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The verdict in the Kate and Gerry
McCann’s civil action against the former
lead detective Gonçalo Amaral may come
sooner than expected because of a recent
behind-the-scenes development in the
long-drawn-out case.
The question of whether or not Kate and
Gerry McCann are legally entitled to
represent their daughter Madeleine in
their claim for damages has taken a
significant step closer to being
resolved, according to a source close to
the process.
Madeleine was made a ward of court in
the UK in April 2008. In January last
year, Amaral argued in Lisbon’s Palace
of Justice that because Madeleine was
still a ward of court the McCanns did
not have the legal right to represent
her in their Lisbon lawsuit against him
and three other parties.
The Lisbon judge, Emília Melo e Castro,
gave Madeleine’s parents the opportunity
to obtain appropriate documentation
about the ward of court matter from the
British High Court.
The McCanns had a 30-day set period in
which to present this. They did so
without delay and much earlier than
expected. The documentation was
presented to the Lisbon court through
the couple’s lawyers on 23 January. None
of the defence lawyers has or is
expected to raise any objections.
So it is now up to the Lisbon judge to
decide the relatively straightforward
matter of whether the documentation
attests to the McCanns’ right to
represent Madeleine. When this is
settled, the trial is expected to move
towards its last formal exchanges and
then, finally, sooner than most people
had anticipated, perhaps next month, a
verdict.
The McCanns are seeking €1.2 million in
damages for the severe distress they say
has been caused to them by Amaral’s
book, A Verdade da Mentira (‘The Truth
of the Lie’), and a subsequent
documentary.
The judge’s recent summary of the main
points in the case that had been proved
or not proved left Amaral and his
supporters optimistic about the eventual
outcome.
Amaral said this week that he was hoping
for an acquittal and the lifting of
financial difficulties that have
burdened him since the McCanns decided
to sue five years ago. |
