EXCLUSIVE: Goncalo Amaral issues plea for Kate McCann to "tell the truth", 10 May 2011

EXCLUSIVE: Goncalo Amaral issues plea for Kate McCann to "tell the truth" mccannfiles.com By Nigel Moore 10 May 2011 FORMER Portuguese police co-ordinator Goncalo Amaral has issued a plea for Kate McCann to "tell the truth" and spoken of his delight at having his freedom of speech returned. Speaking exclusively to mccannfiles.com on the eve of the publication of Mrs McCanns' book about missing daughter Madeleine, Mr Amaral said he was surprised at Kate's claim that she was writing her book "to give an account of the truth." "It is strange to hear the word 'truth' from the mouth of someone who didn't cooperate with the police when the investigation was open," he said. "And it was not any investigation; it was about finding what caused the mysterious disappearance of her daughter, and the enormous effort to recover her." Mr Amaral believes the McCanns have "the right to be able to write what they like about the case" and supports the fact that Kate "is using her freedom of speech". Something recently denied him. "A book that is written by someone who was a suspect may become of use as a document, maybe even a piece of documental evidence. Let us wait," he added. Mr Amaral, whose bestselling book The Truth of the Lie was the subject of costly legal action by the McCanns, said he "felt like a free man" when the injunction on his book was overturned by the Appeals Court in October last year. "The McCanns also felt free because they decided to write a book," he observed. The McCanns, who failed in their recent appeal to Portugal's Supreme Court to reimpose the ban, must now return all seized copies of the book, currently placed with their lawyer, Isabel Duarte, or risk incurring a criminal charge of disobedience. "Legality has been re-established," said Goncalo Amaral. "The McCanns have just lost one more judicial action that was paid for with money from a fund that they say is for recovering their daughter. "Both her and her husband were, and still are, more concerned with defending their image than in finding out what caused the child's mysterious disappearance." An English language version of Goncalo Amaral's book is yet to be released but he said: "After the McCanns' book is published, there is no reason whatsoever for The Truth of the Lie not to be published in the UK. The British people are entitled to know all of the facts." Mr Amaral believes that the process will be reopened and "the material truth will be known" and is dismissive of the McCanns' petition for a review of the case. "That is one of the misunderstandings that are created by the McCanns," he said, "they do not want the case to be reviewed, they merely want a review of the information that has been added after the shelving (sightings of the child). "If they wanted the case to be reviewed, they would ask for the crime process and the investigation to be reopened, and they would supply all of the reports from the various private detectives that they have hired. "To ask for the process to be reopened, all it would take is a letter to the Prosecutor, as it has already happened in so many other cases. It costs them nothing, just the stamp on the letter." If the process were reopened, Mr Amaral believes there are "several" diligences which could be carried out to help discover the truth. "There will always be diligences that will result from reviewing the investigation and the reports from the McCanns' private detectives. Those diligences will have to take the conclusions that the Police had reached in September of 2007 into account. "That is the starting point, but in the end it could happen that those conclusions are not confirmed. What is necessary is to complete an investigation that was suddenly interrupted due to the will of the parents of a child that has disappeared mysteriously." Mr Amaral has no doubts about which action would have to be undertaken immediately to help unearth the truth of what happened to Madeleine. "The first diligence, after the review, will have to be the reconstruction of that night of the 3rd of May, 2007."

Goncalo Amaral: "Justice works in Silence", 08 December 2011

Goncalo Amaral: "Justice works in Silence" Algarve123 Edition 707 ( 8 Dec 2011) His life has been ripped apart since he led the police investigation into the Millennium's greatest mystery, and came into legal confrontation with Kate and Gerry McCann. Goncalo Amaral has lost his family, his business, his assets and the income from his controversial book that states all the reasons why he believes three-year-old Madeleine McCann died in apartment 5A in Praia da Luz back in May of 2007. Now, four-and-a-half years down the line, he faces another hurdle: a trial for defamation of the McCanns – due to start in Lisbon in February – in which the couple are claiming 1.2 million euros in damages. Does he think he can win? "Of course", he says. This is the man whose maxim is "justice works in silence". He still believes the case of the world’s most famous missing person will be solved. And he told Algarve123 what he thinks is needed to get there... You wouldn't miss him in a crowd. Goncalo Amaral, 52, is strikingly tall with a penchant for hats. He was wearing a long black coat, a black fedora and a bright red scarf when we met him on the terrace of Casa Inglesa in Portimão. He looked much more like an intellectual than a former police officer, but these days his life is spent largely writing - an activity he's come to love as much as the police work that used to fill his days. Our first question: "How's life?" elicited the reply "Bad!" so any further niceties went by the board. What Amaral has always maintained is that the McCanns' zeal for litigation "will not bring their daughter back". He claims various legal suits against him, and a number of other Portuguese public figures who have verbalised "anti-McCann-story" sentiments, are totally out of keeping with the Catholic faith so fervently embraced by Madeleine's mother Kate. "Is it Catholic to hold sentiments of vengeance? To seek to destroy a family as mine has been destroyed?" he asks. "This litigation will carry a heavy price – but I have faith that the mystery will be resolved. "Even if I "disappear" in the process - as Kate McCann has written that she wishes I would in her book - I have a daughter and lots of friends who will make sure justice is done". It may sound theatrical - but Amaral is not about theatre. He is about truth – hard facts, solid investigative work. "The case has to be re-opened, and I have faith that it will be," he said. "It will either be when this current "procurador" leaves, or when the current chief of police leaves. It's not something I am pushing for - even if I could - it's just something I feel certain will happen. And when it does, the first, most essential thing to be done will be a reconstruction of that very first night – the night Madeleine disappeared. Because that's what happened: she literally disappeared! The reconstruction will have to involve all the parties: the McCanns and their friends. You see, there are so many inconsistencies in these people's statements that a reconstruction will very quickly highlight where they have not told the truth". An example of the power of reconstructions came only weeks ago in Spain where a father claimed his two children were abducted from a park. A police reconstruction quickly proved that the father had never taken his children to the park: witnesses who had seen him arrive in his car but hadn't noticed the children in the back seat, were surprised to discover that in the reconstruction the child-sized dummies in the back were clearly visible. The children's father is now in jail – although the children are still missing. Amaral explained that when Madeleine disappeared police didn't organise a reconstruction in Praia da Luz "because there were so many journalists on the ground" – and once the heat had died down, "the McCanns refused. They said any reconstruction should be made by actors – but the whole reason for reconstructions is to use the people involved, and see where their stories don’t add up!" Going back to that first night is logical: the initial 48-hours after any disappearance are crucial. They can literally mean the difference between life and death – but in Madeleine's case, Amaral is convinced of the latter. The theory that has led to his prosecution by the McCanns for defamation is clearly set out in his book "A Verdade de Mentira" (The Truth of the Lie) – banned from sale in 2009, and then "released" by the Appeals Court a year later. We say "released" because the books were actually never returned to publishers Guerra & Paz, and thus they and Amaral have had nothing to sell... "It's another part of the whole plot to assassinate my civil position," Amaral says matter-of-factly. "I've been left with no chances; no way of paying my debts; liens on my property. I've had to move away from my family in order to protect them. My marriage, well, it's not so good. Not good at all, really. My life seems to be all about divorce..." So how does he find the strength to move forwards? "Well, I put the McCanns in a metaphorical box and I am not really thinking too much about the trial in February. I think I will win, and then they will appeal – but I have to have a path. I want to open another consultancy. I had one when I left the police force, but that was destroyed when the McCanns went after me over "A Verdade de Mentira". So that's one thing - and the other is writing. I have recently brought out a new book: "Vidas sem Defesa" about missing children cases in Portugal, and I have another one almost ready (I am not going to tell you what it is about!). After that, I would like to take police "mysteries" and study them and write stories, not novels; stories based on facts to show what I believe really happened. There's a real lack of books of this type." So he's not angry over the agonies and frustrations he's endured from what came from essentially doing his job? "I have my anger well-guarded. No feelings for revenge. Like I say, they will pay for what they have done to me and my family – but through the courts. Even after everything that has happened, I still have faith in the Portuguese justice system". And does he have any clues as to what catapulted the Madeleine case into the stratosphere of media attention? Why did the McCanns receive so much help from the British authorities right from the very beginning? And why were they and the so-called Tapas 7 never taken to task for child neglect – considering that they all left their children alone at night during the ill-fated holiday? "Ah, now there we're getting into politics – and quite honestly, those are questions for the British public to ask. I don't have to have theories about them. My job was to find Madeleine". A job handed to him nearly five years ago – and one that he will never forget.

Goncalo Amaral - Maddie case leads to divorce, 12 February 2012

Goncalo Amaral - Maddie case leads to divorce Nova Gente The marriage of ten years yielded to the pressure of the Maddie case. Without assets nor money, the former inspector returned to his parents' home at the age of 53. To Nova Gente he spoke of his divorce, of his writings, about his daughters and of the litigation with the McCann couple... Published: Sunday 12 February 2012 at 17h44m With thanks to Joana Morais for translation After a few years you have decided to separate from Sofia. Did that happen as a consequence of the problems that you still have with Maddie's parents, namely, the fact that you were left without any assets, without means to provide for the family? It is still to early to make that kind of accountability. Marriages end for various reasons, which should usually remain within the personal scope of the former matrimony. However, it was a considered decision between me and the mother of my daughter, Inês. I remember Sofia has always supported you and at all times during this process. Even though you are separated does she continue to support you? In what way? Do you, Goncalo, also support her? Indeed it has been like that and it remains as such, however, right now, I want to preserve hers and my space. It is good to know that she is willing to support me, but I feel better to go alone to the final fight. As someone once said: when we were kids we did not call our family to fend for us. Now it is time to be alone, making sure that this is the best way to defend my daughter and her mother's interests. Will there be a filing for divorce? The divorce is by mutual agreement, and I do hope that is declared as soon as possible, so Sofia can follow her path and I mine. We do not hold any grudges and our only concern is the future of our daughters. I often say if the mother of my daughters is well, they will also be well, and that is my main preoccupation. How often do you visit your daughters? How do you manage that? Do you go to the Algarve to see them or do they come to Lisbon? Whenever I can I will go to the Algarve or they will come to Lisbon. I still consider Rita as my daughter, even though legally I might not be [her father], I continue to worry about her and her future; it was a decade that I saw her grow up, and it is not possible to erase that as if switching off a button. The internet and the cell-phone also help shortening the distance from my daughters. You have been increasingly close to your eldest daughter, from another marriage. Did she follow your steps? My eldest daughter, now 27 years-old, became my confidant. I still worry about her future, even though she has achieved her academical goals (Bachelor's Degree, Master in Criminal Law and an unemployed 1 Lawyer), I generally say she is part of the so-called "geracão à rasca" [desperate generation] 2. Her mother and I were able to do for her what many parents did and wished they had been able to do, which was to provide her with conditions in order to succeed, but that seems to be delayed for now. My only wish is for her to be happy. Don't you miss your family life? I believe the nostalgic feeling for the family life is not beneficial. Obviously, I cherish the memories of that family life, but I am divorcing from my wife not from my daughters, and they for me remain the primary reason for my existence. Are you enjoying your new life as a 'single man'? Is it easier yo be married or to be single? It is different, it isn't possible to make any comparisons. How did you solve things? Was it difficult, lengthy, complicated? It wasn't easy, but neither was it difficult. There was a consideration and a joint assessment of our relationship; the conclusion that it was exhausted, reached calmly and quietly, made us understand that it was necessary to change our lives, nothing more. Did you ever think that because of an investigation, such as Maddie's, your life would be turned upside down? I never thought that, but that was only possible due to the servilism seen in our country in its relations with the United Kingdom, where our politicians and our intellectuals have forgotten the values of justice and truth. If, relatively, to the politicians, it is normal that they choose reasons of State rather than values that shape democracy, it is not acceptable nor understandable for the intellectuals to do the same. On the other hand, families feel helpless not knowing what they can do in pursuit of their loved one, and what to expect of police and judicial authorities. The fact that you have now, with 53 years-old, returned to Olivais [area in Lisbon], to your father's home, is it a return to your origins, to the beginning of your life? It is a fact. My mother has passed away, my brothers no longer live here, and now it is just me and my dad relearning to live together. It has been interesting in every aspect, mainly because he still sees me and my friends as the youngsters of other times portrayed in the book dedication [Vidas sem Defesa/Defenceless Lives] to the "mocos do meu bairro" [boys from my neighbourhood]. How is life treating you? My life is at a stage of profound changes. Everything is going well in terms of feeling supported by my family and childhood friends, here in the neighbourhood I am just like anyone else, I circle almost anonymously amongst friends and acquaintances. In economic and financial terms I am starting to take the necessary steps towards stability. To this end, I have defined a strategy with my new lawyer, which is to oppose the legal action taken by the McCann couple and to solve in a comprehensive manner all other situations. "Vidas sem Defesa" [Defenceless Lives] is a manual for the parents of missing children or a cry of revolt? What led you to write this third book? Defenceless Lives is a manual for the parents of long term missing children, for technicians working in the area of support to these families and also a cry of revolt in the absence, in our country, of structures capable of studying the phenomenon and of giving the answer that should be given during any disappearance of a child. A fast and effective response is slow to occur, there isn't a unified police structure, planning and specific training is lacking. Of all the case mentioned by you in this book, which moved you most? And Rui Pedro's case? All of them have touched me, it is difficult to elect one amongst all the cases, all of them filled with despair and anguish. Rui Pedro's case [disappeared in 1998] is special, since it serves as example of the inertia and inefficiency of the police, as a result of lack of planning and specific training of the investigators in charge of the case initially, but also as an example of the the struggle and tenacity of a family, particularly the child's mother, who did everything so his disappearance would not fall into oblivion or end up covered in dust at the judicial archives. The introduction to the book is a return to your childhood neighbourhood, of always... What lead you to write that memory? It is an important memory because it took me to the time when the children of this country seemed able to play, like flocks of sparrows in the wild, and grow away from the dangers of today, without internet or cell-phones, and, as everyone says: we were happy. The dedication to the "mocos do meu bairro", was made after I returned to the neighbourhood were I grew up, where I met again many of my childhood friends and companions of those times. Amongst them, and still living in the same building, I have found the father of Margarida, this is a young woman of 19, who struggles like we do for the realization of her dreams. Among those, she dreams of studying theatre, if possible in England, but due to the current financial crisis, that might not be so easy. I always tell her it is good to dream and to believe in the realization of our dreams. Margarida decided to be baptised by the Catholic religion, something which will take place in the coming months, at the moment she is preparing herself at the local church in order to fulfil her desire and she has already chosen the godfather. The choice fell on me and fills me with pride, not only for the affection that I have for her, or for the friendship of decades with her parents, but mostly because I see in her a young woman who wishes to grow in faith, approaching the Church, knowing Jesus Christ, without stopping to live her youth times, like all young people she is able to distinguish between the temporal and spiritual. It was close to the parents of Margaret and her youth that I have rediscovered lost friendships over the years from a life of wanderer due to my profession as a criminal investigator. Writing has been a constant since you retired as a Judiciary Police inspector. Is it a passion? I will reveal a secret. In my teen years I started "scribbling" an account about my family's life. We originate from a small village in Beira Alta [Northern region of Portugal] which in the early years of the 1960's migrated to Lisbon in search of a better life, having gone trough bad moments, but many good, remembering well what meant to be a member of a large and poor family, but when we were all together those were moments of eternal happiness. I never finished that story of life hoping one day to do it, but everything has its time and the right time to do so will arrive. For now it is time to conclude the "Madeleine case" and write about what, in my opinion, still remains to be done to ascertain the truth, the steps of investigation that need to be taken to know what really happened to that child. The investigation of this case can be considered as an unfinished investigation that needs to be completed. As I write about the "Madeleine case", about which I am not obsessed, I fight solely for the fulfilment of justice and truth, values ​​that shape my life and the so-called democratic societies, I am also writing about another police world, the drug trafficking. Do you already have an idea for the next book? I have an unfinished book, with the title: "Trafficking and passions", where I give an account about the criminal investigation of the crime of drug trafficking over the past three decades, the criminal organizations, traffickers as persons (subject to desires and passions), and not as mere criminals, the methods used by traffickers and the response given by the Judiciary Police. The civil suit for defamation brought against you by the McCann couple - that was about to be tried but was postponed - and where they claim for 1 million and 200 thousand euros, do you see that as a Coup de grâce applied by them? Do you have good chances of winning? It's not a Coup de grâce, it is a serious attempt to annihilate me as a person and as a citizen, however the McCanns have no facts to substantiate their claim and perhaps they don't even have the legitimacy to do so. I have always trusted in justice therefore I am certain and confident of winning that civil case. Marinho Pinto has offered himself to testify in favour of the McCanns against you. What do you have to say about that? And what exactly is the libel case about? Dr. Marinho Pinto is a free citizen and he is entitled to be a witness for anyone, whomever they might be, and regarding that matter I have no further comments. This is not a libel suit. In fact, under the scope of the injunction filed by the McCanns, the Superior Courts have already decided that I did not violate any private rights of the couple, let alone libelled them. They were able to freeze your assets, the fees of "Maddie, The Truth of the Lie" book, in short, they have left you without funds and without employment; they have affected your life and of your family. Can you understand the reason why the couple wishes to see you completely destroyed? Is it hatred against you? What feeling does all this provoke in you? The couple does not forgive me for the reason that in my book "Maddie, The Truth of the Lie" ["Maddie: A Verdade da Mentira"] I wrote the facts and the conclusions of the investigation up to September 2007. They had difficulties in coping with the truth. Initially they've depreciated the book. Two years later they remembered the book existed, coincidentally, I had just been appointed to be a candidate for Mayor of Olhão by a certain political party, and the book was about to be translated into English and eventually released in the United Kingdom. That was too much for them, they had to carry on with their campaign of discredit against my person and jeopardise the subsistence of my family, which by the way is not at all Catholic, as they claim to be. And all because the couple is afraid the truth is known. Goncalo, you have won at the Court of Appeals the injunction against the publication of the book "A Verdade da Mentira", where you defended the thesis that Maddie had died in the Algarve. The appellate judges considered the prohibition on the book violated the Constitution. Was that a nice present? What happened next? Did you have the books returned, were you indemnified in some way? The McCann couple does not comply with the decisions of the Portuguese courts since they have not yet returned the book copies of "Maddie: A Verdade da Mentira", given to their lawyer as a trustee, although the court has already adjudicated 3. I doubt the books still exist, I even suspect they might have been destroyed, reason why I denounced the case to the Public Ministry [Attorney General's Office]. After nearly five years from Maddie's disappearance, do you believe the case will be reopened? Do you still defend the reconstruction? It is very difficult for the case to be reopened in the near future, it's all a matter of political will. However the decision of the civil process, may play a role in creating that political will. In the case of a reopening of the investigation, the reconstruction will always be one of the first steps to be taken, there is no doubt about that. Does the couple have feelings for vengeance against you? I don't know if they nurture feelings of vengeance on me, everything points that way. They prey on me to silence uncomfortable voices. The dispute that opposes them against you will end when? Is it a high price to pay because you didn't found their daughter or because you have said that probably they were the negligent ones? They were negligent, you need only read the archival dispatch made by the Public Ministry and recall the facts. I have nothing to pay to the McCann couple, but they do, they should have already acknowledged publicly the commitment and efforts of the Portuguese investigators in their search for their daughter, often leaving behind their own families and children. They are rich and still ungrateful. Where have you gone to get the strength to continue life? To my daughters and to the values that I defend, among them, it is always worthwhile reiterating, justice and truth. Do you have feelings of revenge at those who destroyed your life, like the McCanns? I do not have feelings of revenge because I understand the couple is doing a "headlong rush", for example, if the process where Madeleine's disappearance was investigated had not been prematurely archived, the reality would be different. However, the moment will come when the damages caused to my family and to myself will have to be accounted for and reimbursed, there is no doubt about that. Goncalo, you have lost everything you had. How have you survived? I have survived with my retirement pension, or rather, with part of it, even because the company that I created after my retirement from the Judiciary Police has been ruined by the McCann couple. I do have projects for my life that do not depend on that couple, but since I know they do seek to destroy me I will not reveal them here. Who was and who is now Goncalo Amaral? Do you continue to fight for what you believe? I am a Portuguese man like any other, with flaws and virtues, I have always placed my family above all, despite having constituted family twice. I live for my daughters and for the happiness of those who are near me, it is enough to know that the other is happy for me too be also happy. I defend the values that life has ​​instilled in me, and yes, I am stubborn in defending those values​​. A democracy only makes sense if there is justice and truth, if a man has value beyond the State, there are not neither should there be reasons of State which place in question those principles. Do you miss being an inspector? Of returning to the investigation? What do you miss most? Of the adrenaline, of the decision on the edge, of the autonomy and initiative that each criminal investigator should have. If the McCann couple come to Portugal to attend the trial, would you like to address them and tell them something? Those questions would have to be answered within the scope of the criminal process that was investigating Madeleine's disappearance. What would you like to tell the couple if you could say something to them? That the lack of money is bad, but the lack of judgement is much worse. What are your expectations for the future? They are good, I hope in the coming months to resolve, with the support of my lawyer, all the problems that I have and be able to fulfil the dreams of my children and of those who are close to me. And a dream of yours... I would like one day to create a foundation that would support the integrated development of underprivileged children in order to fulfil their dreams and give them the material conditions to survive in a society which increasingly turns its back on the other. ------------------ Translators notes 1 With the current financial crisis in Portugal, 28.1% of the younger generation are unemployed. This is considered by some the most highly skilled (with university degrees) generation in Portuguese educational history. 2 "Geracão à rasca" - A youth movement that was created to protest against unemployment, opposes the deterioration of working conditions and the dismantling of social rights. They also actively question the effectiveness, inevitability, legitimacy and democratic nature of the intervention of the International Monetary Fund, European Central Bank and Financial Stabilization Fund in Portugal. Term used to describe the younger generation that is facing difficulties due to the financial crisis. 3 Res judicata, final judgement that is no longer subject to further appeals.

Police cases: "The Truth of The Lie" is on its way, 17 February 2012

Police cases: "The Truth of The Lie" is on its way TVmais (full version appears in paper edition) By: Hernâni Carvalho tvmais n.º 996 * 17 to 23 February 2012* PORTUGAL With thanks to Joana Morais for translation Maddie Case - pages 110 to 111 He told TVmais that he has hired the lawyer of the police officers, that he is divorced and that he assures there is going to be news in the upcoming days. Goncalo Amaral can now sell the books that were banned, but no one has returned them. The version of the former PJ coordinator-inspector regarding the Maddie case was liberated by the court and can return to the news stands. It's a "victory of freedom against the inquisition" Goncalo Amaral told TVmais. The book "The Truth of the Lie" was seized and its sales prohibited following an injunction that Maddie's parents filed against Goncalo Amaral and his publisher. Goncalo Amaral appealed that decision at the Appeals Court, the latter proved the former PJ officer was right. Then the McCanns appealed to the Supreme Court of Justice. However, that superior court refused their request. That means the book can be sold and Goncalo Amaral can receive the author rights from his writings. The problem now is that the trustee of the book copies - the McCann's lawyer herself - has not yet returned them to Goncalo Amaral nor to the book publishers. "The Truth of the Lie" still awaits. Police Super Lawyer Due to the process the McCann couple have against him, Goncalo Amaral had his goods and assets seized, as well as his author rights. With the recent release of his books, part of this sequestration stands without effect. It's the first victory in Goncalo Amaral's new defence strategy. Goncalo Amaral confirmed that he discharged his previous lawyer and gave all the cases to Santos de Oliveira, known as the police super lawyer. "I can confirm that I have hired Dr. Oliveira, but I won't make further comments. Results will speak for themselves". In good spirits, the PJ coordinator-inspector says that he can finally see some light at the end of the tunnel. At the moment he is just waiting for his books to be returned so they can be on the market again, "as it should happen in a free country, after all I've only written what is in the case files," he said. Divorce "Yes, I'm divorced from Sofia, with whom I remain a friend and with whom I share the education of our daughters. The priority is to give them stability. And, yes, I am living in Lisbon with my father and I won't say anything else about my private life. At the end of all this (a lot of water is still going to flow in the Thames river...) someone will reimburse me for all the wicked actions taken against me... Then, I will tell the rest," said Goncalo Amaral in a single burst, without accepting any further questions. Court: Maddie's Guardianship Upon request of the McCann couple, Maddie is at the guardianship of the court [Ward of Court]. In practice, this means that the search for the young girl will not be prevented. The decision to grant parental responsibility to a court in England may, in future, derail or inhibit the girl's parents to bring further actions on her behalf, since that becomes the prerogative of the court. But the important thing is to discover the whereabouts of the girl. McCanns sue another one The parents of Maddie, who disappeared in 2007 (when she was 3 years old) from an apartment where she was left alone with her two year old siblings, the twins, in Praia da Luz, in the Algarve, have now sued Anthony Bennett by attributing to him the authorship of a smear campaign. Bennett argues the McCann couple are responsible for the alleged death of the girl and has released this message in various publications and leaflets. The retired solicitor, Anthony Bennett, and chairman of the Madeleine Foundation, faces a possible prison sentence if found guilty of the accusations made by the McCann couple. Madeleine Foundation Founded in January 2008, the foundation aim was to draw attention to missing children cases. From the beginning, its chairman has always been critical of Maddie's parents, indicating that they had some responsibilities in the unknown fate of the child. In November 2009, after a long legal battle, the couple managed to close the Foundation's web site. Bennett and the couple reached an agreement at that time and the solicitor took the commitment to not say or publish that the couple was in any way responsible for the death of their daughter. Now, the McCanns say that he did exactly the opposite.

Maddie has been missing for nearly 5 years, 17 February 2012

Maddie has been missing for nearly 5 years SIC - Querida Júlia 17-02-2012 Hernâni Carvalho interviews Goncalo Amaral ---------------------- Rough guide to video: 0.00 - 02.40: Video of Canadian psychics in Praia da Luz (as seen previously) 02.40 - 04.40: Júlia discussion with Hernâni Carvalho 04.40 - 07.15: Goncalo Amaral joins studio discussion 07.15 - 09.45: Hernâni Carvalho interviews Goncalo Amaral on Rocha Negra 09.45 - 17.15: Studio discussion continues 17.15 - 22.15: Hernâni Carvalho interviews Goncalo Amaral outside apartment 5A 22.15 - 25.20: Studio discussion continues 25.20 - 31.53: Júlia discussion with Hernâni Carvalho (unrelated to Maddie case) --------------------- Maddie Case: Goncalo Amaral returns to Praia da Luz Joana Morais Maddie Case: Goncalo Amaral returns to the "Ocean Club" Transcript From 0:00 to 2:10 – Extracts from "Até à Verdade" [To the Truth] show where two Canadians psychics share their experiences regarding Madeleine McCann case with Rita Ferro Rodrigues (English). 2:10 – Extract from that same show with Criminologist Francisco Moita Flores [FMF] comment: "It is surprising for someone to discover the golf course and a ravine, a ravine with a steep downslide... I don't know, I believe the ravine is important. I would look at it again. Rita Ferro Rodrigues [RFR]: Francisco, if you were the investigator you would look at it again? FMF: It's always good to have a look again, regardless of the provenance of the information, where one has searched before. 2:40 – Cut to Júlia Pinheiro's morning talk show. Júlia Pinheiro [JP]: Those were the mediums of "Até à Verdade" on the Madeleine McCann case. Hello, Hernâni. Hernâni Carvalho [HC]: Good afternoon, dear Júlia. JP: Good afternoon, dear Hernâni. Would you like to make a comment on the information that we just watched? HC: They are very interesting... In Portugal there is a certain scepticism regarding these kind of people. I do not have to hold an opinion on that at least that is not the important issue, in my opinion. And it is not important, because, either the institutions are useful with all the methods that they use or they are not, that is, there were at certain moments people who wanted to request the help of the FBI to assist the investigation. Well, we should start by saying that the FBI does seek advice from psychics in difficult cases. So, either... 03:30: [Lower Third] Maddie disappeared almost five years ago... JP: In the Anglo-Saxon culture, namely in England, that also happens. HC: Exactly. JP: Specifically these same mediums. HC: Precisely. In England, and in Canada, as you said, in the Anglo-Saxon culture this is also used. JP: These gentlemen are Canadian. HC: It should be said that Scotland Yard also works with people that allege that they feel those things, and in Canada the authorities that make criminal investigations also consult that kind of people. In the European continent it is uncommon; however, it is known that some police forces have used mediums, in a more or less overtly manner. The Judiciary Police itself did listen to things, texts, opinions of people who say that they have, let us say, this sensations... JP: We have Goncalo Amaral sitting next to you. 04:40 – [Lower Third] To follow: Goncalo Amaral returns to Praia da Luz. HC: Exactly, this was just until he arrived. JP: Who coordinated the entire investigation. This was just a warm up until he arrived. [Laughs] HC: So, without wishing to give my opinion relatively to what psychics may feel or not, since we now have here the responsible for the investigation, the first question that I will make him is... JP: Good afternoon. Goncalo Amaral [GA]: Good afternoon. HC: And the first question is, Goncalo, did you receive or not information from these people who have a special "phone" to the other side and if you did, did you take that into account or not? GA: In cases like this one, it is very common for messages to appear, several information, some of which were staggering for the... for example, a drawing that I remember, an image, it was a figure of a person who resembles someone who would appear in the case. Later on, I am able to say who it was. Nevertheless, we the investigators are men of facts. We rely on facts, in indicia, and we are to some extent sceptic regarding these situations. HC: So you received that kind of information? GA: Lots and lots of information, just like the family, who also received, who pondered about a few and even delivered emails and other things to the Judiciary Police, saying were the body could be or where it could have been placed - the Madeleine McCann family. There was something initially, you've spoken about the FBI early on, when we considered requesting the FBI assistance, the FBI was always... the FBI, which is a US agency for criminal investigations, was always willing to help. There was a set back by the National Directorate of the Judiciary Police, due to a possible clash with the English police that were working with us and the arrival of the FBI, but the first thing the FBI wanted to do initially was to send us a, let us call it, a clairvoyant, a medium that works with them. Which was... JP: That was the FBI first procedural step? GA: Immediately, in the first days. However, I believe the National Directorate... JP: It was SIC who brought them; six years later SIC took care of that. [Laughs] GA: But it was not those gentlemen [reference to the Canadian mediums who appeared in "Até à Verdade" show]. JP: No, it wasn't them, it was a woman. They collaborate with investigations in the US and in Canada, which is where they live and where they are university professors in a university where these lines of investigations are seen as pertinent. Whilst in reality, in our southern European culture is not [seen as relevant]. But let's move to the facts, Goncalo Amaral spoke about facts. In May it will be the 5th anniversary of Madeleine McCann's disappearance, fact. Goncalo Amaral and Hernâni Carvalho returned to Praia da Luz and to the ravine, the one mentioned by the mediums in the "Até à Verdade" show. Let's watch it. 07:14: Cut to Hernâni Carvalho at the top of the cliff, in Praia da Luz. [Lower Third] "Maddie Case": Goncalo Amaral returns to Praia da Luz! HC: Some of the key points mentioned in the TV program broadcast by SIC a few days ago were precisely the beach and this cliff, and also a golf course and all that makes sense with a thesis emerged in May 2007, that said that the little girl could have been carried inside a sports bag or in a golf bag, brought trough the golf course to this cliff and then thrown here. Moita Flores said, in that show, that in doubt he would also come back here. Goncalo Amaral, what did the police do here in Praia da Luz? GA: On the first night, searches were made using sniffer dogs, with the help of the public, and all of this area was searched, here... HC: But also the rocks down here? GA: Yes, in the rocks down here, at the base of this cliff, probe rods were used to search in the sand and in the soil in the cliff's base, in order to release eventual odours of cadaver, and nothing was detected. Aerial searches were conducted in the first days as well as at the planning, the planning was preceded by an assessment, let us call it, an overview of the entire area by a helicopter that was ceded by the civil protection of Faro, and nothing was detected. As to that hypothesis, of throwing a body - and I recall that the little girl's weight would be about 30 kilos – from here to the sea, I would say that is impossible. Notice that the sea is not immediately beneath here, the cliff does not have a vertical steep [drop], there is a vertical gradient [slope] and the sea is still far away. A great strength or almost a gigantic person would be needed for the body to fall in the sea, and in the deep sea. There are photos, taken in the rocks down below in the water, were we can see searching, certainly he was not searching for his live daughter... HC: Are you referring to Maddie's father? GA: To Gerald McCann. Maddie's father. HC: He was walking around here, in the rocks below? GA: Yes, there are pictures of that. Gerry McCann & his wife's cousin Michael Wright, May 9, 2007, credits Vasco Célio/AFP/Getty Images HC: But in that case, he would have to have the firm belief that the girl was dead. GA: I do not believe that he was looking for crabs nor searching for a live daughter. According to Moita Flores, it would be important to return to this area, I believe so, even because there are people who continue to say today that the body might be around here, and continue to give information about places. It should be looked at, the police should make searches, they should reopen the process and resume the investigations. There is much to be done still. 09:44 Cut to Studio JP: Hernâni, I hand over to you the first comments. HC: The question is, following that thesis regarding the hypothesis that the girl was carried in a bag... JP: In a golf bag. HC: In a golf bag or in a sports bag, the question is... JP: Let me just show the picture. [Behind HC and GA there is a flat TV screen, Gerald McCann carrying a Golf bag is shown] Here it is, Gerry McCann with the golf bag, I have to stress that this picture was taken by a British photojournalist, Brian Bould. HC: Without prejudice, I am not saying that it was Mr. McCann, it's different. What I am saying is, in the hypothesis - which was one of the theses at that time - that the girl was taken from the bedroom, carried inside a golf bag, or inside a sports bag, by whomever made her leave the bedroom, and then carried her through the golf field to the cliff... We already know, and it is not difficult to understand, that it is not possible to throw a body weighing 30 kilos from that point, because the body would never fall inside water, never. With a small rock, a rock with the size of a hand, it is impossible to toss it into the ocean. So, the question is, would it be possible for the girl to have been kept hidden at the cliff area and then be taken from there? GA: It is possible; indeed that is the thesis, the conclusions that are reached by the police until September of 2007. That the child's body was kept somewhere. On the first night, the body was taken from the apartment and placed somewhere, and it was not detected. The searches made that night were to find a living child not a dead one. Then later, we know, because of the indicia, we get that information from the indicia that was found in the car rented 20 days later, that probably a body, a cadaver was placed there and it was likely Madeleine McCann. The FSS handled the information... HC: We will speak about the FSS later on. GA: I am talking about the information, we only had the information. I'm not talking about what can be proved or not. The information that the police had and was working with. We were at six months from the beginning of the investigation, we should have followed that line, to understand where that body – if there was a body – was placed... HC: But the question is, how is it possible to keep a body on that cliff without cadaver deterioration? Crime Scene Photo showing Blue bag inside bedroom closet, Maddie McCann Process, Volume X, page 2563 GA: In that place the body would always decay. The issue with the bag is the following, Gerald McCann said at one point in time that he did not have any sports bag. Mark Harrison, an English expert, who did the planning of the searches that were carried out with the CSI dogs, of the cadaver odour and blood, at the end of July, early August, puts forward that serious hypothesis - that the body was taken inside a sports bag, he speaks of a golf bag, of a sports bag – and indeed a sports bag existed. There are photographs taken inside the apartment [rented by the McCanns/5A] immediately after the disappearance, an hour later, and the sports bag is there, inside the closet and is of a darkish blue colour. Thus, those photographs exist, contrary to what anyone can say that they did not own a sports bag – the sports bag was there. A sports bag, even though there wasn't any brand like "Adidas" in the bag, but it was a bag of that kind. So, what happened to that bag, what took place next, other situations ensued relatively to another bag, something that it's not worth mentioning now here, there are people who also talk about a bag... That cliff area is an important zone, several people talked about it, there were many important events that took place there, events that people saw and suspected, in the golf course area, in the path to the geodesic mark, all in that area. Therefore, it is an area where it is worthwhile to make a search again. But to be searched in the scope of an investigation that is reopened. HC: Curiously, the whole area was thoroughly examined, that should be said. GA: As well, yes. HC: The whole area was examined, the whole area was acquired, the whole area was divided... GA: There is an important detail... HC: You do not have access to that area, because today you can see that certain parts are private, curiously, almost in the path that goes to the cliff's escarpment. GA: There is an important aspect and that is the diary of Mrs Kate McCann. There are some who have the opinion the diary was written to be read. At a certain point in time, following the dates given there just a few days after the disappearance, Mrs Kate McCann says that she is running, doing her jogging – the daughter is missing and she is doing her training – and on there, on that plateau that we are seeing right now, she said that she was climbing it when she saw a number of journalists, of people, and that she begun suspecting that the body of her daughter had been found. That is in her diary. She points to that area. When they have hired... HC: But pointing to that place, is using as basis that the child has lost her life?! GA: Exactly, it was always like that, since the beginning the parents, at least Kate McCann, have always spoken about the death of the child. Those emails that they delivered [to the PJ] of a clairvoyant that explained where the body could be, beneath the church area, inside a sewer collector. HC: I cannot agree with that... I believe it was Gerry. Gerry said, "If you think the girl is dead then show me her body". GA: Well, perhaps he knows that there is no body. That is another question; I do not know why he says that there must be a body. In order to prove that the child is dead it is not necessary to have a body. Actually, in this case, if we could abstract ourselves of the name of the child that disappeared, of the child's parents and just look at the facts, in an objective manner and move forward with the investigation, facts would speak for themselves! There is no point in saying that the child is dead, or that the child is alive, what we need is to work the investigation and carry it out to the end, something that was not done. Let us forget for a few moments who is Madeleine McCann, who are Madeleine McCann's parents, and let us look at the facts objectively. At facts that are in a process, that some have already tried to dismiss as being historical, as if the process had no importance. We will only know the truth – and that is what matters - and in that truth we will know if the child is alive or dead, and where she can be, what happened to her; if we proceed based on those facts. HC: But it is the parent's conviction, or at least is the conviction that is best known, that the child is missing and the parents have reiterated that they believe the child is alive. GA: I don't think so... JP: That she is alive... GA: I don't think so, and I'll tell you why. I will give you an example, Hernâni. There was a certain lawyer, who went to dams searching for a body. Método 3, an investigation agency that worked for the couple, hired that lawyer, to link two cases, the Joana Cipriano case and the Madeleine case. He was searching for a body. Today, defending him, in a libel suit that I have moved against him is the McCann's lawyer [Isabel Duarte]. So if he says the child is dead, why are the McCanns' defending him? Why are the McCanns in court [against me]? This is the kind of contradiction that no one understands... JP: Indeed no one understands that. Let us watch now... HC: Let us go to the apartment. JP: Let us go to the apartment. Let us tackle the facts, the facts mentioned by Goncalo Amaral. HC: Facts. JP: Fact: May, five years since Madeleine McCann disappeared. After we saw the considerations made by the mediums in the TV program "Até à Verdade", we are going to ask someone who was involved in the process, Goncalo Amaral and Hernâni Carvalho our man in the field. They have returned to Praia da Luz to the very place, to the bedroom door, from where the child disappeared. 17: 17 Cut to Apartment 5A, Praia da Luz, Algarve HC: Madeleine McCann disappeared on the 3rd of May of 2007 from this apartment in Praia da Luz. From the apartment 5A of the Ocean Club. Moita Flores, for example, does not believe the child could have been taken through this window. In fact, the window is right next to the door [HC points to the door right next to him, turns to Goncalo Amaral and asks him] Objectively, I would ask you if, in your perception, would it be possible for the little girl to have disappeared through this window? Crime Scene Photos, depicting forensics work done on Madeleine & the twins' bedroom window, in Maddie McCann Process, Volume IX, page 2319 GA: It is our conviction, and from the indicia that were collected during those initial months, that it would be materially impossible for this window to be the means of entry or exit, particularly since there are no traces of a break-in. What we have instead are vestiges of a simulation inside - namely a simulation where the window is opened. There are fingerprints of Kate McCann opening the window towards her left hand-side, whereas she says the window has always been closed, with the shutters always down and therefore all these... There are no footprints or anything similar. Undeniably, this window, as I have said before, is a window 'facing the world' and it is where the solution of the case lies. HC: As the investigators put it, no one enters through a door and then exits through a window! GA: It is a fact and if you watch closely, the door it is less exposed than the window. It would be much more spectacular to exit through the window rather than the door, which is rather more hidden, more receded than the window. Therefore, this door would be a more obvious way to exit. 18: 46 The scene then changes with both HC and GA walking past the Ocean Club's information board at the streets intersection. As they pass underneath another of the apartment's windows, the living room window, GA draws HC's attention to it and comments: GA: That is the other window where inside is that sofa where blood vestiges were found, which the FSS said that it could belong to Madeleine McCann... HC: Behind that window? GA: Yes, on the inside. HC: Where the blood vestiges were found by the floor? GA Yes, by the floor and where there was also cadaver odour, besides the blood. 19:11 Camera pans briefly at the rear of Apartment's 5A [garden corner where cadaver odour was also detected] before focusing in the rear access staircase to the same living room area GA was just referring to. Immediately afterwards GA and HC enter the small gate that opens directly to a public road and climb the stairs. HC: So, this was usually the service entrance; the street access of apartment 5A, right? GA: Exactly, the apartments, or rather the manner in which that group of tourists entered their apartments was from the rear; both the McCann couple as well as the others, which were on the ground-floor, on the other side. This raises questions such as... The path that is there [pointing towards the alleyway] was the one used by the other members. When Jane Tanner said that she goes up the street, and walks around in order to go home, that to us rings hollow because this was the usual pathway. Gerald McCann himself goes as far as to say that when he came to see his daughter at about 9pm, that he does not enter through here [sliding doors]; even though he was in a hurry to reach the bathroom. Yet he chooses to walk the longest path [round gesture with extended arm], to open the door [main entrance] with the key. There is a report from Control Risks, the first private detective agency which was brought to the case [by the McCanns] in the very first days, where they state, after speaking with Gerald McCann and other witnesses in that group [Tapas 9], that the key that Mr Gerald McCann alleges to have used had in fact been left in the kitchen, on the kitchen's counter. Right away, the lies started. Moreover, in order to have an abductor he would have had to enter through here [sliding doors]. Apart from the fact that there are no traces of a break-in, there aren't any fingerprints, he could have used gloves for example, in any case the entry would have to be done through here. There are no signs of a forced entry anywhere; not in the door nor in the window. There is a simulation, as if someone wishes to make others believe that the bedroom window was the passage point of the child, which, in our firm belief, could not have taken place. Crime Scene Photos, perspective from the McCanns apartment to the Tapas restaurant, in Maddie McCann Process, Volume I, page 21 HC: The parents have said that they were able to keep an eye on the apartment from the restaurant [Tapas] but that is hard to see how, particularly bearing in mind that it was night. Goncalo Amaral, Dr. Moita Flores, said a few days ago, publicly, that it is his profound belief that Maddie likely died in this apartment, what is your conclusion? GA: My conviction is identical, based on the evidence. [small cut/edit at 21:09] So, exactly what happened? There are the blood vestiges, the cadaver odour that appeared precisely in the place where the blood was, that appeared in the couple's bedroom, that appeared here [pointing to the apartment's backyard] in the shrubs that were there, at the back. Add to that the contradictions and the inconsistencies of all the testimonies, and then there is something that should have been made, the reconstruction of the events, which was refused by the witnesses, by the [McCann] friends; the couple never came back for it and until today that remains to be done. That would be enlightening. GA: The investigation process should not have ended, in October [2007], in the way that it did. From then on, it was six months up to the archival, and today continues to be archived. The answer for the case is in that investigation, that is there, gaining dust, stored in a court archive until it's 'dead'. Or maybe, until someone is brave enough to order the reopening of the process, and continue the investigation. 22:19 Cut back to studio JP: Hernâni, You have spoken a while ago about something public, that I myself don't understand how it's related to this: hairs? HC: Yes. I don't know if you remember this, of the times that we worked together on this case... In other times. JP: At another place [referring to when her morning talk show was broadcast by TVI] HC: Suddenly, Madeleine's hairs where all over the place! Hairs were sent to the FSS, hairs were sent to the Lab, hairs were sent to the police, hairs everywhere. GA: Too many hairs. HC: Please explain, how is it possible for a child who disappeared to have so much hair? GA: I don't know, but it is a fact that there were several hairs, that were sent, and the conclusion is that they likely belonged to the child. Even the hairs that appeared in the boot of the car rented 20 days later [by the McCanns], they were sent to the FSS [Forensic Science Service]. Hairs that... HC: Is it possible for me to have a hair and than say "this hair belongs to Mr. José António" [figure of speech]? GA: I was about to explain that. The FSS stated that due to the hair tone, they belonged to Madeleine McCann, but that they couldn't extract the DNA because the hairs did not have any roots. Nowadays, labs in Europe can actually extract DNA without the roots, and arrive to a conclusion, if the DNA belongs to that person or not. Furthermore, those hairs can help us understand if the child - like her grandfather said, some journalists also said that at the time - did take an antihistaminic in order to sleep at night. And then consider the influence that it could have produced. Those hairs, if they still exist and if they do belong to Madeleine, and if she was indeed – her siblings never woke up in that night – given, like her grandfather said in the English television; if the McCanns gave the children Calpol at night in order for them, or for the little girl to sleep... From that point on, we might be able to arrive to a conclusion regarding what happened. When they write in a book that the girl's sleeping disorders had ended years ago, that is a lie, since the problems that concern that child, existed to the last day, to the day of her disappearance. And there is evidence that establishes that. HC: Goncalo, I have to tell you this, and you know that this is public. Since the beginning, I have always thought that it was very strange that Madeleine disappeared; but there were several conclusions that one could formulate particularly due to the other two children that did not disappear. However, there is a question – and we are already without time to continue – there is a question that I must ask: Who decided that the FSS should be the one, instead of any other forensic lab, to make all those analysis? GA: The Police Directorate, we wanted to 'trust' in the English police... HC: That is all that I wanted to know! Okay! JP: [Laughs] HC: It was just that. There are several excellent laboratories, famous all over the world in Switzerland, in... GA: We didn't want... HC: ...it had to be in England! GA: It is similar to the non-arrival of the FBI, we didn't want to create friction, a "diplomatic incident". JP: It was due to a diplomatic settlement that everything turned out the way it did. GA: It is due to diplomacy that we are now here. HC: Thank you, Goncalo. JC: I thank Goncalo Amaral - who was truly committed to this case - for coming here today, for clarifying and for providing us with information regarding some aspects of this case. Ends at 25: 39

The statement below, 'Kate and Gerald McCann respond to Goncalo Amaral', has been reproduced here to place into context a comment from Goncalo Amaral - in the interview that immediately follows it - in which he refers to "the need [of Isabel Duarte] to proceed with a campaign of disinformation and slander against me. She should not forget what she has been saying, because she will answer for that in court."

Kate and Gerald McCann respond to Goncalo Amaral, 28 February 2012

Kate and Gerald McCann respond to Goncalo Amaral Jornal da Regiao - Oeiras 28 February to 5 March 2012, page 2 With thanks to Textusa for translation/scan It falls upon Kate and Gerald McCann, under the Law of the Press, to exercise the right of reply, and rectification, in relation to the extract published in issue No. 300, on page 3 under the heading "Look who's talking", originating from the article in the "Nova Gente" magazine, edition of 13 February 2012, pages 86 and 87, as follows: The title assigned to the piece, does not correspond to its content, and is intended only to "sell" the reading of the piece. This fact is evidenced in the first question asked and in the answer given by Goncalo Amaral. However, the guiding thread of the interview, and the eighth to tenth questions, seek to instil in the reader the notion that the victim of the irreparable character assassination suffered by the parents of Madeleine McCann at the hands of Goncalo Amaral, is Goncalo Amaral himself and not they whom he, organised and ruthlessly, destroyed. However, the believable truth regarding the content and intent of this interview, can be based solely on the following facts: Goncalo Amaral got rich at the expense of the disappearance of Madeleine McCann, and it is known today that the profits derived from spreading, via all open and available media to the ex-inspector coordinator of the case investigation, were, within only one year, at least and demonstrably, in the order of €342,111.86. From the cautionary injunction ordered by the 1st Civil Court of Lisbon, Goncalo Amaral's moiety was frozen in the single share he held in his single-name society, not preventing him from continuing to work nor preventing the referred gentleman from continuing to write or engage in other tasks that he sees fit, as a citizen, even with a tainted criminal record. However, no apprehension was made of goods or financial values, which were held by that society. This society, in no year since it was established in 2008, has ever presented, even, its public accounts, contrary to what it should have done. From the amounts received from copyright, above mentioned and related with the publication of the book "The Truth of The Lie" and with the aired TVI documentary and the DVD sold with the newspaper "Correio da Manha", and other activities engaged in by ex-inspector Goncalo Amaral, as well as the rights of at least six editions of the book in foreign languages, no amount was seized. With regards to the villa that Goncalo Amaral had in Urbanizacao Cerro Azul, in Quelfes, there aren't any losses to the referred interviewee that are to be attributable to the parents of Madeleine McCann. In fact, in 2009, there were several mortgages pending on this house as well as a registered asset freezing originating from a lawsuit brought by a brother of Goncalo Amaral against him and his wife, for, demonstrably, as stated in the sentence pronounced by the 2nd Civil Court of Family and Minors Court of the District of Seixal, having sold a house to a third party, after having received the amount they should receive for it, from the mentioned brother, who had helped them pay previous debts. The parents of Madeleine McCann got to know about such action after their intervention in this was raised by the enforcement agent in charge, a person who also seems to have some important information about what is explained above. About this house there were pending asset freezings originated by the tax authorities, as the interviewee in question, despite being a civil servant, had tax problems, long before the publication of the book and of the documentary. Currently this house is owned by Banco Espirito Santo, one of the creditors, with visible credit problems with the referred interviewee, long before the publication of the book, and, therefore, the actions brought by the respondents. About the "Jaguar" vehicle with licence plate 28-FB-58, which at the date of the process was owned by the single-name society mentioned, was, on January 21, 2010 sold to a third party and on whose name it is currently registered, so that neither the parents of Madeleine McCann nor any of the several other creditors had the possibility to use it to cover the various debts incurred by the referred, repeating, long before the book's publication. As for the pension that the former inspector receives, in the amount of € 2,039.16, it's being deducted from it a percentage of less than 0.1% of the known values received by the ex-inspector for the book and documentary, which he delivered finished to his publishers even before the criminal process, which was under judicial secrecy, had been archived, thus disrespecting the ex-inspector, in this as in other aspects, duties incumbent to him, even in the situation of retirement. Moreover, on this pension, there has previously been executed a seizure, originated in a process by the Finance Services of Olhao, for tax debts. The parents of Madeleine McCann have no voice in Portugal. Everything was taken from them, the daughter, the honour and the possibility of a civic life, they were annihilated as citizens, deprived of rights or social credit, which did not happen, as can be seen in the interview with the gentleman who annihilated them. For this reason, it falls upon Kate and Gerald McCann to request that their response is published in its entirety, whilst offering to pay what is considered as a possible excess of text. Isabel Costa Pereira Mandated by Gerald and Kate McCann

"I suspect that my books were destroyed", 01 March 2012

"I suspect that my books were destroyed" O Crime (paper edition, pages 12 & 13) Cover-page: Goncalo Amaral goes on the attack New episodes of the Judicial war with Maddie's parents The complaint of the alleged destruction of 7500 books The review of the evidence The work of the private detectives ------------------------ O Crime, March 1, 2012 | Nº1544, pages 12/13: The new source of conflict between the former Judiciary Police inspector and the McCann couple revolves around the devolution of the book written by Amaral. The courts annulled the injunction pending over the work, and now, the former inspector claims back his 7500 copies of "Maddie – The Truth of the Lie" whose trustee is the legal representative of the McCanns in Portugal. Interview by Carlos Saraiva [Director of "O Crime"] Thursday, March 1, 2012 With thanks to Joana Morais for translation "O Crime" – The Court of Appeals has decreed the book copies (Maddie –The Truth of the Lie) that were apprehended should be returned to you. Do you already have them in your possession? Goncalo Amaral - The Lisbon Court of Appeals has decreed that my book and my opinions did not violate the privacy rights of the McCann couple, the parents of the missing child, wherefore the injunction was peremptorily refused. Did the judicial ruling transited in rem judicatam [become a matter of record/final]? The decision of the Court of Appeals did not allow a recourse. Even so, the distinguished lawyer [Isabel Duarte] of the couple managed to delay the transit of the judicial ruling, which occurred in November 2011, following a decision contrary to the McCanns issued by the Supreme Court of Lisbon. They have been selling a "pig in a poke" and I am beginning to doubt the McCanns are aware of the decisions of the Portuguese courts. Perhaps they continue to pay without knowing the outcome. Why weren't they returned yet? I doubt the books still exist. In fact, it should be recalled the McCanns' lawyer has always affirmed that those books would never be put on sale again. Exactly from where does that sureness come... I have no idea. I only know that lawyer and her clients do not abide by the decisions of the Portuguese courts, which can be a clear indication of their character, or, at least, of their behaviour within the Portuguese legal system. Allow me to remind you that, due to my suspicions that those books were destroyed, I have denounced the situation to the Public Ministry [Attorney General's Office]; currently taking place at the DIAP [Department of Investigation and Penal Action] of Lisbon is a criminal process for improper clearance or destruction of objects placed under the public domain (Article 3551 of the Penal Code), abstractly punishable by at least a sentence of up to five years in prison, where the suspects are the McCann couple and their illustrious lawyer. Of how many copies are we talking about? In question, approximately 7,500 book copies. When they are returned, will you re-market them again? Those books or a new re-print should be already on sale. The book publishers "Guerra e Paz" will know more about that issue. At what stage is the civil proceeding the McCanns have against you? We are at a pre-trial hearing stage. Presently, my new lawyer has been "tweaking" a process that was halted and that has stirred some panic in the opposing side. One of the strongest arguments of the accusation alleges that Goncalo Amaral became enriched with the book's author rights. What is your reaction to this claim? If someone wants to talk about "enrichment", they should think firstly in the parents of the missing child, in their family, in their support "staff" and in their illustrious lawyer. In the latter case, it would be important for the aforementioned lawyer to state how much has she earned and what are her prospects regarding future gains, not to mention the other lawyers, the private detective agencies and PR companies. Do you have any expectations as to the result of this lawsuit? The only expectation that I have is that we are going to win the action, since there are no facts or material facts to support the claim. The action of the McCanns is inept. It is this that causes a great despondency in the illustrious lawyer, who felt the need to proceed with a campaign of disinformation and slander against me. She should not forget what she has been saying, because she will answer for that in court. As you well know, the Prime Minister David Cameron, has ordered a re-evaluation of the investigation in England regarding Maddie's disappearance. How do you assess that decision, admitting that the English will hardly have access to the investigation in Portugal? The decision of that Prime Minister has been twisted. The McCann couple has spoken of a re-examination of the child's "sightings". When, in fact, what is known is that Scotland Yard, who were appointed to re-evaluate the whole investigation, has set aside the pseudo-sightings, focusing instead on the investigation process that remains archived. Elements from Scotland Yard have been working with an investigative [Judiciary Police] team from Oporto (Oporto because Algarve and Lisbon has already been involved), and what is known is that the "affair" is not going well for the McCanns. The Maddie case, one can say (it's not a secret) that, it disrupted your career in the Judiciary Police. What sorrows do you have concerning that? I do not agree with that! The "Maddie" case happened at a stage of my life when I was already tired of saying "yes". Just and only that. Where you naïve? Not at all. I left the Judiciary Police by my own initiative and with my head held high, I worked in there for almost thirty years and I had a successful career with an immaculate track record. Let the detractors attempt to denigrate my career, because, we will soon talk. So far, the clues gathered by the private detectives that are searching for the child, even the ones that received media coverage, were revealed as useless, and have probably caused more confusion in the case. What is your opinion? The private detectives, in general, were more concerned in creating false stories about the Portuguese investigators [Judiciary Police officers] in charge of the case, or in creating bogus sightings. The McCann couple should have the courage to disclose all the reports spawned by those private detectives and then we would understand what has been the purpose of the fund that was created to find the child. That would be very interesting. In fact, let me remind you of the performance of the [Spanish] detective agency "Método 3". Those men have fabricated several sightings. At a certain point in time, Christmas of 2007, they actually said that the child would be home by that same Christmas. At that time, they were trying to link their investigation to the disappearance of Madeleine. They actually went on to "contact" a lawyer/psychic to make that connection. That character [Marcos Aragão Correia] was the first person who, publicly, affirmed that Madeleine was dead, and who then proceeded with searches at dams in the Algarve. It is bewildering, or perhaps not, that it is the illustrious lawyer for the McCanns who is defending him in the action that I have made against him for qualified defamation [180º to 184º of the Penal Code], a crime for which he is on trial at the Court of Faro, is the very same lawyer of the McCanns. Let us stop here and reflect a little. Let us recall what the McCanns have stated when I expressed my opinion which implied the child was dead - that I was, according to them, undermining the searches to find her. Now, I will ask you or any other citizen for that matter, this: What could be the reason for the McCanns' lawyer to defend a person that manifests the idea - an idea which he has expressed publicly - that Madeleine is dead? Furthermore, what was the motive for "Método 3" to contact the lawyer/psychic? Surely, that was not done with the intent to find the child alive. Do you still believe that one day we will know what happened, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that is? One day, someone will find a solution that is both, politically and diplomatically correct. --------------------- Notes 1 Penal Code | Book II - Special Part | Title V - Of the Crimes against the State | Chapter II - Of the Crimes against Public Authorities | Section III - Of the Violation of Public Injunctions Article 335: Improper clearance or destruction of objects placed under the public domain Those who destroy, damage or impair, totally or partially, or, in any way subtract from the public domain to which is subject to, a document or any other movable object, as well as something that has been seized, withdrawn or subject to an injunction, is punishable with imprisonment up to five years, if a more severe penalty is not applicable by virtue of another statutory provision. ---------------------- Portuguese version of this interview: mariacpois.blogspot.com