The police Portuguese apologized to the British girl’s parents Madeleine McCann for the way they handled the girl’s disappearance in the Algarve in May 2007, according to the BBC. A delegation of Portuguese agents traveled from Lisbon to London earlier this year to apologize to Gerry McCann, the minor’s father, after the parents were considered suspects in the disappearance.
Madeleine disappeared from the room where she was sleeping in a tourist complex in Praia da Luz, in the Algarve, Portugal, while her parents were having dinner with friends. During the meeting with Gerry McCann, the agents apologized for the way Portuguese investigators handled the investigation and for the treatment of the family, according to the British public broadcaster’s Panorama program.
In September 2007, the parents Kate and Gerry McCann were considered suspects in the first Portuguese investigation, then led by detective Gonçalo Amaral. However, Portuguese police have since admitted that the investigation was not carried out properly.
After years of investigation, Portuguese agents this year assisted German authorities, who believe German Christian Brückner murdered the girl. According to an investigation by German officials, Brückner was in the Algarve in 2007. He denied any involvement.
German Christian Brückner, who was living in the Algarve at the time of the disappearance, is suspected of the disappearance of British child Madeleine McCann. Photo: Carabinieri via AP
In May of this year, researchers spent three days looking for a reservoir about 50 kilometers from the resort of Praia da Luz. In a brief statement, prosecutors said that “some items were found” during the investigation, without providing further details.
Hans Christian Wolters, prosecutor in the case, welcomed the Portuguese apology. “It’s a good sign. “This shows that there is progress in Portugal in the McCann case,” said Wolters./EFE