the other hand, if the police are to shelve it, who's going to be looking for Madeleine in Portugal? Does that mean they've just given up the search? She's still out there."   He said that lawyers in Britain will now decide whether to proceed with or adjourn an action the couple lodged in the High Court to see documents relating to the case.   "If the case is closed completely, but the files remain closed to anybody's observation, then that is wrong," he said. "Surely it's only humane and decent that information that could help find Madeleine comes to the investigators who will keep looking for her even if the Portuguese investigators feel they can't."   Local sources confirmed this morning that Portuguese detectives have shut their files and referred the case to the public prosecutor for a final decision.   As well as Gerry, 39, and Kate, 40, both doctors from Rothley in Leicestershire, British expatriate Robert Murat is also expected to be cleared as a suspect in Madeleine's disappearance.   "The police have failed to find those responsible," the respected Portuguese paper Jornal de Noticias daily said.   A lawyer for Murat said he was yet to be informed about the latest development.   "We haven't been contacted by anyone in the police for more than three months," he said.   The disappearance of the three-year-old from her parents' rented apartment in the Algarve holiday resort of Praia da Luz on May 3 last year sparked one of the biggest inquiries in the country's history.   In the months that followed, Kate and Gerry McCann, from Rothley in Leicestershire, launched a global campaign to find their missing daughter.   The pair faced condemnation from some quarters since they had left their sleeping children alone in the apartment while they dined in a nearby tapas restaurant with friends the night Madeleine vanished.   In a dramatic twist in September, Portuguese police switched the focus of their investigation onto the McCanns, making them official suspects along with Mr Murat.   Reports in the Portuguese press claimed that police had forensic evidence suggesting Madeleine died in the couple's apartment.   Madeleine's parents insisted their daughter had been abducted and hired a Spanish detective agency, Metodo 3, to investigate a series of sightings of the little girl as far afield as North Africa and South America.

Maddie Case 'Not Dropped', 01 July 2008

Maddie Case 'Not Dropped' Sky News   BREAKING NEWS 1:39pm UK, Tuesday July 01, 2008   Portuguese detectives are not dropping the Madeleine McCann case due to lack of evidence, the country's Attorney General has said.   Media reports suggested the investigation into the British girl's disappearance was being discontinued because of lack of evidence.   But in a statement the Portuguese Attorney General, Fernando Pinto Monteiro, denied this.   The statement said that police had handed over their final report but that officials had made no decision on whether to halt the investigation.   Two Portuguese newspapers said the Public Prosecutor's office intended to call off their search for the girl before July 14, when the customary official secrecy period covering the investigation ends.   Police could re-open the case if new evidence emerges, the papers said.   Both papers - Correio da Manha and Jornal de Noticias - cited unidentified police sources.   Madeleine disappeared on May 3, 2007, days before her fourth birthday.   She had been left sleeping in a holiday apartment as her parents Kate and Gerry dined with friends in a nearby tapas bar in the resort of Praia da Luz in southern Portugal.   Her parents were made formal suspects on September 7 last year in one of the many dramatic twists in the case. They insist Madeleine was abducted.   Clarence Mitchell, the McCanns' spokesman, told Sky News: "As usual, these are non-attributed sources and we have not heard this officially. But if it is true it's not before time - Kate and Gerry have suffered enough.   "Police should lift their arguido (suspect) status and should pass their information over to our investigators who continue to work on the case.   "We still need to find Madeleine."   Sky News' crime correspondent Martin Brunt said: "Don't expect any confirmation from the Portuguese police any time soon - but it does signal that they are coming to the end of the investigation.   "If the police stop treating the McCanns as suspects the couple would hope that more effort would be put into finding their little girl."   Another Briton, Robert Murat, was also declared a suspect in the case.   Portuguese journalist Rui Pinto de Almeida told Sky News: "This is a formal legal requirement in Portugal and there remains the possibility of re-opening the case."   The Expresso newspaper says on its website that, according to a police source, the report on the investigation has not reached any conclusions and does not say whether it is a case of abduction, homicide, or concealing of a body.   Another source told the newspaper: "In normal circumstances, with this sort of a report, the decision would have to be to shelve it in the hope of getting better evidence in the future."   The final report is to go the Ministerio Publico in Portimao, where a decision will be taken in the coming days, according to the newspaper.

'No decision' on Madeleine case, 01 July 2008

'No decision' on Madeleine case BBC News   Page last updated at 13:16 GMT, Tuesday, 1 July 2008 14:16 UK   No decision has been taken on the investigation into the disappearance of Madeleine McCann, Portugal's attorney general has said.   Fernando Pinto Monteiro was responding to Portuguese media reports that police plan to close the case because of a lack of evidence.   Her parents Kate and Gerry McCann are both official suspects in the inquiry, along with a third man, Robert Murat.   Madeleine, of Rothley, Leics, went missing in Praia da Luz on 3 May 2007.   Mr Monteiro's comments came after reports that the case would be "shelved", meaning police would no longer devote resources to investigating it.   He said the final report from the Policia Judiciaria had been received by prosecutors, and it "will be the object or careful analysis and consideration".   The Correio da Manha newspaper said on Tuesday that sources within Portugal's judicial police said they "do not have sufficient evidence to allow formal charges to be brought against the McCanns in the disappearance of their daughter".   The Jornal de Noticias said the police did not have enough evidence to charge either the McCanns or Mr Murat with any wrongdoing.   "The police have not found the guilty," the paper added.   One newspaper said the case had already been closed, while another said the end of the investigation would be announced within the next few days.

'No decision yet' on Madeleine investigation, 01 July 2008

'No decision yet' on Madeleine investigation Independent   PA and AP Tuesday, 1 July 2008   Portugal's Attorney-General Fernando Pinto Monteiro today dismissed claims that the Madeleine McCann investigation is about to be shelved.   He said that police have completed their final report into the disappearance but officials have taken no decision yet on whether to drop the case.   Officials will "determine whether further inquiries are needed or whether the conditions are in place for the investigation to be closed," he said in a statement.   Kate and Gerry McCann, who are official suspects in the case, had been awaiting news after reports in three Portuguese newspapers today that the 14-month investigation has reached a dead end and the case is to be closed.   The McCanns' spokesman, Clarence Mitchell, said: "As I understand, the attorney general has clarified that the police have effectively dropped all possible lines of inquiry and have handed their files to the prosecutor and he will make the final decision on whether Kate and Gerry are charged or the investigation is closed.   "The attorney general has basically said that the police inquiry is over and they've given all the material to the prosecutor, so the investigation rolls on but the police's bit is now over."   He said that if the inquiry is to be discontinued, then police files should be handed over to the McCanns' ongoing private investigation and that the search would continue.   Madeleine disappeared on 3 May last year.   The three-year-old had been on holiday in the Algarve resort of Praia da Luz with her parents, from Rothley, Leicestershire, when she vanished from the family's apartment.   During the investigation into her disappearance, detectives named Mr McCann, 39, and 40-year-old Mrs McCann as formal suspects in the case.   Two Portuguese newspapers reported today that police were dropping the inquiry but could re-open it if new evidence emerges. The papers cited unidentified police sources.   Mr Mitchell said: "If the reports are true, it is to be welcomed that no charges are to be brought and it is entirely right because Kate and Gerry are innocent of any involvement in their daughter's disappearance and always have been.   "They have suffered for far too long in this process and the Portuguese authorities must now lift their arguido status."   He continued: "The police themselves must continue looking for Madeleine. We are concerned that if they are to simply shelve the case then what will happen to all of the information in their files?   "They must be made available to our investigators, who are working extremely hard to find Madeleine.   "If the police feel that they can no longer investigate the case that is a decision for them."

Officials: Madeleine McCann probe is not over yet, 01 July 2008

Officials: Madeleine McCann probe is not over yet Guardian   By BARRY HATTON Associated Press Writer   AP foreign, Tuesday July 1 2008   LISBON, Portugal (AP) - Police have completed their final report into the disappearance of British child Madeleine McCann but officials have taken no decision yet on whether to proceed with the investigation or drop the case, Portugal's attorney-general said Tuesday.   Three papers - Correio da Manha, Jornal de Noticias and Expresso - published comments on Tuesday from unidentified police sources saying the 14-month investigation had reached a dead end and is to be dropped.   However, Attorney-General Fernando Pinto Monteiro said in a statement that prosecutors will examine the police report before deciding whether to end the investigation or undertake further inquiries.   Officials will "determine whether further inquiries are needed or whether the conditions are in place for the investigation to be closed,'' the statement e-mailed to The Associated Press said.   It said the case file amounted to "dozens of volumes'' and noted that the judicial secrecy law covering ongoing investigations, which ensures evidence remains confidential, expires only in mid-August.   Madeleine McCann went missing in Portugal's southern Algarve region during a family vacation in May 2007, a few days before her fourth birthday. Detectives named her parents, Kate and Gerry, and local man Robert Murat as formal suspects in the case. All denied involvement in Madeleine's disappearance.   The McCanns, who have waged an international campaign to find their daughter, returned home to central England with Madeleine's younger sister and brother last September, a few days after they were named as suspects.   Clarence Mitchell, the parents' spokesman, said that if the investigation were to be closed he expected the search for Madeleine to continue.   "The information in their files surely cannot sit on the shelf gathering dust. Kate and Gerry will never give up searching for their daughter,'' Mitchell said.   He said that if Portuguese police end their inquiry they should hand their files over to the McCanns' private investigators.   "The police themselves must continue looking for Madeleine. We are concerned that if they are to simply shelve the case then what will happen to all of the information in their files? They must be made available to our investigators, who are working extremely hard to find Madeleine,'' Mitchell said.   The case has drawn global interest. A few weeks after Madeleine vanished, Pope Benedict XVI blessed the McCanns and a photo of their daughter during his weekly general audience at the Vatican. Numerous reported sightings of the blonde-haired girl proved to be false.   British and Portuguese police have cooperated in the investigation. Sophisticated forensic tests on evidence gathered at the resort where the girl disappeared were carried out in Britain.   In April, British police in England, accompanied by Portuguese detectives, re-interviewed the McCanns' friends, who were having dinner with them when Madeleine vanished.

Cleared... but still no end to the torment of Madeleine McCann's parents, 01 July 2008

Cleared... but still no end to the torment of Madeleine McCann's parents Daily Mail   By DAILY MAIL REPORTER Last updated at 3:00 PM on 01st July 2008   Even with the cloud of suspicion likely to be lifted, the agony for Kate and Gerry McCann will continue until they know what has happened to their daughter Madeleine.   The McCanns, both 40, are understood to be on holiday at an undisclosed location, their first family holiday since Madeleine vanished from their apartment in the Algarve more than a year ago.   Their spokesman Clarence Mitchell said today the couple will 'never give up searching for their daughter' despite the Portuguese police decision to shelve the case.   Mr McCann is back at work full time as a consultant cardiologist at Glenfield Hospital in Leicester where he can busy himself with the day-to-day routine.   Mrs McCann has given up her parttime job as a GP to concentrate on bringing up their other two children — twins Sean and Amelie who are now aged three — and to put her energy into the campaign to introduce a European-wide response when children go missing.   Their search for Madeleine is orchestrated from the family home in Rothley in Leicestershire with the help of lawyers and private detectives paid for out of funds raised by the public, a libel payout from Express Newspapers and donations from multi-millionaire businessman Brian Kennedy.   With the case expected to be shelved, their lawyers will now demand the police files are made available to their own team of private investigators.   The McCanns have spoken of their guilt at leaving their children on their own on the night Madeleine disappeared. But nothing could prepare for the turn of events that would see them become suspects.   A series of police leaks last summer suggested variously that Madeleine had died accidentally in the apartment, perhaps from an overdose of sedatives, and that her parents had hidden the body to protect their professional reputations.   The theories, leaked to the Portuguese press, at first appeared outlandish. But in September, it became evident that the police who were then in charge of the investigation thought the McCanns were implicated in their daughter's disappearance-when they were made official-suspects — arguidos.   Officers believed forensic tests from a Renault Scenic hired by the McCanns almost a month after Madeleine's disappearance showed traces of her DNA in the boot.   The McCanns have always insisted that if such traces were found, there were always wholly innocent explanations for it.   As the months passed, the police case against them appeared to slowly unravel.   First it became clear there was not enough evidence even to justify re-interviewing the McCanns while the Policia Judiciaria’s national director, Alipio Ribeiro, was later quoted as saying detectives had been "hasty" in declaring them arguidos.   Divisions within the inquiry team emerged publicly a few weeks later when Goncalo Amaral, the detective in charge, was taken off the case for a public-outburst against the couple and Paulo Rebelo was parachuted in from Lisbon to replace him.   Mr Rebelo has since conducted a full review of the case files and come to the belief that there is nothing conclusive to draw from the evidence gathered.   For the McCanns it should come as a welcome relief — but there will be no let up from their torment while Madeleine remains missing.

Murat Pleased Case 'Not Dropped', 01 July 2008

Murat Pleased Case 'Not Dropped' Sky News   Alex Watts, Sky News Online 5:13pm UK, Tuesday July 01, 2008   The first suspect in the disappearance of Madeleine McCann has welcomed news that Portuguese detectives are not closing the case.   Media reports in Portugal suggested the investigation was being axed because of lack of evidence.   But the Portuguese Attorney General, Fernando Pinto Monteiro, has now issued a statement denying these claims.   British ex-pat Robert Murat, who is an official suspect in the case, said although he hopes he is soon cleared from suspicion, he wants the case to remain open for the sake of Madeleine.   He told Sky News Online: "I don't want the investigation to end, there's a little child out there who's missing. And I want that child found as much as anyone else."   He said he had received no news from police on when his arguido status would be lifted.   He added: "I welcome the announcement that the investigation is continuing, but I would also welcome news that my suspect status is being lifted as I have nothing to do with the investigation."   Bizarrely, when he is cleared, police will not call him in to officially confirm the news - instead they will send him a letter through the post.   He added: "If that letter comes, I will be very, very happy. I am trying to get on with my life in the circumstances."   Kate and Gerry McCann, the other two suspects in the case, have also called for their arguido status to be lifted.   Their spokesman Clarence Mitchell said: "They should not have been in this position. They have suffered for long enough."   He said the couple's Portuguese lawyers did not expect prosecutors to announce a decision on the future of the investigation until August.   Two Portuguese newspapers said the Public Prosecutor's office intended to call off their search for the girl before July 14, when the customary official secrecy period covering the investigation ends.   Police could re-open the case if new evidence emerges, they claimed.   Both papers - Correio da Manha and Jornal de Noticias - cited unidentified police sources.   Madeleine disappeared on May 3, 2007, days before her fourth birthday.   She had been left sleeping in a holiday apartment as her parents Kate and Gerry dined with friends in a nearby tapas bar in the resort of Praia da Luz in southern Portugal.

Police hand Madeleine report to prosecutor, 01 July 2008

Police hand Madeleine report to prosecutor Reuters UK   By Axel Bugge Tue Jul 1, 2008 5:40pm BST   LISBON (Reuters) - Portuguese police have sent their final report on the disappearance of Madeleine McCann to public prosecutors, who will decide whether to take any further steps, prosecutors said on Tuesday.   Madeleine disappeared from her bedroom in an Algarve resort on May 3 last year during a family holiday, a few days before her fourth birthday. (For full coverage of the disappearance of Madeleine McCann click here)   "The police has put together its final report in the so-called 'Maddie case,' which will be carefully considered," Portugal's public prosecutor said in a statement.   It said it would consider the report in order to determine whether the "necessary and sufficient conditions are present to close the investigation and issue a final decision".   Portuguese media reported on Tuesday that police had ended their investigation without finding sufficient evidence to charge anybody in the case.   In February, Portuguese Justice Minister Alberto Costa said police were close to concluding the case.   The case has attracted massive media attention, especially after Madeleine's parents, Kate and Gerry McCann, were named as suspects in their daughter's disappearance by Portuguese police.   The couple were dining with friends at a restaurant in the resort when their daughter disappeared from her bedroom nearby.   They have said they are innocent and on Tuesday urged Portuguese police to give them access to the report in order to continue their own search for Madeleine and to end their status as suspects.   "For the love of god, it has to be released," Clarence Mitchell, spokesman for Kate and Gerry McCann, Madeleine's parents, told Sky News on Tuesday.   The McCanns said on May 3 -- a year after their daughter disappeared -- they remained convinced that she was still alive.   They have said the best chance to find Madeleine is to appeal to the public for help and to keep the case alive in the media.   In the months after Madeleine went missing, police received hundreds of tip-offs from across Europe by people who thought they had seen the girl but none of them proved conclusive.   The prosecutor said the final police report included dozens of volumes, adding the case will remain under strict secrecy laws until the middle of August.   (Reporting by Axel Bugge; Additional reporting by Kate Kelland in London; Editing by Ibon Villelabeitia)

Madeleine McCann's parents can't have closure, 01 July 2008

Madeleine McCann's parents can't have closure Telegraph   By Cassandra Jardine Last Updated: 6:01pm BST 01/07/2008   The Portuguese police are preparing to close their investigation into the disappearance of Madeleine McCann according to local newspaper reports, but in truth this means nothing.   It is months since the Portuguese police have shown any interest in the case, except for the painful and pointless idea (thankfully dropped) of marking the anniversary of May 3rd 2007 by restaging the events in Praia da Luz.   The decision to refer the case for final judgement to the public prosecutor has the air of pragmatism: the police drop the McCann’s arguido status, they hand over the files and the McCanns they hope, go away, never to trouble them again. Tourism to the Algarve picks up, no longer blighted by the shadow cast by a little blonde girl.   But this case won't go away. There is no little girl, nor a body, so there can be no closure. Nor will time ease the McCann parents' guilt and regret at having taken what they thought was a reasonable risk by leaving their three young children to sleep while they ate at a tapas bar less than 100 metres away.   As time passes Madeleine, who would now be five, will become ever harder to recognise, but that won't mean that her parents won't survey every bus queue or beach, wherever they are in the world, hoping to see a child with blue/green eyes and a distinctive right iris.   Ben Needham disappeared as a toddler on Kos in 1991, but his mother is still keeping a website vigil, just in case.   Every now and then there will be a sighting and new theories, just as there have been over the 34 years since Lord Lucan disappeared.   The investigation was a lost cause from the beginning, since the police were so slow off the mark. When the McCanns look at the files they are unlikely to find anything except further proof that the principle on which the investigation was conducted was: too little, too late.   Being the rational people that they are, they have turned their distress to positive use by conducting a campaign to create a European version of the US amber alert system that gives early warning to the media when a child is abducted. To succeed in that would give them closure of sorts, and other parents greater peace of mind.

Portuguese cops deny Maddie case is over, 01 July 2008

Portuguese cops deny Maddie case is over The Sun   By STAFF REPORTERS Published: Today 01/07/2008   PORTUGUESE police have denied that they are closing the investigation into Madeleine McCann's disappearance for lack of evidence.   It was claimed earlier that cops were preparing to 'shelve' the case ending the search for the five-year-old and possibly leaving her parents Kate and Gerry living under a cloud of suspicion forever.   But Portugal's attorney-general said officials have not yet decided if their investigation is over.   Fernando Pinto Monteiro said police have handed over their final report into Maddie's disappearance.   However, Monteiro added in a statement that prosecutors will examine the police report before deciding whether to end the investigation or undertake further inquiries.   A friend of Kate and Gerry, who are arguidos - official suspects - in their daughter's disappearance, earlier described the claims of shelving the case as 'probably the worst case scenario' adding: "It is what Kate and Gerry have always feared. That police would simply wrap the case up saying they couldn't do anymore without clearing Madeleine's parents of any involvement.   "It means nothing further will be done to find Madeleine, or the person who took her, and Kate and Gerry will forever have to live with fingers being pointed at them."   Official suspect Robert Murat also today said he did not want the investigation to end, adding: "I want Madeleine McCann found as much as anyone else."   Ex-pat Brit Murat lives near the apartment from where Maddie went missing.   His lawyer Francisco Pagarete said yesterday he knew nothing of the latest developments in the Madeleine McCann case.   He said: "We haven't been contacted by anyone in the police for more than three months. Robert is calm."   According to reports in Portugal cops have not been able to find any substantial evidence which shows conclusively what happened to Madeleine on the night she disappeared from a holiday complex in Praia da Luz on May 3rd last year.   Portuguese newspaper Expresso claimed police chief Paulo Rebelo who is heading the investigation has already closed the case.   Yesterday, the McCanns' spokesman Clarence Mitchell said if that was true then the couple should now be cleared of being official suspects.   He said: "If this report is true it is not before time. Kate and Gerry have suffered long enough in this process.   "It is now only right for the Portuguese police to recognise that they are not involved in their daughter's disappearance.   "Police should lift their arguido status and should pass their information over to our investigators who continue to work on the case.   "We still need to find Madeleine"   He added: "They are entirely innocent of any involvement in the disappearance of Madeleine."   Mr Mitchell said that Kate and Gerry's greatest fear was that the search for Madeleine, who they firmly believe is still alive, will now stop, if it hasn't already.   Speaking about the Portuguese police Mr Mitchell said: "We would hope they continue to search for Madeleine. If they are to shelve the case they should make available any information they have in their files to our investigators so that they can continue the search.   "We haven't got Madeleine back yet. We don't want all that information sitting on a shelf gathering dust.   "If they are to clear Gerry and Kate of any involvement in Madeleine's disappearance, which is right because they are completely innocent, then we would hope that they continue to keep looking for a girl who went missing in their country."   Gerry and Kate announced recently they would ask a High Court judge to order the release of police files on her disappearance.   Police in their home county of Leicestershire, who lead the British arm of the official investigation, have so far stuck to an agreement with their Portuguese counterparts not to disclose information on the inquiry.   The McCanns plan to make their application to Mrs Justice Hogg in the Family Division of the High Court on July 7.   Spanish-based private investigation firm, Metodo 3, are being paid £50,000 a month to search for Maddie.   She went missing while her parents were dining at a Tapas bar in the holiday complex just a few hundred yards away from their apartment. Maddie had been left alone in the flat with her then two-year-old twin brother and sister, Sean and Amelie.   Her parents believe Maddie was abducted by a man who was seen hurrying away from the apartment with a child in his arms.   But within days of her going missing Portuguese police's suspicions fell on her parents who they claimed had accidentally killed her and hid her body.   Kate and Gerry, from Rothley, Leics, were made official suspects last September. Cops claimed Madeleine's DNA had been found in a hire car they believed her parents had used to transport her body.   They also claimed her blood had been found in the holiday apartment. But forensic investigation of the blood and DNA evidence by British experts is believed to have proved inconclusive.   In April, Portuguese cops, headed by Rebelo, flew to Britain to quiz the Tapas Seven - the friends the McCanns were dining with on the night Maddie disappeared.   Yesterday Portuguese channel 4 news, TVI, claimed a police source had told them that cops had been unable to ascertain whether Madeleine was the victim of an abduction or manslaughter.   The police final report is due handed to Portimão's prosecutor in charge of the case in the next few days and he is expected to give his ruling.   If the prosecutor rules the case closed, it can be reopened at any time if new evidence comes to light. Until then it will be 'archived' - effectively shelved.   Portuguese newspaper Journal da Noticias reported a police source as saying: "Police will continue to be attentive to any new information that arises once the case has been archived as happens with other missing children.   "But the Madeleine McCann case can only be reopened if an important piece of evidence comes to light."   The prosecutor has the power to lift Kate and Gerry’s 'arguido' status but if he doesn't they can apply to a court to have it removed themselves.   The McCanns' Portuguese lawyer Carlos Pinto de Abreu said he will continue to demand the police case files are handed over to them saying: "I want to be in a position to do what the McCanns always wanted, which is to assure themselves the investigation was properly conducted and continue to look for their daughter."   The McCanns are expected to learn their fate officially after the judicial secrecy surrounding the Madeleine McCann case is lifted on September 15.

The Maddie detectives must now apologise, 01 July 2008

The Maddie detectives must now apologise Daily Mail   Allison Pearson Last updated at 11:04 PM on 01st July 2008   At long last, Kate and Gerry McCann seem set to be cleared of any involvement in their daughter's disappearance.   This should be an occasion for quiet rejoicing, except that Madeleine is still missing.   Her parents, driven half-mad by grief and guilt, were almost deprived of what remained of their sanity by the Portuguese police who were supposed to be helping them.   Now, it seems, the spectacularly incompetent Inspector Cluesnos are ready to admit they have no evidence against the McCanns.   What took them so long? It was obvious to any sane person from Day One that Kate and Gerry had not murdered Madeleine.   Not unless the doctors from Rothley had a cunning sideline as Oscar-winning actors.   Their beloved first child was the product of many desperate years of IVF. As the video of Madeleine in her Snow White costume attested, the three-year-old was the apple of her parents' eye.   I will never forget when Kate spoke for the first time about her little girl and trailed off helplessly: "She's lovely . . ."   Parents don't usually need to put their feelings for their kids into words. Speaking them aloud brought home to Kate what she'd lost.   The McCanns must have thought that was their darkest hour. It was about to get much worse.   Cast your minds back over the past 14 months and you build up a horrifying picture of the Portuguese police's campaign of smears.   Remember the fluid from a dead body, matching Maddie's DNA, that was supposedly found in the boot of her parents' hire car?   Remember the (false) rumour that Kate had previously suffered from depression?   Remember the well-thumbed page of the Bible, with a text about a dead child, which was taken as evidence that Kate had a guilty conscience? (A cheap shot, even by the low standards of the local inspectorate.)   Lower still, the McCanns' fervent attendance at the church in Praia da Luz was turned against them. Aha! They had buried their daughter's body under the floorboards in the chapel.   No, hang on, they had stashed it in the tiny fridge in their holiday apartment. Then they had put it in a binbag and driven it to a reservoir. Of course. Easily done with several thousand telephoto lenses following your every move.   From September 7, Kate and Gerry could not even fight back against this tide of sewage. The stench started to bother even those of us who trusted their story.   Yes, the couple had made a dreadful mistake leaving the children alone when they went out to dinner a few hundred yards away, but no mistake warranted the vitriol that ensued.   As arguidos, the McCanns were forbidden to talk about the case. Not so the police, who hid their shambolic inquiry behind the rules of secrecy while leaking lies like a colander.   Kate revealed she screamed with fury when the cops offered her a deal to 'confess' to her own daughter's murder.   "They are basically saying, if you confess Madeleine had an accident, and that I panicked and hid the body, then got rid of it in a hire car, I'd get two or three years' suspended sentence," she said. "It's the worst nightmare."   It most certainly was. Kate and Gerry, who must have assumed everything was being done to find Madeleine, discovered it was they who were guilty until proven innocent, and no one was bothering to seek the real culprit.   Now, thank heavens, the ordeal of the inquiry is nearing an end. Nothing can make up for the loss of Madeleine, but at least the family can continue their lives without the poisonous cloud of suspicion hanging over them. It's the least they deserve.   As for the Portuguese police who have needlessly added to the McCanns' torment, if they had a shred of decency they would make a full public apology and open their files to private investigators.   And never give up searching for that small girl with the almond eyes whose mother and father, despite everything, still ache for her to come home.

McCann Case Closed Despite Parents' Guilt, 01 July 2008

McCann Case Closed Despite Parents' Guilt The Bulletin   By: Chris Freind, The Bulletin 07/01/2008   Well, it's official. Gerry and Kate McCann have become the Ramseys of Europe. Just as the Christmastime murder of six year old JonBenet Ramsey went officially unsolved, it appears that resolving the disappearance and probable death of five year old Madeleine McCann will suffer the same fate.   That is a terrible shame for three reasons.   First and foremost, a little girl is, in all likelihood, dead, and justice will not be served. The daughter of two British doctors, Madeleine disappeared from a Portuguese beachside resort in May 2007 while she slept. While statements have been made, ad nauseum, by Gerry, Kate and their vaunted PR machine that Maddy was kidnapped, there is absolutely no evidence to substantiate this claim. Of course, there wouldn't be any debate whether Maddy was in fact kidnapped if Gerry and Kate had exercised even a fraction of something called parenting. Which leads us to point # 2.   As "Freindly Fire" has stated emphatically in numerous columns, the McCanns are guilty, period. Of this, there is no doubt. They are possibly guilty of harming Madeleine, accidentally or otherwise, as many Portuguese investigators believe. But, at the least, they are definitely guilty of negligence and, the case can be made, of child abandonment.   You see, what the bought-and-paid-for British media simply glosses over is the fact that the McCanns left their three children, with a combined age of seven, alone in their resort room, at night, on numerous occasions that week. Call me crazy, but that's not just selfish, it's unconscionably irresponsible. They chose paella over the kids. Now I've been to the Algarve, and the paella there is even better than that in Spain, but it's not quite good enough that I would abandon my kids. If the McCanns had taken their children with them, brought a nanny from home, or used the resort's babysitting service, one thing is sure: Madeleine would not have disappeared that night. But taking personal responsibility is not something the McCanns feel they have to do. It's hard to look in the mirror, so Gerry and Kate figured out that it's much easier to just blame everyone and everything else. Just listen to their spokesman, Clarence Mitchell: "If it's true the police are about to shelve this case, on the one hand that will be welcome because it means that Kate and Gerry will be seen to be the innocent couple that they are - they are innocent of any involvement in Madeleine's disappearance and have been since Day One - and this wrongly-imposed arguido (suspect) status must be lifted..."   Innocent of any involvement? Clarence, how do you sleep at night?   They are guilty and should be held accountable. Showing Gerry and Kate's "remorse" on television (and that remorse is debatable), still doesn't absolve them from their crimes. Why aren't they being charged, either in Portugal and/or Britain?   Probably because we don't like to punish celebrities. And the McCanns have created a huge cause celebre. Remember, these globe-trotting celebrities had an audience with the Pope, met with America's First Lady, and are seen as "ambassadors" for kidnapped children everywhere. If that's what it takes to become an international star, I'll be more than happy to remain obscure.   The royal treatment of the McCanns sends the horrendous message that it's OK to be negligent and greedy, even if it means exposing children to harm, as long as you have good barristers, lots of money, and the best marketing firms money can buy---especially if that money comes from well-wishers not familiar with the true facts of the case.   But worst of all, when leaders in our society welcome people like the McCanns with open arms instead of shedding light on their abhorrent behavior, it condones a mentality that breaking laws---whether laws of the state or laws of morality and common sense--- is acceptable, as long as you look good in front of a camera.   And who can forget the British media and its journalistic "integrity"? Not only did it blindly defend the McCanns and blame the Portuguese for everything, but it failed to conduct even a modicum of investigation to ascertain what really happened to Madeleine. Inconsistencies abound, both in media reports and in statements given by the McCanns and the friends they dined with that night. But hard-hitting questions and thorough research were, and still are, in short supply. To top it off, once the McCanns were named as suspects last September, the British media turned on them and all but pronounced their guilt. Now that charges will not be forthcoming, the tune has changed yet again. The McCanns were innocent all along!   Sticking a wet finger in the air to see which way the wind is blowing is something that should be left to the politicians, but it has no place in the media.   As stated in the past, Freindly Fire has never accused the McCanns of killing their daughter, and they are entitled to the presumption of innocence in that regard until a court of law can prove differently. But not so with the negligence they have shown. For the sake of Maddy and all the other children potentially at risk because of such criminal behavior, the McCanns should be charged.   Anything less would be a disservice to Madeleine McCann.

Was the Maddie case an investigation or smear campaign?, 01 July 2008

Was the Maddie case an investigation or smear campaign? Metro   Tuesday, July 1, 2008   The investigation into the disappearance of Madeleine McCann has been beset by leaks and allegations of a police smear campaign against the parents of the missing girl.   Officially Portugal's PJ (Policia Judiciaria) does not comment on ongoing cases, on pain of breaching the country's strict "secrecy of justice" laws.   But developments have frequently made their way into the Portuguese press, with today's reports that detectives are to shelve the case the latest in a line of leaks by "unnamed police sources".   For weeks after Madeleine's disappearance on May 3 last year, the force's harassed spokesman, Chief Inspector Olegario Sousa, batted away questions about the case on a daily basis.   But a steady stream of details nevertheless managed to find its way into Portuguese, British and international media.   Amid a fog of rumours, alleged leaks and the occasional revelation, some patterns about the investigation have emerged.   In its initial phase, the focus - publicly at least - was on finding Madeleine.   But in the absence of news, attention quickly shifted to whether the scene had been properly secured, an apparent failure to seal the border with Spain - an hour's drive away - in time and whether police launched a search quickly enough.   Publicly police said they were exploring a number of theories without elaborating on what they were.   It was clear nevertheless that these included the possibility she was snatched to order for child traffickers or a paedophile ring, abduction by a lone intruder or the idea of a botched kidnap.   But while police repeatedly denied that detectives suspected Gerry and Kate McCann themselves of any involvement in the disappearance of their daughter, their subsequent naming as "arguidos", or official suspects, proved otherwise.   The couple, through their spokesman Clarence Mitchell, would later accuse the Portuguese authorities of breaking their own secrecy laws with leaks "blatantly" designed to smear them.   Behind the scenes, the McCanns put pressure on the police, even reportedly threatening legal action in the early weeks, to force them to release a description of a man their friend Jane Tanner said she saw carrying a child on the night of Madeleine's disappearance.   In a dramatic U-turn, police finally released the description, but only after it was sanctioned by the public prosecutor.   Amid suggestions the investigation was drifting over the summer, British help was called in, with samples from the apartment sent to the Forensic Science Service in Birmingham, and specialist sniffer dogs sent over.   The couple's naming as arguidos in September followed weeks of reports in Portuguese media, vociferously denied by friends of the couple but greeted with the usual "no comment" by police.   The theory detectives appeared to be working on was that Mrs McCann, who, like her husband is a doctor, accidentally killed Madeleine - possibly with an overdose - and covered up the death, claiming she was abducted. She angrily denied the suggestion.   The focus was on a Renault Scenic the McCanns hired almost a month after Madeleine's disappearance where it was suggested traces of her DNA had been found.   But it soon emerged there was not enough evidence even to justify re-interviewing the McCanns and the PJ's national director, Alipio Ribeiro, was later quoted as saying detectives had been "hasty" in declaring them arguidos.   Fractures within the inquiry team emerged publicly a few weeks later when Goncalo Amaral, the detective in charge, was taken off the case and Paulo Rebelo was parachuted in from Lisbon to replace him.   Away from the McCanns, attention also focused on businessman Robert Murat, who was declared an arguido last May.   Police carried out very public searches of his house close to the McCanns' apartment.   But a year after he was given the status, no charges have been brought against him. The investigation was given fresh impetus as it approached its first anniversary with the arrival of a team of Portuguese detectives in Britain in April.   They spent several days sitting in on fresh interviews with members of the "Tapas Seven" - the friends who were eating tapas with the McCanns when Madeleine disappeared - at the headquarters of the McCanns' home force, Leicestershire Police.   The McCanns renewed their calls for the PJ to lift their arguido status following the interviews, saying the friends' stories had been consistent with what they had said before.   But the closest the PJ came to acknowledging the interviews represented a step forward was amid a very public row with Mr Mitchell over whether police had deliberately leaked against the McCanns.   In a rare statement, the PJ said it regretted Mr Mitchell's accusation "at a moment when significant moves were being made in the investigation".

Madeleine Search Could Be Over, 02 July 2008

Madeleine Search Could Be Over Sky News   Greg Milam, Europe correspondent, Praia da Luz  2:04am UK, Wednesday July 02, 2008   Fourteen months after Madeleine McCann disappeared, Portuguese authorities appear ready to officially give up the search for her.   And in the resort of Praia da Luz, no-one is surprised.   Locals and the large British ex-pat community say the latest move is simply making formal what they have long thought: that the police effort is over.   There is very little evidence of the Madeleine McCann mystery in the Algarve these days. Resorts, including Praia da Luz, are full of holidaymakers well aware of what happened here last May.   The apartment from which she disappeared remains a macabre talking point in the centre of Praia.   Ever since Kate and Gerry McCann left in September, shortly after being declared official suspects, the area has been trying to return to normal.   But locals have told Sky News that the search for Madeleine has suffered as a result.   "We don't see the police looking for her. We don't see anyone doing anything. It is so sad for her parents," said one.   Officially Portuguese authorities say no decision has been made on whether the case should be closed. Police have told prosecutors they have gone as far as they can with their investigation.   They could be ordered to pursue lines of inquiry or the prosecutor could agree that the case should be archived. It would only be re-opened if significant new evidence came to light.   The news came in a bald statement: "In the Madeleine McCann case, the final report from the Judicial Police has been sent to the Ministry of State for their consideration. The Ministry of State will analyse all the evidence in order to decide whether it is appropriate, having examined every aspect, to close the case."   It is still unclear whether the McCann's "arguido" status would be automatically lifted if the case is shelved.   Portugal's attorney general has also announced that the judicial secrecy restrictions which surround the case will remain in place until the middle of August. It had been hoped they would be lifted this week.   The McCanns are also hoping any developments will result in them being granted access to police files.   They believe there could be leads and information that their own private investigators should follow up.   'We Knew Madeleine Hunt Was Over' Sky News (Update of article above)   Greg Milam, In Praia da Luz 3:27pm UK, Wednesday July 02, 2008   Fourteen months after Madeleine McCann disappeared, Portuguese authorities appear ready to officially give up the search for her - and in the resort of Praia da Luz, no one is surprised.   Locals and the large British ex-pat community say the latest move is simply making formal what they have long thought: that the police effort is over.   But the Portuguese media has offered a variety of possible outcomes.   Correio da Manha, which broke the news that police wanted the case closed, says it will be filed as a "homicide".   It reports that police will officially declare they believe the case was "violent crime" after which "the body was hidden".   And the national daily Diario de Noticias carried a four-page special on the latest developments. It says "the Public Ministry is thinking about more investigations."   There is very little evidence of the Madeleine McCann mystery in the Algarve these days. Resorts, including Praia da Luz, are full of holidaymakers well aware of what happened here last May.   The apartment from which she disappeared remains a macabre talking point in the centre of Praia.   Ever since Kate and Gerry McCann left in September, shortly after being declared official suspects, the area has been trying to return to normal.   But locals have told Sky News that the search for Madeleine has suffered as a result.   "We don't see the police looking for her. We don't see anyone doing anything. It is so sad for her parents," said one.   Officially, Portuguese authorities say no decision has been made on whether the case should be closed. Police have told prosecutors they have gone as far as they can with their investigation.   They could be ordered to pursue lines of inquiry or the prosecutor could agree that the case should be archived. It would only be re-opened if significant new evidence came to light.   The news came in a bald statement: "In the Madeleine McCann case, the final report from the Judicial Police has been sent to the Ministry of State for their consideration. The Ministry of State will analyse all the evidence in order to decide whether it is appropriate, having examined every aspect, to close the case."   It is still unclear whether the McCann's "arguido" status would be automatically lifted if the case is shelved.   Portugal's attorney general has also announced that the judicial secrecy restrictions which surround the case will remain in place until the middle of August. It had been hoped they would be lifted this week.   The McCanns are also hoping any developments will result in them being granted access to police files.   They believe there could be leads and information that their own private investigators should follow up.

McCann plea to cops, 02 July 2008

Sun front page 02 July 2008 McCann plea to cops The Sun   By ANTONELLA LAZZERI  Published: Today   LITTLE Madeleine McCann's parents last night faced the nightmare possibility that they could remain suspects FOREVER.   That would be both "immoral and inhumane" for tormented Kate and Gerry McCann, their spokesman said.   But the couple — currently on their first holiday without Maddie — vowed they would NEVER give up the hunt for their missing daughter, even if cops do.   Their fears rose yesterday as it emerged Portuguese police plan to close the case on Maddie.   She vanished shortly before her fourth birthday during a family holiday in the Algarve 14 months ago.   McCann spokesman Clarence Mitchell said: "In theory the police could now simply close the case, stop hunting for Madeleine and leave her parents as suspects for years. That is what they have always feared would happen and it is the worst case scenario.   "If the case closes, who will hunt for Madeleine? And if Kate and Gerry’s arguido (official suspect) status, isn't removed they will forever live under a cloud of suspicion. That is both immoral and inhumane.   "But it is possible. There are people in Portugal who have been arguidos for decades. Kate and Gerry must be cleared officially and cleared now. They are totally innocent."   Today The Sun calls for the McCanns to be cleared.   Kate, 40, and Gerry, 39, from Rothley, Leics, are on holiday at a secret location with their three-year-old twins Sean and Amelie.   According to reports in Portugal, police have handed over to a court all the findings of their investigation into Maddie’s disappearance.   They are now expecting a prosecutor to rule there is insufficient evidence to proceed any further and the case should be shelved.   Suffered   Maddie went missing on May 3 last year from a holiday apartment in Praia da Luz.   Her parents were dining with friends at a tapas bar a few hundred yards away.   They believe she was abducted. But in September the pair were declared official suspects.   Police claimed they accidentally killed Maddie in the apartment. But despite the lengthy inquiry, cops have never established what happened to Maddie.   Blood samples in the apartment and a hire car used by the McCanns were inconclusive.   And no further evidence has been produced against the parents or anyone else.   Mr Mitchell said: "We expect to hear sometime in mid-August what the prosecutor's decision is.   "If police claim the case has to be shelved because there is insufficient evidence to prosecute Kate and Gerry, that is unacceptable.   "It means people will think cops didn't quite pin it on them. The stain on their names will never be removed.   "They didn't do anything. They have suffered enough."   Mr Mitchell added: "They will never give up searching for Maddie. They want the police files handed over to their own investigators so we can carry on the hunt."   Ex-pat Briton Robert Murat, who lives in Praia da Luz, is also an arguido in the case.   He said yesterday: "There is still a little child missing. I want that child found as much as anyone."

Public Ministry Considers More Investigations, 02 July 2008

Public Ministry Considers More Investigations Diário de Notícias   FILIPA AMBRÓSIO DE SOUSA 02.07.08 Thanks to Joana Morais for translation   Maddie Case. PJ handed over yesterday the final report of the investigation, in which the whole investigation done since May 2007 is specified in detail. The document does not present sufficient evidence to prosecute, but it is up to the Public Ministry to decide. Future can pass by further new investigations. Friends of the McCanns might return to Portugal The filing of the process Madeleine McCann, missing on the 3rd of May of 2007, is not a certainty. Most likely the Public Ministry will order the PJ to follow new investigative steps. Yesterday, the Judiciary Police sent a final report where all the investigative steps and inquires done along this last month and a half are specified in detail, this report is now in the hands of the Public Ministry and is going to be object of "appreciation and careful consideration", as a source of the Public Prosecution Office (PGR) guaranteed yesterday in a notice sent to the editorial staffs [media]. The new possible steps may go through the reconstruction of the night of the disappearance, which implicates that the friends of the couple McCann and the McCann themselves are notified, again, to travel to Portugal. The report was marked by the incongruences between the statements of the friends of the couple on the night of the disappearance and the Public Ministry wants to find out the truth regarding those doubts. In the same notice sent to the editorial staffs, the PGR equally guaranteed that the end of the secrecy of Justice of this case is going to take place on the 14th of August. And this is the basic reason for this final report - called like that by the PGR but without this denomination by the PJ - to have been prepared and to be evaluated by the Public Ministry. The time is running out. There is little more than a month so that the process is within reach of any citizen. It is necessary to present results, some result. And what [result,] then? The report, which totals in 19 volumes and thousands of documents "it does not indicate or equates the filing or accusation of the process", explained a source of the PJ contacted by the DN, which yesterday read the same report. The reason is very simple. Because it is up to the Public Ministry to decide for the accusation or for the filing of the process. The PJ 'just does' the investigation in the field and presents the collected data. But a source connected with the process of investigation guaranteed to the DN that in that same document "there are not sufficient evidences for an accusation". Nevertheless, warns the source, this declaration is "a mere intuition, it is not guaranteed that an accusation won't follow". The most probable path is, then, according to sources close to the process, contacted by the DN, to charge Kate and Gerry McCann of negligence. An opinion also shared by Paulo Cristovão, former PJ Inspector, who admits the possibility of negligence. "They had dinner leaving their children alone and for a futile reason, and that we know that happened". The fact is that, a year and two months after the British girl disappeared from Praia da Luz, in Portimão, there isn't one absolute certainty. If the hypothesis is kidnap, death and who is responsible for what happened on that night. Yesterday, Kate and Gerry McCann demanded the access to the process of investigation, if the case is filed. In that case, "the priority must be the lifting of the couple's arguidos status". Kate and Gerry McCann were constituted as arguidos in September, four months after the disappearance of their daughter.

McCanns begin fight for access to police files as Portuguese end Madeleine search, 02 July 2008

McCanns begin fight for access to police files as Portuguese end Madeleine search Guardian   · Prosecutor to decide whether to close case · Parents vow to continue private investigation   Steven Morris and Brendan de Beer in Portimão and Graham Keeley Wednesday July 2, 2008    Madeleine McCann's parents were fighting last night for access to police documents they believe will help them find their child after it emerged that Portuguese detectives have finally completed their investigation.   Gerry and Kate McCann, who are still officially suspects, hope this development means they will be cleared of involvement in their daughter's disappearance. But their campaign team believe it also means the Portuguese police have given up hope of finding Madeleine.   The McCanns are said to be "determined" that their team of private investigators should be allowed to examine police files in Portugal so their own search can continue. Their spokesman, Clarence Mitchell, said: "There is great work going on behind the scenes, very diligent work in many countries. Kate and Gerry will never rest until they know what has happened to her. If she's still alive they will never rest until they see her come home.   "The police information is a key component in that. If the police are not going to go any further on the criminal investigation then, for the love of God, that information could help find her or at least bring to justice whoever has taken her. The information in their files surely cannot sit on the shelf gathering dust. It has to be released."   Madeleine went missing from a holiday apartment in the resort of Praia da Luz on the Algarve in May last year.   In September the McCanns were named arguidos - suspects. One theory detectives seemed to be working on was that three-year-old Madeleine was accidentally killed at the apartment and her body hidden. The McCanns fiercely deny any involvement.   Yesterday three Portuguese newspapers reported that the case had been "shelved" by the police. One, Expresso, said police had failed to obtain conclusive evidence pointing to abduction, murder or the concealment of a body.   Later the attorney general's office in Portugal, where secrecy laws prevent information about ongoing cases being released, issued a rare statement to clarify the position. The office confirmed the "final report" had been prepared by the police and sent to the public prosecutor. The statement said the report would be considered carefully, adding: "The prosecutor's office will proceed with the global analysis and evaluation of the whole case (which contains dozens of files) in order to determine whether or not the necessary and sufficient conditions have been met allowing for the case's closure."   The statement concluded by saying that the case remained "under judicial secrecy until mid-August".   The McCanns' team will be disappointed at the continuing secrecy. They were due to launch a high court case in London on Monday to get access to details of the case held by Leicestershire police, their local force. It is believed this case will be postponed while the couple await news from Portuguese prosecutors. But they believe thousands of pieces of information in the Portuguese files could help find Madeleine.   The search, which the McCanns' team say is becoming more sophisticated, is being hampered because private investigators are not allowed to work in Portugal until the police inquiry is over. The family believe Madeleine could still be in the country. Carlos Pinto de Abreu, a lawyer who represents the McCanns in Portugal, told the Guardian he would study the case files from the "first to the last page" once they were released.   The lifting of arguido status will also be welcomed by the McCanns, who believe it has put people off helping them. Lawyers for the only other arguido in the case, the property consultant Robert Murat, were waiting to hear from the Portuguese prosecutors. Murat denies any involvement.   The McCanns did not make any public comment yesterday. Kate McCann's father, Brian Healy, said: "Kate and Gerry should have never have been given arguido status."   Henrique Machado, of the Portuguese newspaper Correio da Manhã, which reported that the case was being closed, told the Guardian: "This is not surprising. With no evidence to go on this was only expected." He said many people in Portugal felt the police were overwhelmed by the frenzy surrounding the case.   "In Portugal there is a feeling this was always a difficult case from the start which was not helped by the media coverage."   The latest developments came only hours after police officer Gonçalo Amaral, who was removed from the case in October, retired. He is believed to be writing a book on the case.

The Big Question: After 14 months and no charges, is the Madeleine McCann inquiry over?, 02 July 2008

The Big Question: After 14 months and no charges, is the Madeleine McCann inquiry over? Independent   By Cahal Milmo, Chief Reporter Wednesday, 2 July 2008    Why are we asking this now?   The Portuguese authorities revealed yesterday that the country's Policia Judiciaria (PJ) have completed their final report into the disappearance of Madeleine McCann, who vanished from the flat in a holiday village on the Algarve where her parents were staying with seven friends in May 2007. A state prosecutor must now decide whether to press charges or declare the 14-month investigation closed.   The feared abduction from Praia da Luz of the three-year-old, who was a few days from celebrating her fourth birthday, became a global news event as reported sightings from Morocco to Switzerland were passed to police. Over a period of six months, attention slowly switched from the hunt for a kidnapper to Madeleine's parents, Kate and Gerry McCann. The couple, both doctors, were declared "arguidos", or formal suspects, on 7 September 2007.   Will Kate and Gerry McCann be cleared?   Luis Bilro Verão, the lead prosecutor, has three courses of action open to him once he finishes examining the evidence, which runs to "dozens of volumes". He can order the PJ to continue their investigation, he can file charges against the McCanns, or he can order the case to be "archived", meaning it will lie on file but all active inquiries will be at an end.   After numerous previous consultations between detectives and the prosecutors' office about the direction of the inquiry, the first option is highly unlikely. Portuguese newspapers reported yesterday that the police report will state that detectives have not been able to ascertain whether Madeleine was abducted or murdered on the night she disappeared, or her body concealed after an accidental death.   One paper declared that the PJ has concluded it does not have enough evidence to charge the McCanns and will thus clear them. The couple's spokesman said yesterday that he expected their "arguido" status to be officially lifted if the case was shelved, but it is not unusual in Portugal for people to remain official suspects for years on the basis that new evidence could still emerge.   What evidence has been gathered?   Portugal's strict judicial secrecy laws mean that almost nothing is known officially about the lines of inquiry pursued by the investigation team. Yet a culture of successive leaks from within the PJ to the Portuguese media means that vast amounts have been written about the twists and turns of the investigation.   Despite an admission from the PJ's national director, Alipio Ribeiro, that his force had been "hasty" in declaring the McCanns "arguidos", much effort has gone into analysing alleged discrepancies in the accounts of the night of the feared abduction from the McCanns and the so-called "Tapas Seven" – the friends of the McCanns who were eating with the couple at an on-site restaurant.   During interviews last August, it became clear that police were exploring whether Madeleine was given an accidental overdose of a sedative. There has been extensive forensic analysis of Apartment 5A, where the family were staying, and of a Renault Scenic car hired by the McCanns. Reports suggested that DNA found in the car came from Madeleine's body but subsequent leaks said the forensic proof was too badly degraded to support any such conclusion. The McCanns have always denied any involvement in their daughter's disappearance.   Were the McCanns victims of a smear campaign?   The McCanns have privately expressed concern that they are being framed for their daughter's disappearance. Last year Chief Inspector Olegario Sousa, who acted as the public face of the Portuguese investigation for its first four months, made it known through friends that the leaks from within the inquiry were part of a strategy to exert pressure on the British couple to reveal any involvement in Madeleine's disappearance. The result has been a concerted fightback by the couple to clear their names as well as maintain interest in finding their daughter. The Portuguese police have been heavily criticised for some aspects of the conduct of their investigation, which included leaving the crime scene unsecured and leaving the border with Spain open for 12 hours after the feared abduction.   Is anyone else still under suspicion?   Robert Murat, an Anglo-Portuguese property consultant with a house just 100 yards from Apartment 5A, was questioned and made an "arguido" 11 days after the disappearance, apparently after a British newspaper reporter alerted police to his "suspicious behaviour".   The 34-year-old acted as unofficial translator in the early days of the police hunt. An extensive search was carried out of his home, which he shares with his mother. After 10 months of investigation, the PJ returned to Mr Murat possessions seized in May 2007 including clothing and a computer amid speculation that he was no longer a suspect. His lawyer said yesterday that he would only be satisfied when he was formally declared to have no involvement in the case.   What role has the media played in the investigation?   Within a few hours of Madeleine's disappearance, a relative of the McCanns appeared on BBC Radio 4's Today programme to appeal for help in finding the toddler. The subsequent tidal wave of sympathetic coverage took on a more disturbing tone as public appetite for news on the story was sated by leaks suggesting the involvement of the McCanns to the Portuguese media, many of which were subsequently reported again by their British counterparts.   In March this year, the Daily Express and Daily Star published unprecedented front-page apologies to the couple and paid out £500,000 after they started legal proceedings stating they had been "grievously wronged" by the papers' coverage. Mr Murat has also instructed solicitors to examine libel proceedings against 11 publications.   Are we any closer to finding Madeleine?   Prosecutors are not expected to make a formal decision on whether or not to shelve the case until August. Coincidentally, this is when the ban on revealing any details of the PJ investigation also expires. Clarence Mitchell, the McCanns' spokesman, said yesterday that he hoped that any decision to "archive" the inquiry would also entail all police evidence being made public to allow the family and their Spanish-based private detective agency, Metodo 3, to re-examine every line of inquiry. The couple have said they still believe their daughter is alive and will never abandon their hunt to find her.   Has the investigation into Madeleine's disappearance achieved anything at all?   Yes... * Though progress has been slow, Portuguese authorities deny the investigation has been closed * If the case is allowed to lie on file, that does not mean it is closed. Information could come to light in the future * The case has been given a huge amount of resources in Portugal and the UK. The lack of a charge does not mean a lack of effort No... * After 14 months, hundreds of interviews and dozens of volumes of evidence, no one has been charged over Madeleine's disappearance * Despite early optimism, efforts by a private investigation firm to find Madeleine have also foundered * Not only does the case remain unsolved, but crucial mistakes early on by police may have made their job far harder

McCanns are backed as police 'drop case', 02 July 2008

McCanns are backed as police 'drop case' Leicester Mercury   By Gary Mitchell 10:30 - 02 July 2008   Neighbours and well-wishers have rallied around in support of Madeleine McCann's parents following reports that the Portuguese police investigation into her disappearance would be dropped. Many people near the family's home in Rothley were asking "What happens now?" in the search for the missing five-year-old, while expressing relief that the focus could move away Kate and Gerry McCann as suspects.   Dozens of reporters and broadcast vans descended on the village yesterday for the first time in months after the Portuguese media quoted a police source who said the case would be filed away due to "lack of evidence". However, the country's attorney general has stressed that no decision has yet been taken. Attorney General Fernando Pinto Monteiro said the final report from the Policia Judiciaria had been received by prosecutors, and would receive "careful analysis and consideration". He said: "Public prosecutors will proceed to the overall analysis to determine whether or not other action is necessary or whether the conditions are sufficient to rule that the investigation be closed and a final ruling made." The McCanns' spokesman, Clarence Mitchell, stressed they had not been told anything, but called on the couple's arguido status to now be dropped. Mr Mitchell said: "Clearly, if they are effectively cleared by the shelving of this case, in one sense it has to be welcomed, because it means they will not be charged with any criminal offence and that's quite right. "They are entirely innocent of any involvement in the disappearance of Madeleine. "What should happen next is that, if this report is true, the Portuguese authorities should lift their arguido status immediately so that the world can see them as the wronged couple that they are. "On top of that, we are concerned that, if the police shelve this, who is going to search for Madeleine?" A candle still burns next to the war memorial in Rothley for Madeleine, who vanished from her family's holiday apartment in Praia da Luz last May. Her parents were understood to be away from home yesterday. Gwyneth Green, of The Flower Shop, in Rothley, said most people just wanted the little girl to be found and were behind the McCanns "all the way". She said: "I'm just pleased if the charges are going to be dropped. If they had not had all this focus on them they could have just got on with the job of finding Madeleine. That's how everyone feels here." Lynn Sharratt, who works in a hairdresser's in Rothley, said: "I wish there was just some good news for them (Madeleine's parents). Nobody thinks they had anything to do with it. "I just hope she is found and comes home to her mummy and daddy." Garry Taylor, who works in Rothley, said: "This whole case is tragic and for the parents to be put under suspicion was absolutely appalling. "If the police have closed the case the question is, what is the next step? How do they move on and try to find her now?" Rothley resident Frank Luce said: "It would appear that they (the Portuguese police) have reached the end of what they think they can do, but they haven't really had a clue all along, if we're honest. "What will happen now, apart from what Gerry and Kate will obviously be doing to find her?"

Madeleine McCann's parents face fresh turmoil, 02 July 2008

Madeleine McCann's parents face fresh turmoil icLiverpool   by Liam Christopher, Liverpool Daily Post July 2 2008   LIVERPOOL-BORN Kate McCann and her husband Gerry were left in agonising limbo last night after reports the Portuguese authorities are closing the investigation into their daughter Madeleine's disappearance.   The couple welcomed the prospect of having their official suspect status lifted, but expressed fears that police would stop looking for the little girl.   Portuguese newspapers reported that the case was to be shelved because detectives had failed to find enough evidence to charge anyone.   But the reports said the inquiry could be reopened if new evidence emerged.   Speaking from their Mossley Hill home, Madeleine's grandparents said they were awaiting confirmation of the reports.   Brian and Susan Healy said: "We have heard the reports but as they have come from the Portuguese papers we will have to wait for confirmation - if it comes."   Portugal's attorney-general, Fernando Jose Pinto Monteiro, insisted no decision had been taken on whether to close the 14-month investigation but confirmed Portuguese police have handed over their final report which runs to "dozens" of volumes.   Mr Pinto Monteiro said prosecutors would now consider the files before deciding whether to end the inquiry or order further action.   Madeleine vanished from her family's holiday apartment in Praia da Luz, southern Portugal, on May 3 last year, sparking a major police investigation and massive media coverage.   The case took a dramatic twist last September, when detectives made Mr and Mrs McCann "arguidos" - or formal suspects - in their daughter's disappearance.   Clarence Mitchell, the McCanns' spokesman, demanded yesterday that the Portuguese authorities lift their arguido status immediately.   "They should not have been in this position. They have suffered for long enough," he said.   He also urged police not to leave the investigation files to "gather dust" and called for the documents to be passed to the McCanns' own private detectives so they could continue the search.   "The police themselves must continue looking for Madeleine," he said. "We are concerned that if they are to simply shelve the case, then what will happen to all of the information in their files?   "They must be made available to our investigators, who are working extremely hard to find Madeleine."   The couple's Portuguese lawyers do not expect prosecutors to announce a decision on the future of the investigation until August, Mr Mitchell added.

McCanns hire new team of detectives to comb police files once 'suspect' status is lifted, 02 July 2008

McCanns hire new team of detectives to comb police files once 'suspect' status is lifted Daily Mail   By DAILY MAIL REPORTER Last updated at 12:02 PM on 02nd July 2008   Kate and Gerry McCann have hired a new team of private investigators to examine police evidence when they are finally cleared.   The couple are expected to have their 'suspect' status lifted in the coming weeks after detectives found no evidence linking them to the disappearance of their daughter Madeleine.   Lawyers acting for the McCanns will demand access to police files once the official Portuguese investigation is shelved.   The files, thought to run to several boxes, will be passed to a team of private detectives in a desperate search for clues.   After 14 months, police still do not know whether Madeleine is still alive.   Sources close to the McCanns revealed that work done by Spanish detective agency Metodo 3 has been scaled back and a new Britain-based team has been assembled.   Metodo 3 was being paid £50,000 a month out of the Find Madeleine Fund, but in recent weeks this has been reduced to a retainer of about £8,000 a month.   It was heavily criticised for a series of public pronouncements, including a promise by its boss to find Madeleine by last Christmas.   Details of the new team - and what they are being paid - are being kept under wraps.   A source close to the McCanns said: 'There is a new team working on it, based primarily in the UK although there are elements working abroad.   'They don't want to be identified for operational reasons. If we get access to any official documentation - either from Portugal or Britain - it will be examined by them.   'Any active leads it is felt the police have not followed up properly or left open-ended, they would move on.'   The Portuguese investigation into Madeleine's disappearance is understood to be 'inconclusive', and found no evidence to bring charges against the McCanns, who were made official suspects - or arguidos - in September.   The files are now with local prosecutor José Magalhães e Menezes who is expected to make the formal decision to shelve the case.   There are suggestions that suspect status could be lifted as soon as 14 July, which is when the Portuguese take a summer break.   Otherwise, the McCanns will have to wait until mid-August to learn their fate.   A third suspect, Robert Murat, is also expected to be officially cleared, with no evidence found against him.   Madeleine was three when she vanished from her parents' holiday apartment in Praia da Luz in the Algarve on 3 May last year.   At the time, her parents, both aged 40 and doctors from Rothley in Leicestershire, were dining with friends at a nearby tapas bar.

Police submit final McCann report, 02 July 2008

Police submit final McCann report Independent   By Cahal Milmo, Chief Reporter Wednesday, 2 July 2008   The end of the 14-month Portuguese investigation into the disappearance of Madeleine McCann – and the potential clearance of her parents of any involvement – came a step closer after it was confirmed that police have submitted their final report on the case.   Prosecutors in Portugal will decide next month whether to ask for further evidence or close the inquiry, thus declaring that Kate and Gerry McCann are no longer "arguidos" – formal suspects – in the disappearance of their three-year-old daughter from Praia da Luz in the Algarve on 3 May 2007. The couple, from Rothley, Leicesterhire, deny any involvement.   Portuguese newspapers reported that the case would be shelved because detectives have failed to establish whether Madeleine was abducted, murdered or her body concealed after an accident. But Portugal's attorney general, Fernando Jose Pinto Monteiro, insisted that no final decision had been taken.   The McCanns' spokesman, Clarence Mitchell, called for the couple's arguido status to be lifted but urged police not to leave the investigation files to "gather dust" and ensure that information was passed to private investigators working for the family.   He said: "Kate and Gerry will never give up searching for their daughter."

'Now clear our names': McCanns make a plea as Portuguese police close the file on Maddie, 02 July 2008

'Now clear our names': McCanns make a plea as Portuguese police close the file on Maddie Daily Mail   By VANESSA ALLEN, LIZ HULL and DAVID WILKES Last updated at 1:27 PM on 02nd July 2008   Madeleine McCann's parents yesterday demanded their names be cleared amid reports that Portuguese detectives have ended a 14-month investigation into her disappearance.   The inquiry has apparently failed to find any evidence to support the decision to name Kate and Gerry as official suspects, or arguidos.   The McCanns, both 40, hope to be formally exonerated within days.   Clarence Mitchell, the family's spokesman, said: 'They should never have been put in this position. They have suffered long enough.   'We know of cases where people in Portugal have been left arguidos for years. If that happened to Kate and Gerry, it would be completely immoral.'   He said officers should hand over the case files so that the McCanns' private detectives can continue the global hunt for Madeleine.   Three Portuguese newspapers report that police have filed their final dossier to the public prosecutor.   Fernando Pinto Monteiro, the country's attorney general, confirmed the prosecutor was making a decision on whether to close the case.   According to anonymous sources, the investigation will be 'archived' without charges being brought against any of the three named suspects - the McCanns and Robert Murat, a British ex-pat.   The reports suggest Madeleine's parents will not face charges of neglect over their decision to leave their three children alone while they ate dinner at a tapas bar 50 yards from their apartment in Praia da Luz, Algarve.   The couple have told of their guilt that they were not with Madeleine and twins Sean and Amelie on the night of May 3 last year when they believe an abductor struck.   Jornal de Noticias, a respected newspaper, said detectives could not even find evidence to show whether Madeleine was kidnapped or had died in the apartment.   The judge overseeing the case is expected to shelve the investigation without coming to any conclusion.   The case files would then be opened to the suspects' legal teams for the first time, allowing them to see why they were named as arguidos.   A second paper, Correio da Manha, said police 'did not have sufficient evidence to allow formal charges to be brought against the McCanns in the disappearance of their daughter'.   Carlos Pinto de Abreu, a lawyer for the McCanns, said he wanted to examine the case files 'from the first to the last page' to find any clues which could have been missed in the police investigation.   He said his clients, both doctors from the village of Rothley in Leicestershire, remained determined to do everything possible to find their missing daughter.   Mr Mitchell said the couple's legal team did not expect a formal decision about their fate until August.   He said: 'The Portuguese prosecutor will make the final decision. Until we have it officially from him, we won't necessarily believe it to be true.   'The search for Madeleine will go on with or without the police's assistance. Kate and Gerry will never give up the search for their daughter.'   Mr Mitchell said Portuguese police could have leaked the story to the newspapers to prepare public opinion there for the end of the case.   The McCanns have been the victims of a series of smears in Portugal, where a decision to clear them of any involvement in Madeleine's disappearance would prove unpopular.   Friends of the couple confirmed they were on holiday with the twins.   This will be their first real family break since Madeleine vanished days before her fourth birthday.   Mr Murat, a 34-year-old property consultant, has refused to speak about the case until he is officially cleared.   His lawyer Francisco Pagarete said: 'Robert had nothing to do with this from the beginning and that's what we want to be written.'   Mr Murat has begun a libel action against 11 UK newspapers and a television station.

Speaking of archival is "absolutely premature", 02 July 2008

Speaking of archival is "absolutely premature" Expresso   20:36, 2 July 2008 Thanks to 'debk' for translation    The Attorney General , Pinto Monteiro, emphasised that "there is no archival", much less is the PJ report concluded that "is (still) going to be analysed and studied" The Attorney General today considered it "absolutely premature" for someone to say, at this time, that the so-called Maddie Case will be archived, [referring to] the British girl missing from the Algarve May 3, 2007. "To speak of archival at this moment is absolutely premature," Pinto Monteiro told journalists at the end of a welcoming ceremony of the new Public Ministry magistrates that took place in the gardens of the Office of the Attorney General, in Lisbon. Pinto Monteiro emphasised that "there is no archival", much less is the PJ report concluded that "is going to be analysed and studied", being that "there is only an archival when the Public Ministry says there is archival." The Attorney General excused himself from speaking of the contents of the report, given that he hasn't yet read it, according to what the journalists have indicated. Confronted with the fact that the investigators did not unravel the mystery of the Madeleine McCain(sic) disappearance, Pinto Monteiro stressed that, around the world and from the beginning of time, "there are crimes that you solve and others that you don't solve," observing that it is "impossible [to have] a penal justice in which all the crimes are solved." The Attorney General also noted that this type of crime is "extremely difficult to resolve" explaining that, worldwide, approximately one million children go missing each year, and 80% of these cases are left open. As for criticisms made regarding the investigation of the "Maddie case", Pinto Monteiro justified that "criticisms are easy to make" and that, in Portugal, "there is nothing that isn't criticised." "Every investigation in the world is the target of criticism when they don't have results."

Witness was forgotten, 02 July 2008

Witness was forgotten 24horas   Mistake in the rogatory letter prevents interrogation of Irishman   Text: Carlos Tomas 02 July 2008 Thanks to 'astro' for translation   In a report that was sent to the Public Ministry, the PJ admits that it does not have evidence to accuse Maddie's parents and does not know what happened to the little girl. A case where Justice is revealed as ineffective, like other recent cases that we remember in these pages. Madeleine's parents will remain arguidos and may still be accused over having left their children alone An important witness was not officially heard by the Judiciária within the investigations into the disappearance of Madeleine McCann, 24horas was able to establish. The PJ requested for the witness to be questioned, in the rogatory letter that was sent to England, but the Public Ministry and the special team that was created to investigate the case, headed by the superior coordinator Paulo Rebelo, forgot that the witness is Irish, and is not within the acting sphere of the British Home Office, the equivalent to the Portuguese Internal Affairs and Justice ministries. "The Home Office controls all the information that is related with the English territory. Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales are outside this cabinet’s control", a source at Eurojust, the entity that helps European authorities when it is necessary to establish international contacts, explained to 24horas. "If we are requested to speak to the British authorities, we have liaison officials that do just that. But it is necessary to specify what country the request is destined to. In the Maddie case, it was requested only from England", the same source clarifies. Case has not been archived Neither the PJ nor the Public Ministry have requested the hearing of the Irishman who, in his first witness statement, early September last year, guaranteed to the PJ that he saw Gerry carry a child away in his arms on the evening of the disappearance, having clarified that he only remembered who it actually was after he saw on television how the missing child's father carried Sean, one of her siblings, when they arrived at Birmingham airport. The problem was that the hearing of this witness and of his family was requested to the English authorities, not the Irish. "It's a mistake that may have cost the investigation dearly", a source at the Public Ministry in Portimão admitted. The PJ knows very little about the disappearance of Madeleine McCann. It only holds a few witness statements that say that the child stopped being seen from 6 p.m. onwards, and the dogs' smelling that detected cadaver odour in a car that was rented by the McCanns 25 days after Maddie disappeared. Therefore, the Portuguese police hold no evidence that Madeleine's parents killed her or concealed her body, as they suppose. According to a report that was sent to the Public Ministry this week, the PJ team, lead by superior coordinator Paulo Rebelo, did not manage to find an element to incriminate the McCanns. There is only the hypothesis of accusing them of exposure and abandonment of minors, crimes that may lead to a condemnation of between five and ten years in prison. Thus the McCanns will stop being arguidos within the coming months, but they will gain access to the process from mid-August onwards. Pinto Monteiro, the Republic's General Prosecutor, manifested yesterday that the Maddie process is not over yet. "The Public Ministry will globally analyse and evaluate the entire process (which contains tens of volumes) in order to determine whether or not other diligences are requested or if the necessary and sufficient conditions have been gathered, in order to close the inquiry and to elaborate the final dispatch", the Prosecutor’s Office refers in a statement.

Detectives "by the dozens", 03 July 2008

Detectives "by the dozens" 24horas   McCanns hire more private detectives   Rute Coelho  03 July 2008 Thanks to 'astro' for translation   As soon as the judicial secrecy is lifted, the new investigators at the McCanns' service are going to follow leads the PJ could not investigate Apart from the already known investigators of Metodo 3, the McCanns employed more private detectives through other agencies. They have, inclusively, a team of agents from a firm with headquarters in Great Britain, Clarence Mitchell, the spokesman for Madeleine's parents, confirmed to 24horas yesterday. In total, the private investigators amount "to the dozens", he said, without detailing the total number. "We are going to extend and deepen the investigation where it is necessary. As soon as the information that is in the process will be freed from judicial secrecy, both in England and in Portugal, our detectives are going to check and re-check the data that the Polícia Judiciária worked upon. They will also be able to operate in several countries more swiftly than the PJ", he explained. Mitchell underlined that this is not a "criticism of the Polícia Judiciária". After all, "just like the English police, the PJ is also conditioned by the communications that they have to make to Europol and to Interpol, and by the lack of means". The Metodo 3 agency has not been receiving the generous monthly payment of 50 thousand pounds (63 thousand euros) for a long time. The Spanish detectives now receive 8 thousand pounds per month (10 thousand euros). "Metodo 3 only received 50 thousand pounds during the summer of 2007, when the detectives had to stay in the Algarve to collect information", Mitchell clarified. Brian Kennedy, the millionaire who is a friend of the McCanns, has given another donation to the FindMadeleine Fund in order to pay Metodo 3, Mitchell added further. British press razes Portuguese police In Great Britain, yesterday's newspapers razed the Portuguese authorities when they heard that the Maddie process could be archived by the Public Ministry. In the 'Daily Mail', columnist Allison Pearson wrote, with a front cover appearance: "If the Portuguese police had a shred of decency they would now make a public apology to Kate and Gerry". Tabloid 'The Sun' put the issue on their front cover: "The police quit searching for Maddie and we say… now clear the McCanns". The 'Daily Mirror' placed the title on page 7, citing Clarence Mitchell about the archiving of the case: "We believe that it is true… No accusation will be brought against Kate and Gerry". In Queen Elizabeth II’s land, the PJ’s image lies in the mud. Irishman may still be questioned The Portuguese authorities failed to request Eurojust (which establishes the connection between the European public ministries) or the British authorities to hear the Irishman who said he saw Gerry McCann carrying a child at around the time when Madeleine allegedly disappeared, on the 3rd of May 2007, from an apartment in Praia da Luz, near Lagos, Algarve. A senior official at the Public Ministry confirmed, as 24horas reported yesterday, that the request was never formalised with the Irish authorities: "Just one rogatory letter was sent to England and over fifty persons were questioned". But according to the same source, given the fact that the new depositions yielded nothing relevant for the investigation that had already been developed, the judicial decision about the case is still pending. "The process is being analysed. These are thousands of pages that must be read. Naturally, if at the end of said evaluation the questioning of the Irish citizen is considered relevant for the discovery of the truth, the corresponding hearing will be requested", the official from the Public Ministry said.   Facts AUDIENCE. It is set for the 7th of July, in a High Court in England, to decide if the McCanns can gain access to parts of the Maddie process, however this audience might be postponed, said Clarence Mitchell to 24horas. The lawyers are still discussing some details. PREMATURE. The Attorney General, Fernando Pinto Monteiro, considered yesterday "absolutely premature" for someone to say, at this moment, that the Maddie case will be filed.

PJ admits [possibility] of accusing Kate and Gerry of abandonment, 03 July 2008

PJ admits [possibility] of accusing Kate and Gerry of abandonment Destak   Madeleine case – Final report allows for an accusation that may lead to a prison sentence between two and five years   03 July 2008 Thanks to 'astro' for translation   If the death was proved, the McCanns could be subject to a sentence up to 10 years, according to the penal frame for the crime of abandonment.   Exactly one month ago, the main individuals connected to the investigation into the disappearance of Madeleine McCann met in an office at the Public Ministry in Portimão. Paulo Rebelo, the coordinator in charge of the case, Guilhermino da Encarnação, the joint national director from Faro, and Tavares de Almeida, the inspector in charge of the process, participated in the meeting.   According to what 'Sábado' was able to establish, the General Prosecutor from Évora, his joint prosecutor, the prosecutor from Portimão, and Stuart Prior, the head of Leicestershire Police, were also present. The meeting's sole objective was to define the strategy that may culminate in a formal accusation against Gerry and Kate McCann over exposure and abandonment. PJ tries to prove couple's behaviour The PJ's final report, which is over 100 pages long, was concluded over the last few days, and according to a police source that was contacted by 'Sábado', is "purely factual, objective, non-directional and without suggestions". In other words, a summary of facts that won't allow for the Public Ministry to go any further beyond "exposure and abandonment". A crime with a penal frame which, aggravated by the action from a parent or tutor, varies between two and five years of prison. The strategy will pass through proving that the behaviour of the child's parents (that was left alone with her younger siblings while her parents dined with friends in a restaurant on the opposite side of the swimming pool) propitiated her disappearance – independently of the occurrence of other crimes, like kidnapping or homicide, for which the PJ failed to obtain evidence that could be sustained in court. If they had appeared, even not implicating the parents directly, the penal frame for the same crime would be of eight years in prison, in the case of physical harm, or 10 years, if death were proved. The McCanns' Portuguese lawyer, Rogério Alves, guaranteed that he will wait with serenity for the contents of the report. "The couple's problem was that they lost their daughter and spent months hearing that they were involved", the lawyer said, little surprised about the suspicion of exposure and abandonment. "After all that we saw, it would be strange if it weren't that way."