Theresa May asks permission for Met to start Madeleine McCann inquiry in Portugal

http://www.standard.co.uk/news/uk/theresa-may-asks-permission-for-met-to-start-madeleine-mccann-inquiry-in-portugal-8738030.html




Theresa May asks permission for Met to start Madeleine McCann inquiry in Portugal


Martin Bentham
Published: 30 July 2013
Updated: 12:26, 30 July 2013

Home Secretary Theresa May has sent an official request to Lisbon for permission for Scotland Yard to begin a new investigation in Portugal into the disappearance of Madeleine McCann.

It follows the disclosure that the Met has identified 38 potential suspects — including 12 Britons — who are “of interest” because of their presence in Portugal when Madeleine vanished.

In the letter, drawn up for Mrs May by the Crown Prosecution Service, she asks the Portuguese authorities for their help in gathering new evidence. But, in a more significant step, she also requests permission for Met detectives to be stationed in the country.

That will effectively allow Scotland Yard to take control of the previously stalled investigation, and raise hopes of a possible breakthrough.

A response from Portugal is expected within two weeks. Last month, after a two-year review of evidence, the Met announced it was launching a full-scale investigation into Madeleine’s disappearance. She was nearly four when she went missing from her family’s holiday apartment in Praia da Luz on the Algarve in 2007, as her parents dined with friends nearby.

A Portuguese probe was shelved in 2008 but the Yard began a review in 2011, following the intervention of David Cameron at the request of the McCann family.

Last month the Met said that the review, which cost £5 million, had identified 38 “persons of interest” from four European countries, including Portugal. They will be the subject of the new probe. Twelve are Britons who were in Portugal at the time.

Scotland Yard has said neither the McCann family nor the friends who were staying with them were among those they have identified for further inquiries.

If Portuguese approval is given, the Met is expected to seek new forensic evidence in the country, and pursue hundreds of possible leads the review is understood to have uncovered. However, sources caution that there remains no prime suspect and the Met’s inquiries are still at an early stage.

The new Yard inquiry began partly because Portuguese authorities are unable, under their law, to reopen their probe unless compelling new evidence emerges. Met detectives will hope to uncover this, and believe it could eventually lead to the case being solved. The new investigation also raises the possibility of a trial in the UK, if a British national is identified and arrested.

The Home Office declined to comment on the letter, but confirmed that Mrs May remained determined to offer every assistance to Madeleine’s parents Kate and Gerry as they seek to find their daughter.

A spokesman added: “The Home Office remains committed to supporting the search for Madeleine McCann, and we have always said we would provide the Metropolitan police with the resources they need to investigate her disappearance.”

Theresa May, or in this case may not??? Hmmmm! Looks like the libel trial is due!  

Well l think its fabulous news. We've got a full investigation now and powers for the met to be in Portugal investigating.

If we'd heard this news before SY said the Mccanns were not among the 'persons of interest' we'd be really positive and the press may have gone into overdrive like 2007 again, but the yard have stopped all that and it might be for a very good reason!

eTA thanks annabel!  

Well this is the most encouraging news I've read. Of course the McCanns and their travelling companions are "of interest". I just hope politics can be put aside and the authorities from both countries are free to work "together". I can understand why they are saying there is no "prime" subject, but am puzzled by "...the Met's inquiries are still at an early stage". I mean "early" after all this time?

I don't believe that interested. If the cps have been involved l think the case is more advanced than we are lead to think, why would you be investigating anywhere or talking of arrests before you'd gone through everything?

These 38 people the met want to talk to, why try and trace them and arrest them when in the back of the file all 38 could have been killed in a plane crash? Nah, it's just talk to keep people and the media from speculating too much IMO.

 
foto LIONEL BALTEIRO/GLOBAL IMAGENS

 
Em nota enviada hoje à agência Lusa, a PGR refere que recebeu "um pedido de auxílio judiciário mútuo das autoridades britânicas", acrescentando que "não existe previsão de quando é que as diligências terão lugar".

Ressalva ainda a PGR que "as autoridades britânicas não poderão realizar diligências em território português, podendo apenas ser permitida a sua presença para assistirem as autoridades portuguesas na execução do mencionado pedido".

Significa que as autoridades britânicas não poderão realizar qualquer interrogatório ou diligência sem que sejam acompanhadas pelo Ministério Público (MP).

As autoridades londrinas confirmaram que há portugueses entre as 38 pessoas de interesse que a polícia britânica deseja interrogar na investigação que foi aberta naquele país.

A imprensa britânica já tinha avançado a hipótese de a Scotland Yard abrir a sua própria investigação ao caso, no sequimento da revisão aberta em 2011 por intervenção do primeiro-ministro, David Cameron.

Na altura, a polícia confirmou que uma delegação de responsáveis superiores da Procuradoria da Coroa e de detetives britânicos visitou Portugal em meados de abril para discutir os próximos passos a dar com as autoridades portuguesas.

Os pais, Kate e Gerry McCann, e um outro britânico, Robert Murat, foram constituídos arguidos pelas autoridades judiciais portuguesas em julho de 2007, mas, a 21 de julho de 2008, o MP determinou o arquivamento das suspeitas, o que ditou o fim das investigações.

O MP português sempre admitiu a reabertura, caso surjam novos dados sobre o desaparecimento da criança de um aldeamento turístico da Praia da Luz.

Artigo Parcial





Perhaps someone can translate but the gist off it is......it's a Portuguese enquiry and the British can't intervene .....SY MUST off known this from the beginning surely...

IMO the Mcs and their friends are of top interest to SY, but SY are not going to Tell them and us nutters that are they!

The gist of it is that the request has been received by Portuguese authorities but SY can do zilch here except sit and watch.

Claudia79 wrote:The gist of it is that the request has been received by Portuguese authorities but SY can do zilch here except sit and watch.

Oh good! I'm sick of the arrogance and the put-downs of the Portuguese police.

The Portuguese police and Amaral in particular have been blackballed with the help of our UK rags and made the scapegoats of the whole sorry mess. While the McCanns, who stand out as those who truly failed Madeleine have made a small fortune out of their missing daughter. 

May their sleepless nights never end.

AnnaEsse wrote:

Claudia79 wrote:The gist of it is that the request has been received by Portuguese authorities but SY can do zilch here except sit and watch.

Oh good! I'm sick of the arrogance and the put-downs of the Portuguese police.

It's actually no different from what happened with the rogatory letters. The Portuguese Police could only sit and watch. That's how it's done. And yes, SY will sadly have to respect the law. But August is an excellent month to vacation in Portugal.  

AnnaEsse wrote:

Claudia79 wrote:The gist of it is that the request has been received by Portuguese authorities but SY can do zilch here except sit and watch.

Oh good! I'm sick of the arrogance and the put-downs of the Portuguese police.

Yes that go's for me too Anna. I am getting very sick of it

Claudia79 wrote:

AnnaEsse wrote:

Claudia79 wrote:The gist of it is that the request has been received by Portuguese authorities but SY can do zilch here except sit and watch.

Oh good! I'm sick of the arrogance and the put-downs of the Portuguese police.

It's actually no different from what happened with the rogatory letters. The Portuguese Police could only sit and watch. That's how it's done. And yes, SY will sadly have to respect the law. But August is an excellent month to vacation in Portugal.  

They seem to have been expecting that the Portuguese would just welcome them in. One European law for everyone. So, SY can list the questions and watch.

The Government and Scotland Yard, are going into overdrive, with this case, it's a pity they didn't show the same energy, with Ben Needham's case. In my opinion, the whole exercise is not to find out what happened to Madeleine, it is purely an exercise to find a scapegoat, dead or alive, to take the blame for Madeleine's disappearance, which will in turn exonerate the McCanns.

However, if anyone apart from the McCanns, is blamed for Madeleine's disappearance, the McCanns will never be exonerated. The McCanns have played a part in Madeleine's disappearance, whether she was abducted or whether she walked out of their unlocked apartment to look for them, because they were not with her, when this happened. If something else happened to Madeleine, it had to have happened while they were with her. They either gave her away or they caused or allowed harm to come to Madeleine.

When Martin Bentham, who wrote this story, stated in his article that the case was shelved in 2008, it's a pity he didn't quote Goncalo Amaral's words, which stated that the McCanns demanded the archiving of the process, in 2008, when they were still arguidos. Maybe he wanted to, but was told not to.

By the way, I hope the PJ tell Therese May, that unless they start to investigate the McCanns which lead to charges against them, they are not conducting any investigation into Madeleine's disappearance in Portugal.

Oops I should have said Theresa not Therese.  

Must dash, I'm busy compiling an email to Mrs May. By the way, no reply as yet from Scotland Yard, but I'm still living in hope.  

kathybelle wrote:Oops I should have said Theresa not Therese.  

Must dash, I'm busy compiling an email to Mrs May. By the way, no reply as yet from Scotland Yard, but I'm still living in hope.  

I didn't notice the name, kathybelle! Good luck with the email!  

I'd like to know how they a going to interview these people and who is going to pay to have them transported from wherever they are to Portugal .


Can they refuse like the mccanns did to go back to pdl?


The 'suspects' living in another country, how hard is that going to be to get permission from THEIR authorities to formally talk to them.


It could take YEARS......

kitti wrote:I'd like to know how they a going to interview these people and who is going to pay to have them transported from wherever they are to Portugal .


Can they refuse like the mccanns did to go back to pdl?


The 'suspects' living in another country, how hard is that going to be to get permission from THEIR authorities to formally talk to them.


It could take YEARS......

No doubt, but a nice little run-down to retirement for a few washed-up officers.

Mark Williams-Thomas ‏@mwilliamsthomas 2h
Relationship btwn UK police & Portuguese over Mets saying they will investigate Madeleine's disappearance is very tense & far from agreed

REALLY? LOL.

PJ: " We have given our reasons for what we think happened to Madeleine in our archiving report"

SY " We have been sent over by our Government to exonorate the McS, at ANY cost"

If two parties are having sensitive negotiations re a very complex international case, then relationships are bound to be tense. It's not a picnic on the beach.
And if it's far from agreed, well it won't be agreed until it's agreed. Because if it isn't yet agreed, then an inch is as good as a mile. Or vice versa.

M W-T ...... stating the bl**din' obvious.

Claudia79 wrote:

AnnaEsse wrote:

Claudia79 wrote:The gist of it is that the request has been received by Portuguese authorities but SY can do zilch here except sit and watch.

Oh good! I'm sick of the arrogance and the put-downs of the Portuguese police.

It's actually no different from what happened with the rogatory letters. The Portuguese Police could only sit and watch. That's how it's done. And yes, SY will sadly have to respect the law. But August is an excellent month to vacation in Portugal.  

No doubt Redwood will sport a nice tan for his next press conference.

How many of the team are fluent in Portuguese?

tanszi wrote:How many of the team are fluent in Portuguese?

Probably not as many as the PJ have who are fluent in English.

almostgothic:

"It's not a picnic on the beach."

So, it's not like the intensive SY investigation, which appears to be!

AnnaEsse wrote:

Claudia79 wrote:

AnnaEsse wrote:

Claudia79 wrote:The gist of it is that the request has been received by Portuguese authorities but SY can do zilch here except sit and watch.

Oh good! I'm sick of the arrogance and the put-downs of the Portuguese police.

It's actually no different from what happened with the rogatory letters. The Portuguese Police could only sit and watch. That's how it's done. And yes, SY will sadly have to respect the law. But August is an excellent month to vacation in Portugal.  

They seem to have been expecting that the Portuguese would just welcome them in. One European law for everyone. So, SY can list the questions and watch.

Yep. Just like the PJ did.