Newly nominated magistrate has to
approve Scotland Yard's letter rogatory
for the diligences to be resumed.
The arrival of English officers at the
Algarve, for more diligences in the
investigation surrounding Madeleine
McCann, foreseen for this month, is
delayed. The nomination of a new
prosecutor at the Public Ministry in
Portimão, who inherited the case, is due
to delay the approval of the letter
rogatory from Scotland Yard that
requested the diligences.
The new magistrate at the Public
Ministry in Portimão entered functions
this week. He is now getting acquainted
with the processes and priority will lay
with cases that have detained arguidos,
which are considered to be urgent.
Therefore, the fifth letter rogatory
that was sent by the English to the
Attorney General's office will only be
analysed by the Public Ministry
afterwards. Then the decision will be
forwarded to the PJ and only then may
the diligences that have been requested
by the British, which include some more
questioning, be initiated.
Meanwhile, a report from the English
Home Office that was publicised
yesterday, censors the involvement of
several British government agencies into
the investigation that followed the
disappearance of Maddie McCann, in May
of 2007, from the Ocean Club in Praia da
Luz. According to the Home Office, the
English investigators "ran over each
other", creating in Portugal and in the
Portuguese police forces "a feeling of
being colonised". |