Inconsistencies in the statements given by the McCanns and the group of friends
who were dining with them at the time of Madeleine's disappearance may have
been caused by errors in translation, it emerged today.
Portuguese detectives investigating the case of the missing four-year-old have
admitted that they are reassessing the original witness statements to look for
inaccuracies in their translation.
"In the early days of the investigation there were dozens of statements
being given at what was a very confusing time," a police source said.
"Obviously the police acted in good faith in their selection of
translators but given all that has been said about the various contradictions
in the versions of events, detectives are now re-examining the possibility that
there may have been some problems," he said.
The admission came as police undertake a thorough review of the case under the
new head of the inquiry, Portugal's
second most senior policeman Paulo Rebelo, 45.
He was brought in to take over from Chief Inspector Goncalo Amaral, 47, who was
sacked at the beginning of October, following a swathe of criticism that the
police investigation had been flawed from the start.
Detectives are now said to be questioning the decision to use Robert Murat, 33,
as an official police translator in the first crucial week after Madeleine
disappeared.
The British ex-pat, who is bilingual, was made an arguido - or formal suspect -
on May 14.
He was reportedly under police surveillance for at least a week during which
time he was repeatedly called in to translate the statements of key witnesses,
including staff and guests at the Ocean Club Resort in Praia da Luz.
Mr Murat's lawyer confirmed that his client had translated for police during
that time.
"My client, on the request of police participated in various operations
and was directly involved in the investigation," Francisco Pagarete told Portuguese newspaper 24 Horas.
"He swore a commitment of honour in Lagos
court to do the translations. The reports that my client translated are being
considered by the court and they were done under oath," he said.
It is unclear whether Mr Murat was directly involved in translating the
statements of any of the so called Tapas Nine - the name given to the McCanns
and the seven friends who dined with them on May 3 at their Algarve holiday
complex.
Speaking about the development the McCanns' spokesman Clarence Mitchell said:
"We will not comment on anything that goes to the heart of the
investigation."
But he welcomed a police evaluation of the translation process.
"The translation of the statements during Kate and Gerry's interviews took
a long time and it made the process far longer than it would otherwise have
been.
"Whether there are mistakes or not, if the fact that police are
re-evaluating this issue now is a sign they are thoroughly reviewing the case
then we would welcome that.
"Kate and Gerry have always said there are innocent explanations for any
alleged inconsistencies in their statements because they are innocent."
Mr Mitchell also issued a strong denial that there was "a pact of
silence" over what happened that night following claims that some of the
Tapas Nine had felt pressurised by the McCann lobby.
A Spanish newspaper yesterday reported that a lawyer representing one of the
friends of the McCanns said his client had felt he had to "keep
quiet".
The unnamed lawyer told El Mundo: "My client
feels obliged to keep silent about what he can do to help the investigation,
and not because of the Portuguese secrecy laws."
"It's not that he is scared of the McCanns, but the economic and political
lobby surrounding the couple is truly frightening to anybody," he said.
The lawyer said he had been asked by his client to contact Portuguese police to
arrange to be re-interviewed.
"The intention of my client is to bring to light the truth of this sad
story, without any concern for who might be implicated," he allegedly
said.
But Mr Mitchell dismissed the report as "speculative" and "utter
rubbish".
"All of Kate and Gerry's friends speak as one, they have one lawyer and he
has certainly not put out any statements on their behalf.
"None of the group have asked to change their stories and none have
expressed any worries about being suppressed.
"From the very start they have said they would be willing, in fact keen,
to discuss their statements with the police, and they remain so.
"To suggest that there is some kind of political pressure on the group to
stay quiet is outrageous," he said. |
