Madeleine McCann: Portugal Cops Reopen Case - OCTOBER 2013

Madeleine McCann: Portugal Cops Reopen Case


7:28pm UK, Thursday 24 October 2013

Detectives uncover potential new evidence and witnesses who were never questioned during the original investigation.
Police in Portugal have reopened the investigation into the disappearance of Madeleine McCann - five years after the original probe was closed.
The team of detectives is said to have had no involvement in that investigation which ended in 2008 and was heavily criticised in the British media.
The new inquiry - which will run separately, but alongside the probe by British police - follows an internal review of the case since March 2011.
Portugal's public prosecutors approved the move after a request from officers in Porto who have identified new lines of inquiry, witnesses who were never questioned during the original probe and several issues they want to clarify.

A spokesman for the Attorney General's office said: "The Public Ministry has determined the reopening of the inquiry relating to the disappearance of Madeleine McCann following a request from the Policia Judiciaria."
Madeleine's parents Kate and Gerry said they were "very pleased" at the decision by Portuguese authorities and hoped that it would uncover "the answers we so desperately need".
"We hope that this will finally lead to her being found and to the discovery of whoever is responsible for this crime," the couple said.
"We once again urge any member of the public who may have information relating to Madeleine's abduction to contact the police in Portugal or the UK.
"Please be patient and respect the work of the police as they endeavour to find the answers we so desperately need."
The lawyer for the McCann's in Portugal, Rogerio Alves, said: "While it is not known what happened to Madeleine, the matter is not closed.

"The reopening of the case is excellent news, it creates a new perspective on the case and gives hope to the parents. The result is that we all hope Madeleine is found."
Detective Chief Inspector Andy Redwood, who is leading the Scotland Yard team, Assistant Commissioner Mark Rowley and Mr and Mrs McCann met officers in Lisbon last week to be briefed on the Portuguese case.
Mr Rowley welcomed the move as "good news", adding: "Combined with the formal reopening of the Portuguese investigation today, and our ever closer working relationship, I believe that we have the best opportunity yet to finally understand what happened to Madeleine."
Sky's Martin Brunt said the development would "boost the manpower" now applied to the case.
"This of course is what Madeleine McCann's parents have always wanted," he said.
"They were very disappointed when it was shelved after 15 months - after their daughter disappeared - the investigation having got nowhere.
"They were distraught at that, have argued ever since that it should be reopened and now they have got that wish."


He added: "There is an awful lot of work still to be done, there are lots of people to be tracked down and interviewed, and at least now the Portuguese detectives who will be re-engaged on this can join Scotland Yard in doing that."
Carrie-Marie Bratley, who works for the Portugal News in Lagoa, in the Algarve, told Sky News the Portuguese detectives "were chosen for their emotional and physical distance from this case in the hope that maybe they could go over it with a fine-tooth comb and come up with something, which it seems they may have done."
The team is separate to the group of six Portuguese officers based in Faro who have been assisting the Metropolitan Police.
The move to re-examine the case in the country where Madeleine went missing comes after a fresh appeal for information was aired in the UK, Holland and Germany.
Scotland Yard received more than 2,400 phone calls from across Europe following the broadcast of a reconstruction of events leading up to the three-year-old's disappearance in 2007.
They have released two e-fit images of a man they want to speak to in connection with the case based on the accounts of two witnesses.
Both described seeing him in Praia da Luz at around 10pm on May 3, as Madeleine's parents dined at a nearby tapas restaurant with friends.
Four other e-fits based on witness accounts of men seen in the area, some of whom may have been working as "charity collectors" who may or may not be genuine, were also released.
An appeal is also due to air on Irish television later this month.
Home Secretary Theresa May said the collaboration between British and Portuguese police officers was "starting to bear fruit" and hoped it would lead to a "resolution".

http://news.sky.com/story/1159161/madeleine-mccann-portugal-cops-reopen-case

Has anyone ever tried to piece together the thoughts and evidence of Goncalo Amaral? I think if we concentrated on truth of the lie we might have a clearer understanding of what might or could have happened. Don't get me wrong though, I know hundreds of people have tried and done great work but, things like the fluids found in 5a GA has said are consistent of a broken neck, a fall off the sofa and fluids in the hire car were consistent with a frozen cadaver. He does give the impression that Madeleine had an accident but for some reason, the parents did not want to give the cadaver to them. Big question ofcourse is why?
IMO

I have always been of the opinion Goncalo Amaral knows exactly how Madeleine died,and maybe not so much of an accident.Hence the reason her body had to be concealed.There is no doubt more information that is being withheld.

Putting this here



Anthony Bennett ‏@zampos · 38m38 minutes ago

After 43 days #MetPolice #FoIAct team say they've no information about any demands for payment from #Portugal for work on #OpGrange #McCann

Further to the above post/tweet from TB, I have read this from him re his FOI...

TB wrote:
Of course it is possible that the Portuguese authorities have never made any demand for payment, although they have made more than one public statement saying British authorities will be billed for their costs

I can't ever remember reading this, the PJ charging Op Grange, when they are working together....... can anyone supply a link?

Do you have the full response of this or a link for it...

Andrew wrote:Do you have the full response of this or a link for it...

Over the way Andrew.

Yes, cheers. Just found it and will copy it here... Got meetings now most of the day but will try and find some info later about 'the more than one public statement'... Unless others can first.





After weeks of searching, the Met Police realise that they have zero information about any demands for payment from the Portuguese authorities for work on Operation Grange
Post Tony Bennett Today at 7:59 am

Here is the reply, received 43 days after my original FoI Act request (requests under the Act should be processed within 20 working days), as to how much the Met Police or the Home Office has had to pay to the Portuguese authorities for work carried out on behalf of Operation Grange.

Those of you who have followed this will know that I submitted an identical claim under FoI Act to the Home Office, on the same day, and am still awaiting any answer from there.

Of course, it is possible that the Portuguese authorities have never made any demands for payment, though they have made more than one public statement saying that the British authorities will be billed for their costs.

It's unacceptable to be told after 6 weeks that 'we can't find anything' about these costs. Clearly whoever is in charge of this investigation at the Met (and this case goes right to the very top) knows fine well whether any monies have been demanded (if any), and what has been paid (if any). If the Portuguese authorities hadn't demanded a penny, they could have told me that months ago.

So I think something is being hidden, and I will press on by asking for a review first of all and if necessary appeal to the Information Commissioner.

I'll place all the correspondence here.

=================================================

Dear Mr Bennett

Freedom of Information Request Reference No: 2016070000799

I apologise for the delay in responding.

I write in connection with your request for information which was received
by the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) on 20/07/2016. I note you seek
access to the following information:

I ask these questions about the Metropolitan Police’s Operation Grange
which, according to the remit set for it by former Detective Chief
Superintendent Hamish Campbell, is ‘to investigate the abduction of
Madeleine McCann as if the abduction had occurred in the U.K.’
In 2013 and 2014 there were many references in the British press to
expenditure by the Portuguese Police having to be met by the British
government. These expenses are known to include:
1. The cost of hiring an Alouette Mark III top-of-the-range
Portuguese military helicopter
2. The provision of extensive physical support, assistance,
supervision and other assistance in connection with two searches of
patches of waste ground in Praia da Luz in 2014, and
3. Extensive assistance by way of Portuguese police conducting a
series of ‘rogatory interviews’ of a significant number of alleged
suspects
4. Translation services in connection with (a) the 2014 search of
Praia da Luz (b) the rogatory interviews of suspects and (c) any other
occasions.
Please provide the following information:
A. The dates that the Portuguese Police, Ministry of Justice or any
other agency of the Portuguese government requested financial assistance
or otherwise submitted any invoice or other demand for payment
B. In each case, how much was demanded?
C. List all payments made in connection with Operation Grange to
the Portuguese authorities. .

REPLY:

SEARCHES TO LOCATE INFORMATION

To locate the information relevant to your request searches were conducted
at Operation Grange. The searches failed to locate any information
relevant to your request, therefore, the information you have requested is
not held by the MPS.

Should you have any further enquiries concerning this matter, please
contact me via email at [email address], quoting the reference number
above.

Yours sincerely
Michela Holmes
FOIA Officer

I was outside the headquarters in Faro just last Friday. I should have popped in and asked.

To say that the place is low profile would be a massive understatement. You'd have no clue from the exterior what, if anything, was going on inside.

I forgot to read the small print that came with that FOI response and noticed there was some 'reaction' on twitter about it. Mods delete if you want.

NOTICE - This email and any attachments may be confidential, subject to
copyright and/or legal privilege and are intended solely for the use of
the intended recipient. If you have received this email in error, please
notify the sender and delete it from your system. To avoid incurring
legal liabilities, you must not distribute or copy the information in this
email without the permission of the sender. MPS communication systems are
monitored to the extent permitted by law. Consequently, any email and/or
attachments may be read by monitoring staff. Only specified personnel are
authorised to conclude any binding agreement on behalf of the MPS by
email. The MPS accepts no responsibility for unauthorised agreements
reached with other employees or agents. The security of this email and
any attachments cannot be guaranteed. Email messages are routinely scanned
but malicious software infection and corruption of content can still occur
during transmission over the Internet. Any views or opinions expressed in
this communication are solely those of the author and do not necessarily
represent those of the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS).

unreorganised wrote:I was outside the headquarters in Faro just last Friday. I should have popped in and asked.

To say that the place is low profile would be a massive understatement. You'd have no clue from the exterior what, if anything, was going on inside.

They perhaps have underground tunnels leading to state of the art offices where all the detective work takes place in secrecy?

candyfloss wrote:Further to the above post/tweet from TB, I have read this from him re his FOI...

TB wrote:
Of course it is possible that the Portuguese authorities have never made any demand for payment, although they have made more than one public statement saying British authorities will be billed for their costs

I can't ever remember reading this, the PJ charging Op Grange, when they are working together....... can anyone supply a link?

Well had a quick look but couldn't find anything in relation to it. Typed in google 'Portuguese will bill Operation Grange' and the first entry was a very similar FOI request he did back in 2014..

https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/information_about_the_cost_of_se

Looks like they told him to sod off back then as well.

Andrew wrote:I forgot to read the small print that came with that FOI response and noticed there was some 'reaction' on twitter about it. Mods delete if you want.

NOTICE - This email and any attachments may be confidential, subject to
copyright and/or legal privilege and are intended solely for the use of
the intended recipient. If you have received this email in error, please
notify the sender and delete it from your system.  To avoid incurring
legal liabilities, you must not distribute or copy the information in this
email without the permission of the sender. MPS communication systems are
monitored to the extent permitted by law.  Consequently, any email and/or
attachments may be read by monitoring staff. Only specified personnel are
authorised to conclude any binding agreement on behalf of the MPS by
email. The MPS accepts no responsibility for unauthorised agreements
reached with other employees or agents.  The security of this email and
any attachments cannot be guaranteed. Email messages are routinely scanned
but malicious software infection and corruption of content can still occur
during transmission over the Internet. Any views or opinions expressed in
this communication are solely those of the author and do not necessarily
represent those of the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS).

Well, personally speaking, I find it somewhat jarring that he's apparently not at liberty to freely divulge information supplied under a Freedom Of Information request.