portugal stay in control of case?

Officials in Portugal are understood to have granted permission for the Metropolitan Police to review their files for the first time.

Madeleine’s parents Kate, 43, and Gerry, 42, have renewed interest in their case this week with the release of a book on the topic and a series of related interviews.

On Thursday, on the occasion of her eighth birthday, they accused David Cameron, the Prime Minister, of lacking sufficient commitment to children.

Last night, a statement was issued saying Scotland Yard would “bring their expertise” to the search, after discussions between Mr Cameron; the Home Secretary, Theresa May; and Sir Paul Stephenson, the head of the Met.

However, few concrete details were available as to what form any Scotland Yard investigation might take.

It is understood it will fall to a team under the control of Commander Simon Foy, one of the Met’s most senior officers and its head of homicide and serious crime.

His team has not been formed nor a budget set, sources said, but it is likely that officers will fly to Portugal for the investigation.

Madeleine, who lived with her parents in Rothley, Leicestershire, went missing from her family's holiday apartment in Praia da Luz in the Algarve in 2007.

The official Portuguese inquiry into Madeleine’s disappearance was formally suspended in July 2008, although private detectives employed by the McCanns continued the search.

Mr Cameron personally wrote to the McCanns to confirm the reopening of the investigation.

He described their ordeal as "every parent's worst nightmare and my heart goes out to you both".

He added: "I simply cannot imagine the pain you must have experienced over these four agonising years and the strength and determination you have both shown throughout is remarkable.

"I am acutely aware of the frustration you must feel as more time goes by and yet no news is forthcoming. That you have been so courageous over all this time and have not given up speaks volumes."

It is understood a lot of work has been going on behind the scenes between the British and Portuguese authorities but agreement was only reached in the last few days.

Portuguese police have repeatedly declined the Met’s offers of assistance in the past.

This will be the first official involvement of the Met although senior officers are thought to have advised Leicestershire Police, who have liaised with their Portuguese counterparts.

The development means Scotland Yard detectives will now have access to the files and documents allowing them to go through them in fine detail.

However, the Portuguese police will continue to be in charge of the case.

The McCanns welcomed the announcement and thanked Mr Cameron and Ms May for committing “such a significant resource” to “begin this review process”.

However, it does not yet represent the "independent, transparent and comprehensive review" which the couple had demanded from the Prime Minister.

A spokesman for the couple said: “It’s clearly a step in the right direction. The expertise of the Metropolitan police service is renowned and we are reassured by the Government’s commitment to the search for Madeleine.”

A spokesman for Scotland Yard said: "We can confirm that the Metropolitan Police Service has agreed, at the request of the Home Secretary, to bring its particular expertise to the Madeleine McCann case.

"The Portuguese authorities retain the lead and we are not prepared to discuss it further at this time."


at last the mcann and the pros s didnt get everything their own way!!! portugal is still in charge!!!

So, in the end, things do not change at all. All these statements and letters are just political doublespeak to look as if they are appeasing the McCanns.

So how does it work, Cameron issues and order at the request of St. Kate & Gerry to review the case, Scotland Yard fly to Portugal at the expense of the British Tax payer, swan in and tell the PJ they are bungling foreign cops who cannot even speak English. That they have so far bungled the entire Madeleine investigation, that they have leads in the files that were not followed up, and heaped misery on to poor Kate and Gerry McCann by making them arguidos and shelving the case. So, hand over the files so we can follow up all the leads that you have missed or sightings ignored that will lead us the finding Madeleine. Ignore the Gasper statements though, ignore the scent of death from the dogs that were sent in by the British, ignore all the lies and inconsistencies that were told by the McCanns and their Friends, just point the finger at the incompetent Portugese PJ and report back the Cameron.

There has been too much going on behind the scenes for this to have happened in a few hours. Does anyone not think the Government knows about the book ban, the overturning of it, the libel case. They sure know about the Gaspar Statements and will have spoken to Portugal about the details of the case. I think this is huge exciting news, the McCs arent overwhelmed with their step in the right direction comment, but I dont think theyll ever get what they want which is for them to review the files.

The review is being undertaken in Portugal, not in the UK. That should say a lot. Yes it does cost the UK taxpayer thousands, i said on a few posts yesterday the Budge will need to increase massively to have a review of Ben Neehams case, and that poor boy who was buried on the Moors. Dont forget about them Mr. Camerson. Hes set a precedent now. jimo

I hope JDomino pops up soon.

imo tanzi this is NOT what the mcanns wanted portugal police including GA still believe that they ha something to do something with maddies vanishing/ demise so imo they will look at all evidence again unbiased unlike the uk would

Babylistener wrote:So how does it work, Cameron issues and order at the request of St. Kate & Gerry to review the case, Scotland Yard fly to Portugal at the expense of the British Tax payer, swan in and tell the PJ they are bungling foreign cops who cannot even speak English. That they have so far bungled the entire Madeleine investigation, that they have leads in the files that were not followed up, and heaped misery on to poor Kate and Gerry McCann by making them arguidos and shelving the case. So, hand over the files so we can follow up all the leads that you have missed or sightings ignored that will lead us the finding Madeleine. Ignore the Gasper statements though, ignore the scent of death from the dogs that were sent in by the British, ignore all the lies and inconsistencies that were told by the McCanns and their Friends, just point the finger at the incompetent Portugese PJ and report back the Cameron.

well said too!!!

We are all off on this at a tangent. Look police authorties all over the world, from time to time ask for the assistance of experienced officers at the Met. Remember when that female politician got shot in Pakistan? Who did the Pakistani police authorities call in - thats right the Met! The reason for that is because Pakistan is a lawless country with corrupt officials and they felt that if the Met was dealing with it, it would take the heat out of the situation. Can't recall how that ended but anyway back to point.

The Met and the PJ are working together, and together is the operative word here. There will be a sharing of intelligence, but there will also have to be legal expertise drafted in from solicitors/barristers who will be working for the Met to advise them on procedural issues in how the Portugese operate and if as a result charges are brought, which is the best avenue to persue.

Look, I can tell you all categorically in big cases the Crown Prosecution Service solicitors and barristers at times work very closely with police enquires. They advise them on questions during interview, on technicalities so that the defedent cannot use a clause at a later date to get the case chucked out at court and a whole gamut of other stuff in between. Generally speaking the police and the CPS don't work as close as this on run of the mill stuff, it's generally filling in forms, statements and then submission to the CPS, sometimes the CPS chuck it back at the OIC and ask for more information before a decision is made to prosecute but it does have to pass a threshold test before the CPS will take it court - namely has it got a plus 90% chance of conviction.

Remember the Suffolk Stangler? The CPS and the Police worked tight on that case and this same will happen with this. The team they are drafting in will be extensive because they don't want any screw ups on this case. They want to come out with at least the minimum of no further action every line has been explored or at the outside chance a conviction(s) at Court. It may well be that the Portugese might be happy for the charges to be brought in this country, but it's all about diplomacy as well and lets face it Gordy Brown stuff well and truly put a knife in there on behalf of the McCann's. This is about building teams, forming working relationships, having trust in one another and getting a result. It might take months, many months even up to a year, but either way if I was part of the Tapas 7 I would either be thinking one of two things, coming clean about the whole thing or packing a bag ready for prison because either way they will all be interviewed - that is an absolute given fact. We won't hear of it until much later if a conviction arises out of it; but it will happen. There will be some significant sleepless nights ahead for all of them and guess what, every single one of them will be taken to different police stations throughout the country so that their duty solicitor is never the same one representing them. That will be done so that there can be no collaboration between brief and client to pre empt anything. This case ain't over by a long shot. We all need to sit back wait and watch what happens. We only know a snap shot of what is in those files, it's what Leics Police have got that interests me and believe me they will have allot more than the PJ will.

And I forgot to add - the Met have this really nasty habit of doing multi dawn arrests, so they might find themselves all being knocked up early one morning and shipped off to various police stations for further questioning. Doesn't matter how well they all co-ordinate to try and having the same solicitor, that brief cannot be all over the country in seven different places giving legal assistance when there is only a 48 hour time period in which to question!

There will be further interviews from the Met because you don't mean to tell me that they are bringing in the top detectives for them not to conduct any interviews. Oh dear Kate and Gerry doing your "No Comment" interview with our lot well you have just signed your own warrant of arrest. Haha it's when you are released on police bail pending further inquires that I am waiting for. Then the 99.9% of this country will turn against you. Still no matter you'll still have the odd McCannite supporting you - even murderers in prison get fan mail you know - you want to ask Peter Sutcliffe about that he gets about five or so letters a week

Equinox

Good posts - the only thing is - do the Mccanns have friends in the Met ?

Equinox, excellent posts

And tanzi too

Good post Equinox and I do hope you are right, it's just that if I see another headline in the paper with bungled, shambolic investigation, incompetent, bungling Portuguese copes, disgraced Maddie cop etc I will scream. How the Portuguese government/PJ have put up with constant barrage of insults from the British Media for the last four years is beyond me. Portual should issue a statment saying that their investigation concluded that Madeleine died in apartment 5a and Scotland Yard are welcome to go through files, and are happy to re-open the case and expect Gerry and Kate and tapas 7 to come to Portugal for a reconstruction. They should also stress that the McCanns were never cleared of any involvment in the disapparance of their daugher when the case was shelved, as they were never taken to court they just didn't have sufficient evidence to keep them as arguidos.