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- BBC News World
Updated 49 minutes
image source, PA
On May 3, it will be 15 years since the disappearance of Madeleine McCann.
A German citizen has been formally declared a suspect in the disappearance of the girl Madelein McCann.
The suspect was not identified, but the Portuguese prosecutor’s office reported that they acted at the request of the German authorities.
In 2020, German police reported that they were investigating a man, known as Christian B., in connection with the case.
Madelein McCann disappeared andl May 3, 2007 while on vacation with his parents and siblings in the south of Portugal. She was 3 years old.
In the years since, authorities and private investigators have carried out a huge and costly search operation across much of Europe.
The Faro Department of Investigation and Criminal Action (DIAP) and the Judicial Police, in cooperation with the English and German authorities, have led the investigation into the circumstances surrounding the disappearance of the little girl, which will soon be it’s 15 years.
formal suspect
The Algarve region prosecutor’s office said the suspect, whose name was not released, was identified as defendant on Wednesday.
In Portugal, one defendant is an official suspect or person of interest, but not someone who has been charged. At an early stage of the investigation, Madeleine’s parents were declared defendantsalthough they were later released from suspicion.
image source, Getty Images
Madeleine’s parents are still searching for her, with reconstructions of what the minor would look like today.
The Portuguese prosecutor’s office denied rumors regarding the relationship of the announcement with a possible prescription of the crime following 15 years, as stipulated by the current law in Portugal.
According to prosecutors, the announcement was made due to “strong indications” of the commission of a crime.
German citizen targeted
Although the Prosecutor’s Office did not reveal the identity of the suspect, the agencies linked the news to the German citizen Christian B., who in 2020 was named by the German police as part of the investigation.
image source, Getty Images
The 45-year-old man has not been charged for what happened to the British girl and denies any involvement in Madeleine’s disappearance.
He is currently serving time for drug offenses in Germany and also received a 7-year sentence for raping a 72-year-old woman in Portugal, near the area where the minor was last seen.
The UK Metropolitan Police is still investigating Madeleine’s case as a disappearance.
Pending an indictment
Analysis of Alison Roberts, BBC correspondent in PortugalThe Madeleine McCann case has been out of the news in Portugal for some time and in recent years almost all the news has come from the German prosecutor’s office. This latest news has been widely reported, although in some cases not very prominently and with few details. However, practically everyone in Portugal knows regarding the case and many have followed its ins and outs for months and years. Not only the various criminal investigations, but also the civil case in which Madeleine’s parents, Kate and Gerry McCann sued, ultimately unsuccessfully, the former lead detective on the case, Gonçalo Amaral, following he published a book regarding it. The former police chief had already attracted a lot of criticism, in particular from the British tabloids, which raised some annoyance in Portugal since the Judicial Police is one of the most respected institutions in the country. It is not clear if the Portuguese authorities will indict for the case this German suspect or any other. There is also no telling when an indictment might occur. While there are legal deadlines, the pandemic might be cause for the courts to rule to take more time.
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