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Reports that top officials from the
Crown Prosecution Service in London have
had discussions in Lisbon with their
Portuguese counterparts about the
Madeleine McCann case have sparked yet
more intrigue in a six-year saga
brimming over with controversy and
mystery.
In breaking the latest story, the London
Evening Standard noted it was the first
time that CPS lawyers had visited
Portugal in connection with the
Metropolitan Police's £5 million review
of the case and that it brought "new
hope."
First reports gave the impression that
the CPS visit to Lisbon was very recent.
In fact, Alison Saunders, the senior
crown prosecutor for London, and her
colleague Jenny Hopkins, head of the
complex casework unit, visited in April.
"The visit of Saunders and Hopkins,
accompanied by Met investigators, is a
significant development – and adds to
speculation that the Met are about to
begin a new investigation into the
disappearance of the three-year-old in
May 2007," said the Guardian.
Amid conjecture over who might be
included in the "people of interest"
likely to be questioned in any fresh
inquiry, both sides in the heated public
debate over what may have happened to
Madeleine have taken heart from the CPS
involvement.
The Sun declared that "Brit prosecutors
have been to Portugal in the hunt for
Madeleine McCann's kidnapper —
signalling fresh momentum in the bid to
solve the mystery."
The Independent said the prosecutors
discussed "new leads." The Daily
Telegraph reported that the meeting was
held to discuss "possible next steps."
In fact, we do not know what was
discussed in Lisbon, only that the CPS
visit was conducted in total secrecy.
And it should be remembered that in
English law public prosecutors - the CPS
- do not investigate crimes. That is the
role of the police. The CPS decides on
sufficiency of evidence and then decides
whether it is in the public interest to
prosecute.
With this in mind, a key question: Were
the visitors testing the sufficiency of
the Portuguese evidence on various
points so as to be able to prosecute in
the UK?
Another question: By announcing the
visit to the press in recent days was
the idea to tempt revealing words or
actions by the person or persons
responsible for Madeleine's
disappearance?
Having held the talks in April, the
London prosecutors have perhaps had
sufficient time to make a report and
forward it for consideration to the
British Home Secretary, Theresa May. It
is for her to decide what the next step
should be.
Speculation among newspaper readers and
in online forums has been ratcheted up,
but, much more importantly, there is
fresh reason to hope that real progress
towards justice in this case may now be
on the way. |
