Pre-publication of Amaral's book on Correio da Manhã (II)

“Madeleine died in the apartment”

Correio da Manhã starts today the pre-publication of excerpts from the book of Gonçalo Amaral (“The truth of the lie”) and publishes also an interview with the author (not yet on-line, at this moment). Those excerpts refer to a statement from a witness – identified as K.G., married with S.G, who contacted British police, on May 16, 2007, thirteen days after Madeleine's disappearance, to report what is described in the book as incidents that raised “serious doubts about the behaviour of David Payne concerning children.”

Mr. Amaral says that until he was in charge of the investigation, British police didn't send the report of that witness to Polícia Judiciária. The PJ Criminal Coordinator was removed from the investigation on October 2, 20007. Mr. Amaral believes that the report only reached Portuguese police “at the end of October” last year.

Other situation explained in detail, in the excerpts published by Correio da Manhã, is the confusion around the results of the analysis to the blood samples collected at the apartment from where Madeleine disappeared and in the boot of the car the McCann rented, more than 20 days after their daughter went missing. According to Mr. Amaral, a specially trained dog (from the South Yorkshire Police force, Keela) has detected traces of blood in the floor of the apartment, behind a sofa, and also in the car's boot. The former PJ investigator mentions a report by British police officers Mark Harrison and Martin Grime, which was one of the reports used to support PJ's decisions in the investigation, that stated clearly the dog only reacted to the presence of samples of human blood.

Pre-publication of Amaral's book on Correio da Manhã (I)

Front page tittle: “McCann faked kidnapping”

The usual idiots

“John O'Connor, a former commander of Scotland Yard's flying squad, said: 'If I were Clarence Mitchell, I'd try to put pressure on Jack Straw (the Justice Secretary and Lord Chancellor) to ask for a review of the case by British police. It's about time for transparency; there's been too much done in secret.'

What's next? Send the Home Fleet and Royal Marines to occupy Algarve and allow Scotland Yard to search again Praia da Luz and the surrounding areas? Transfer suspect natives, whose faces are similar to the famous sketch produced by a FBI trained artist, to concentration camps, as your country did to women and children suspected of supporting the Boers guerrillas fighters? Probably, you also would like that we, humble, short and dark-skinned people, use some kind of distinctive symbol – after you send in the troops – like a yellow sardine, in an armband, as Nature also makes mistakes and there are some blonde hair, blue-eyed Portuguese.

You are a perfect idiot, Mr. John O'Connor. And it seems that there is a lot of people like you, with the same arrogance of those that considers themselves members of a superior race, brought to Earth to serve as an example of what is being civilized. Now, I understand the IRA had good reasons to do what they have done and I even look at Mr Mugabe with a certain sympathy.

PS – Are you the same former Scotland Yard Commander John O'Connor, who has been “working with the Portuguese authorities investigating Madeleine’s disappearance”, as The Online Resident wrote, or was that just a cover up for your real assignment, “enquiring into the disappearance of Madeleine McCann in Portugal” for TV?

No evidence of crime committed by the "arguidos"

The case was shelved “because no evidence was found that any of the 'arguidos' have committed a crime”, according to PGR statement.

McCann "arguidos" status lifted

Madeleine case shelved - Lusa News Agency

Madeleine: PGR arquiva processo - oficial (Lusa News Agency)

According to Lusa News Agency, the Public Prosecutor's Office decided to shelve the Madeleine McCann case.

PGR statement released this afternoon

The Portuguese Public Prosecutor's Office (“Procuradoria Geral da República”) will release an official statement about the Madeleine McCann case today, at 4:00 pm.

They didn't signed

Eight of the 78 British European Parliament members didn't signed the “written declaration” appealing for the set up of a Amber alert system in all 27 EU countries. The McCann lobby was not so successful among Portuguese MEPs: 10 of the 24 Portuguese MEPs didn't signed. The support those 14 MEPs gave to the McCann, who joined the initiative, with the backing of McMillan-Scot, was criticised inside their own political parties, who are afraid that Portuguese electors may react with some hostility, due to the violent campaign against Portuguese police and Judicial system, that McCann supporters have launched.

The eight British outsiders, who refused to help the McCann campaign, were Thomas Wise, John Whittaker, Michael Henry Nattrass, Ashley Mote, Roger Knapman, Timothy Kirkhope, Daniel Hannan et Godfrey Bloom. The 14 Portuguese supporters of the Rothley couple were Paulo Casaca (PS), Maria da Assunção Esteves (PSD), Edite Estrela (PS), Emanuel Jardim Fernandes (PS), Ilda Figueiredo (PCP-PEV), Ana Maria Gomes (PS), Pedro Guerreiro (PCP), Joel Hasse Ferreira (PS), Jamila Madeira (PS), João de Deus Pinheiro (PSD), Luis Queiró (CDS), José Ribeiro e Castro (CDS), Manuel António dos Santos (PS) e José Albino Silva Peneda (PSD).

On January 2008, before the McCann inspired “written declaration” appeared, McMillan-Scot admitted that the question of an alert system for missing children was a responsibility for each of the EU Sate members. Those remarks were done when the European parliament voted a resolution that already had a specific strategy for dealing with this problem, including an alert system and a hotline number, to allow a more quick reaction from police forces of the 27 EU countries.

A question that still needs an answer is why McMillan-Scot lobbied so strongly for a “written declaration”, a non-legally biding document, when the EU had already in place a strategy for improving the cooperation among police forces, in cases of missing children.

(to be continued)

Duarte Levy & Paulo Reis

Version Française

Next: "Gonçalo Amaral and his book" & "FSS: The results"

“Maddie – A Verdade da Mentira”

Thursday, July 24, the formal launching of the book “Maddie – A Verdade da Mentira”, by Gonçalo Amaral, will take place at El Corte Inglés, in Lisbon. Marques Vidal, a former PJ National Director, will introduce the book.

Decision about Madeleine's case on Monday

The head of the Public Prosecutor's Office, Mr. Pinto Monteiro, told journalists that the Maddie case will have a “solution” on Monday. Mr. Pinto Monteiro asked the two Public Prosecutors in charge of the investigation of the disappearance of Madeleine McCann to take a decision before the end of this month. The decision will be available to be public, in a statement to be published in the Public Prosecutor's Office site.