The purpose of this site is for information and a record of Gerry McCann's Blog Archives. As most people will appreciate GM deleted all past blogs from the official website. Hopefully this Archive will be helpful to anyone who is interested in Justice for Madeleine Beth McCann. Many Thanks, Pamalam

Note: This site does not belong to the McCanns. It belongs to Pamalam. If you wish to contact the McCanns directly, please use the contact/email details campaign@findmadeleine.com    

WikiLeaks Release*

MCCANN FILES HOME BACK TO GERRY MCCANNS BLOGS HOME PAGE PHOTOGRAPHS
NEWS REPORTS INDEX MCCANN PJ FILES NEWS MAY 2007
 
WikiLeaks release a diplomatic cable, from September 2007, which reveals that the US ambassador to Portugal was told by his British counterpart that British police had helped to "develop evidence" against Madeleine McCann's parents.

WikiLeaks US embassy cables: live updates (extract), 09 December 2010
WikiLeaks US embassy cables: live updates (extract) Guardian News Blog

 
Guardian Wikileaks blog, re: Madeleine McCann

Posted by Matthew Weaver and Mark Tran
Thursday 9 December 2010

- Extract -

'Several people suggested searching for information on Madeleine McCann, the British girl who went missing in Portugal in 2007, for example. She is indeed mentioned in at least two cables from the US embassy in Lisbon. No clues to her fate, unfortunately, but some interesting observations on the involvement of British police, which we'll relay once we've checked them out.'

US embassy cables: British police 'developed evidence' against McCanns, Washington told, 13 December 2010
US embassy cables: British police 'developed evidence' against McCanns, Washington told Guardian

 
Guardian, Wikileaks, 13 December 2010

Monday 13 December 2010 21:30 GMT

Friday, 28 September 2007, 15:36
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 LISBON 002527
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
STATE FOR XXXXXXXXXXXX
EO 12958 DECL: 09/25/2017
TAGS PGOV, PREL, OFDP, PO
SUBJECT: PORTUGAL: UK AMBASSADOR ON ENERGY SECURITY,
RUSSIA, EU-AFRICA SUMMIT, AND MCCANN CASE
Classified By: XXXXXXXXXXXX FOR REASONS 1.4 (B),(D)

SUMMARY

-------

1. (C) On September 21, newly-arrived British Ambassador Alexander Wykeham Ellis informed Ambassador Hoffman that European concerns over Russia's aggressive energy policies and the need for market competition were the driving forces behind the third EU energy liberalization package. He suggested that Russia's position with its neighbors was guided by a self-proclaimed right to do "what it wants, when it wants" in its own neighborhood. Regarding Robert Mugabe's participation in the proposed EU-Africa Summit, Ellis said the UK would not discourage other member states from participating if PM Brown stayed away. He doubted, however, if the Dutch, Irish, or Swedish would attend in Brown's absence. Ellis also noted that it was the British police that developed the current evidence against Madeleine McCann's parents in the high-profile case that has captured international attention. He informed the Ambassador that former British Ambassador John Buck had accepted a private-sector position at a UK gas company and that his departure had nothing to do with bilateral issues. END SUMMARY

(...)

THE MADELEINE MCCANN CASE

-------------------------

5. (C) Madeleine McCann's disappearance in the south of Portugal in May 2007 has generated international media attention with controversy surrounding the Portuguese-led police investigation and the actions of Madeleine's parents. Without delving into the details of the case, Ellis admitted that the British police had developed the current evidence against the McCann parents, and he stressed that authorities from both countries were working cooperatively. He commented that the media frenzy was to be expected and was acceptable as long as government officials keep their comments behind closed doors.

------------------------

US embassy cables: Madeleine McCann case pushes EU to act on child abductions Guardian

Monday 13 December 2010 21.30 GMT

Thursday, 11 October 2007, 13:48
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 LISBON 002605
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
EO 12958 N/A
TAGS KJUS, MOPS, PO, PREL, PTER, EUN
SUBJECT: EU JHA INFORMAL MINISTERIAL

1. Summary. EU Justice and Home Affairs ministers met informally in Lisbon October 1-2. An embassy officer attended to follow discussion of such topics as the elimination of land and sea travel barriers in December, the establishment of a counternarcotics analysis and operations center, the submission of a package of counterterrorism proposals by Vice President Frattini in November, the submission of a package of border control proposals by Frattini in February, and the establishment of a missing children alert system based on the U.S. Amber Alert. End summary.

(...)

11. Missing Children Alert: Frattini used the well-known case of Madeleine McCann, a missing British girl, to lay out his intention to develop an EU wide alert system for missing children. Frattini specifically and repeatedly mentioned the Amber Alert system in the U.S. as the model that the EU needed to copy. In addition, the e-Justice Portal, according to Costa, will include a list of missing children and direct users to appropriate Hague Convention resources.

WikiLeaks cables: UK police 'developed' evidence against McCanns, 13 December 2010
WikiLeaks cables: UK police 'developed' evidence against McCanns Guardian

 
The Guardian, front page, 14 December 2010

British ambassador's reported comments to US counterpart offer insight into role of UK police in 2007 investigation

Ben Quinn
Monday 13 December 2010 21.30 GMT

British police helped to "develop evidence" against Madeleine McCann's parents as they were investigated by Portuguese police as formal suspects in the disappearance of their daughter, the US ambassador to Portugal was told by his British counterpart in September 2007.

The meeting between US ambassador Al Hoffman and the British ambassador, Alexander Wykeham Ellis, took place a fortnight after Kate and Gerry McCann were formally declared arguidos, or suspects, by Portuguese police. The McCanns have said that there was "absolutely no evidence to implicate them in Madeleine's disappearance whatsoever."

In a diplomatic cable marked confidential, the US ambassador reported: "Without delving into the details of the case, Ellis admitted that the British police had developed the current evidence against the McCann parents, and he stressed that authorities from both countries were working co-operatively."

The comments attributed to the ambassador appear to contradict the widespread perception at the time that Portuguese investigators were the driving force behind the treatment of the McCanns as suspects in the case.

The disclosure comes as WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange returns to court in an attempt to secure bail following his arrest last week at the request of Swedish authorities who want to interview him over allegations of sexual assault. A number of other cables released by the whistleblowers' website shed new light on aspects of the financial crisis. Revelations include:

• RBS chairman Sir Philip Hampton said the board of the bank breached their "fiduciary responsibilities" by allowing the takeover of the Dutch bank ABN Amro.

• The Bank of England governor, Mervyn King, was so worried about the health of the banks that he proposed a secret international fund to recapitalise them six months before the collapse of Lehman Brothers.

• US officials expressed doubts in October 2008 over whether Ireland appreciated how much trouble its banks were in.

In one of two cables referring to the McCann case, the US ambassador notes: "Madeleine McCann's disappearance in the south of Portugal in May 2007 has generated international media attention with controversy surrounding the Portuguese-led police investigation and the actions of Madeleine's parents."

He reported that his British counterpart thought "that the media frenzy was to be expected and was acceptable as long as government officials keep their comments behind closed doors".

It was not until 21 July 2008 that the Portuguese authorities shelved their investigation and lifted the arguido status of the McCanns. Responding to the contents of the cable, a spokesman for the McCanns told the Guardian: "This is an entirely historic note that is more than three years old. Subsequently, Kate and Gerry had their arguido status lifted, with the Portuguese authorities making it perfectly clear that there was absolutely no evidence to implicate them in Madeleine's disappearance whatsoever.

"To this day, they continue to work tirelessly on the search for their daughter, co-operating when appropriate with both the Portuguese and British authorities."

British authorities had substantial involvement in the investigation launched after Madeleine disappeared in May 2007 from the holiday apartment where the McCanns had left their three children in bed before joining friends at a nearby restaurant in the Algarve village of Praia da Luz. At least one British sniffer dog was used in the investigation and, according to reports, was said to have picked up the scent of a dead body in the apartment.

In 2008, when a dossier detailing investigations by Portuguese police was made public, it emerged British scientists had warned that DNA tests on a sample from the McCanns' holiday hire car were inconclusive days before they were made suspects. It is known that the Forensic Science Service analysed material sent to Britain by Portuguese police. A spokesman for Leicestershire police said their involvement in the investigation was limited to co-ordinating UK-based inquiries on behalf of the Portuguese authorities.

Gonçalo Amaral expects Wikileaks to divulge the satellite images, 14 December 2010
Gonçalo Amaral expects Wikileaks to divulge the satellite images tvi24

Gonçalo Amaral

The former inspector finds it strange that it's necessary for an ambassador to speak about the evidence for "some veracity to be given as to the responsibility of the parents in Madeleine's disappearance"

By tvi24
14- 12- 2010  0: 23
Thanks to Joana Morais for translation

Gonçalo Amaral, the former Judiciary Police inspector, stated this Monday that "it is strange" that it is necessary for an ambassador to speak about the evidence "for some veracity to be given as to the responsibility of the parents in Madeleine's disappearance" and that he looks forward for Wikileaks divulging the satellite imagery, reports Lusa.

"I accompanied the investigation, I know what is there and I know what still needs to be done, and I also know there's responsibility in the disappearance, I have no doubts about that," said Gonçalo Amaral, the former coordinator of the investigation into the disappearance of Madeleine McCann, in Praia da Luz, Algarve, on May 2007.

The author of the book 'Maddie - The Truth of the Lie' spoke to the news agency Lusa, after the WikiLeaks site revealed a confidential cable from the British ambassador in Lisbon, from 2007, admitting to his U.S. counterpart in the Portuguese capital, that it was the British police that had found evidence against Madeleine's parents.

However, Gonçalo Amaral insists that "it was not the British police who had arrived at those conclusions". "I do not know what evidence the British ambassador was referring to when he spoke with the U.S. ambassador. Now that there are strong indications as to the responsibility of parents, there are, and they were gathered by Portuguese police in cooperation with the British police," he assured.

Gonçalo Amaral also expects for Wikileaks to be able to get "the long awaited for satellite images".

Meanwhile, the McCanns' spokesman, Clarence Mitchell, played down these revelations, considering that the cable in question - which was also published in the British newspaper 'The Guardian' - was only an "entirely historic note".

Gonçalo Amaral recalls that the British and Portuguese authorities cooperated in the investigation, 14 December 2010
Gonçalo Amaral recalls that the British and Portuguese authorities cooperated in the investigation SIC Notícias

14-Dec-2010
With thanks to Joana Morais for transcript/translation

Pedro Mourinho (P.M.) - SIC Notícias Anchor (Portuguese 24/7 News Channel)
Gonçalo Amaral (G.A.) - the former Judiciary Police inspector, coordinator of the Madeleine McCann investigation until October 2007

Transcript

Pedro Mourinho (P.M.) - Gonçalo Amaral, former inspector of the Judiciary Police, and author of the book "The Truth of the Lie" on the Maddie Case is with us, live, on the Midnight News. A very good evening to you Dr. Gonçalo Amaral.

Gonçalo Amaral (G.A.) - Good evening.

P.M. - Is there any novelty for you in the documents now released by Wikileaks?

G.A. - No, in reality the only news is the document disclosure itself, since as for the evidence - the indicia - that is in the process. The cooperation and collaboration with the English police is public knowledge and is in the process. The results are there, therefore there isn't anything new.

P.M. - So, for you, it isn't news that it was the British police that found the evidence that has... would have incriminated Madeleine's parents?

G.A. - No, I didn't say that. It's not news with regard to the evidence. Now, as to the proof held by the British police, I don't know what are they refering to. There was cooperation and collaboration, the evidence and indicia are in the process thus... I don't know, someone should say what the evidence is; perhaps someone from the British police should say it. All the same, it was the cooperation between the British and Portuguese police that arrived at the proof that is in the process.

P.M. - As someone that knows the process, as an inspector involved in the investigation, coordinator of the investigation, don't you know what evidence, specifically, the British ambassador was referring to?

G.A. - He could only be referring to the evidence and indicia that are in the process. I'm not seeing any other, if there is other evidence, it would be strange for the British police to not have revealed it at the time.

P.M. - The reference made in the last hours, Dr. Gonçalo Amaral, was in particular to the evidence that had been obtained by the dogs brought from the UK, that were able to find cadaver scent in the McCann's car; could that be the evidence?

G.A. - There are several indications. The information that is in the process results in other evidence, and, therefore there is a set of evidence that is in the process, and that is probably what is being referred to. It is unfortunate that the process is archived, but, perhaps this note might enable the reopening of the inquest and the resumption of the investigation until the truth is established, the material truth, the complete truth, for Justice to be made.

P.M. - How was the relationship between the British and Portuguese police forces? Was it a good relationship, or, as the British media sustained for a certain period of time, during the summer of 2007, was it a tense one and of great rivalry?

G.A. - No, it was an excellent relationship, of cooperation, we often had lunch and dinner together, we had various meetings, so there was already friendship between colleagues. It was people who were involved in an investigation, there wasn't any tension as it was stated.

P.M. - Would it have been possible to go further, in gathering evidence, after what took place in September 2007, or not?

G.A. - As I said before, the investigation is an investigation that is interrupted, an investigation that needs to be concluded. I believe that it is possible to make progress, if it wasn't for lack of political will; now with political will, based on this note - which is only a note as you said, but remains an important note nevertheless between two ambassadors, from one ambassador to the US State Department, that must have the weight that it has. Hopefully now, it will also be disclosed those photos, those satellite images that we believe to be in the possession of the US authorities, that we, the Portuguese police mentioned first, and also requested, a request that was denied to us.

P.M. - In your understanding, what could those satellite images reveal?

G.A. - They can reveal who was the person that carried the child on that night on its way to the beach. According to an Irish couple's statement, with an alleged 80% certainty, it was Gerald McCann himself. That could be the confirmation of that Irish couple's statement.

P.M. - And those images exist?

G.A. - We believe that, yes. In fact, the McCann couple themselves, said, a few months ago, that they also searched for them; that they don't exist, someone else later stated that they don't exist. It's possible that the site that has divulged the cable might also be able to release those images. That would be interesting.

P.M. - In your opinion, if they exist, why weren't they yet revealed?

G.A. - Well, probably because they are a secret of state somewhere... In fact, the whole investigation was a state secret in England. I remind you that there is documentation in that sense, referring that it is a state secret. We do not understand why it is considered as a state secret. In question is the disappearance, and the likely death of a child, and we still fail to understand why that is considered as state secrecy.

P.M. - You have spoken before about the 'political will'. Do you consider that there was a connivance of the British government, with the McCann couple, knowing that the London authorities - and at least we now have that certainty - were indeed aware of the evidence uncovered by the police of their own country. What I want to ask you, in your opinion, in the scope of this document, is, if we can understand a little bit better the manner in which the McCanns left the country?

G.A. - I apologize for stating the obvious, but they have left the country by airplane. And they were well received back in England. What we became increasingly aware was the political influence, of the intervention of the British prime minister at the time, Gordon Brown, of the conversations that he allegedly had with our own prime minister, in October, at the Lisbon Summit - if they indeed spoke on the subject or not, we weren't there to listen. Some say they did, others say they didn't; but a fact remains, and this was the result: there was a point that the British police officers working on the case had to sign a document as if they belonged to the secret services, requesting their confidentiality so they wouldn't speak about the case. Definitely something strange, not usual under other circumstances. Thus, from then on, and with other elements - that would be too lengthy for us to be detailing here now - remains no doubt that a political intervention, practically, archived the case.

P.M. - Of the British and of the Portuguese government?

G.A. - The case went to the Portuguese General Attorney's Office, who published a statement saying that they had not found any indicia in the process... something that we find very strange. I recall that the decision made by the Appellate Court - on October 19, of this year, which lifted the banning of the book that I've authored, 'Maddie, The Truth of The Lie' - suggests that with the indicia that exists in the process, the opinion of the Public Ministry to archive the case could have been another, if the prosecutors were different. That means that something exists there [in the process]. I have no doubts that the magistrates, the appellate judges, have read the process.

P.M. - Do you believe that this document, this note now revealed by WikiLeaks, can indeed change something as to the process? You have already said during this interview that you hoped for that to happen, but do you truly believe that that it will take place?

G.A. - This matter has evolved, step by step, we cannot use this document as a flag, the knowledge of this note as a victory - let's put it in this way, it does not mean an immediate reopening of the case. However, I do believe that we are walking towards that goal, that finally the reconstruction of the facts may take place with the couple and with their friends, if they so wish, and if they are willing to return to Portugal.

P.M. - You spoke of 'victory', do you believe that this will change the perception that people have about the Maddie case?

G.A. - The perception that I have, as far as the perception of people go, is that the Judiciary Police has worked, the Judiciary Police was able to reach some conclusions, important conclusions; that the process needs to go on, the investigation has to continue, and, as we have previously spoken here today, the process was archived for political reasons - that is the perception that people have.

P.M. - Gonçalo Amaral, former inspector of the Judiciary Police, author of the book 'Maddie, The Truth of The Lie' about the Madeleine McCann case, live, on this Midnight news edition, after tonight, when another confidential document was released by WikiLeaks. It's the only document that makes a reference to the Maddie case - an exchange between the British and North-American ambassadors in Lisbon, where the British ambassador has confirmed that the British government had knowledge of the evidence that would incriminate Madeleine McCann's parents. Meanwhile, the McCann's spokesman, Clarence Mitchell, fully depreciated this revelation; contacted tonight by the News agency Lusa, he said that the cable "is something from the past, an historical document, more than three years old" and which, he added, "therefore has no substance".

Statement Regarding WikiLeaks Cables, 14 December 2010
Statement Regarding WikiLeaks Cables Official Find Madeleine Campaign - Facebook

 
Official Find Madeleine Campaign - Facebook page, 14 December 2010

by Official Find Madeleine Campaign on Tuesday, 14 December 2010 at 07:31

This is an entirely historic note that is more than three years old. Subsequently, Kate and Gerry had their arguido status lifted, with the Portuguese authorities making it clear there was absolutely no evidence to implicate them in Madeleine's disappearance. To this day, they continue to work tirelessly on the search for their daughter, co-operating when appropriate with both the Portuguese and British authorities

WikiLeaks and the McCanns, 14 December 2010
WikiLeaks and the McCanns Sky News Blog

Jason Farrell




Jason Farrell
December 14, 2010 8:56 AM

The latest WikiLeaks cables reveal that British police helped "develop" evidence against Madeleine McCann's parents after their daughter's disappearance.

Britain's ambassador to Portugal, Alexander Wykeham Ellis, reportedly made the claim to his American counterpart on September 21, 2007 – two weeks after Portuguese police named Gerry and Kate McCann as suspects.

In a diplomatic cable marked confidential, the US ambassador reported: "Without delving into the details of the case, Ellis admitted that the British police had developed the current evidence against the McCann parents, and he stressed that authorities from both countries were working co-operatively."

Those who blame the McCanns may leap on this as new evidence that it wasn't just the Portuguse authorities who suspected the coulpe. However, it was well known at the time that British police contributed to the investigation. We provided the cadaver dog to search the appartment. Our Forensic Science Service provided the scientific evidence which led to the arrests and the subsequent speculation.

It was much later when the FSS report was released, among all the other police documents, that we could read for ourselves that scientists had advised the Portuguse police that the forensic evidence was inconclusive.

The McCanns remained under suspicion until July 2008 when Portuguese police shelved the inquiry into Madeleine's disappearance.

A spokesman for the McCanns dismissed the leak as an "historic note" and said the Portuguese had since made it clear there was no evidence to implicate the couple.

McCanns' lawyer opposes the reopening of the process, 14 December 2010
McCanns' lawyer opposes the reopening of the process TSF Rádio Notícias

14 December 2010
Thanks to Astro for translation

Rogério Alves, the McCann couple's lawyer, has told TSF that there is no new data in the documents that were revealed by Wikileaks that would justify the reopening of the process.

The McCann couple's lawyer in Portugal, Rogério Alves, has said in a statement to TSF that he opposes the reopening of the inquiry into the disappearance of Madeleine in Lagos, in the Algarve, in 2007.

At stake is a telegram from the North American embassy that was revealed by Wikileaks, which indicates that it was the English police that presented the evidence that led to the McCann couple to be made arguidos.

The telegram, which is cited by British newspaper The Guardian, describes a conversation between the ambassadors of the United Kingdom and the USA in Portugal, shortly after Kate and Gerry McCann were made arguidos.

Nonetheless, Rogério Alves considered that these suspicions from the English authorities add nothing new to the process.

"That information is completely useless. It only contains a reference to a piece of evidence that the Public Ministry and the Polícia Judiciária (PJ) considered to be totally useless, which consisted of a couple of dogs that having barked, but being naturally unable to depose in a court room, would constitute some sort of indication against the child's parents," he said.

"To open the process, yes, when that contributes to finding out where the child is and what happened to her, [but] to open the process, no, when it is to review what was already seen by the PJ and by the Public Ministry, that correctly considered those indications to be absurd and inconsistent," Rogério Alves added, justifying that "nobody in a democratic state can be taken to court based on dogs' barking. That is absurd."

The former PJ inspector, Gonçalo Amaral, has a different opinion. In a statement, he considered that there had been political interference in the process, and therefore he asked the Public Ministry to reopen it.

There are no "new, credible and relevant" facts to reopen the McCann case – Public Ministry, 14 December 2010
There are no "new, credible and relevant" facts to reopen the McCann case – Public Ministry Lusa

by Cristina Cardoso (Lusa)
14 December 2010
Thanks to Astro for translation

Lisbon, Nov 13 (Lusa) – The Attorney General's Office considers that there are no "new, credible and relevant" facts in order to reopen the investigation related to Madeleine McCann, the English child that disappeared in the Algarve in 2007.

In a reply that was sent to Lusa agency, the Attorney General's Office recalls that "it has been repeatedly stated that the inquiry may be reopened if new, credible and relevant facts appear". Nonetheless, "so far all that has been known are opinions, abstract theories, digressions, baseless reasoning and publicity manoeuvres, which is not enough to reopen the inquiry," the note reads.

A telegram from the USA embassy in Lisbon, dated September 2007 and released on Monday, mentions the disappearance of the English child in May that year, pointing out that it was the English police that discovered evidence against the parents.

British police 'developed evidence' against McCanns, WikiLeaks cable claims, 14 December 2010
British police 'developed evidence' against McCanns, WikiLeaks cable claims Daily Mail

By VANESSA ALLEN
Last updated at 10:33 PM on 14th December 2010

The role British police played in the Madeleine McCann investigation is under scrutiny after leaked documents claimed they 'developed' evidence against her parents.

Britain's ambassador to Portugal told his U.S. counterpart that British detectives 'had developed the current evidence against the McCann parents', according to a diplomatic cable revealed by the WikiLeaks website.

The previously secret meeting took place on September 21, 2007 – two weeks after Portuguese police named Kate and Gerry McCann as 'arguidos', or formal suspects, in their daughter's disappearance.

Tough times: Kate and Gerry McCann were subject to a Portuguese police investigation, allegedly aided by evidence 'developed' by their British counterparts

The leaked cable has raised fresh questions about the extent of British police involvement in the Portuguese investigation.

Mr and Mrs McCann, both 42, have won a series of libel payouts from newspapers over suggestions they were involved in their daughter's disappearance.

But the leaked cable suggests British police were actively involved in helping to build a case against them.

The couple believe the decision to name them as arguidos jeopardised the hunt for their daughter, because it may have stopped potential witnesses from coming forward with information.

And it forced them to endure an agonising ten-month wait until Portuguese police admitted they had found no evidence against them, and shelved the case.

British police have always insisted they were responsible only for co-ordinating inquiries in Britain at the request of the Portuguese authorities.

But that account has been called into question by the leaked diplomatic cables, and by allegations by senior Portuguese detectives involved in the hunt.

In the diplomatic cable to Washington, marked 'confidential', U.S. ambassador Al Hoffman discussed a meeting with his British counterpart, Alexander Wykeham Ellis.

Missing: Madeleine McCann disappeared while on holiday in Portugal

He wrote: 'Madeleine McCann's disappearance in the south of Portugal in May 2007 has generated international media attention with controversy surrounding the Portuguese-led police investigation and the actions of Madeleine's parents.

Without delving into the details of the case, Ellis admitted that the British police had developed the current evidence against the McCann parents, and he stressed that authorities from both countries were working co-operatively.

'He commented that the media frenzy was to be expected and was acceptable as long as government officials keep their comments behind closed doors.'

The cable did not reveal what evidence had been 'developed' by police in Britain, but Portuguese detectives have previously made a series of startling claims about their involvement during a civil court case in Lisbon.

Lawyers for Goncalo Amaral, the former head of the Portuguese investigation, revealed that a confidential report by a British expert had suggested Mr McCann should be investigated for 'homicide'.

Criminal profiler Lee Rainbow, of the National Policing Improvement Agency, sent the report in June 2007, just a month after three-year-old Madeleine vanished from her family's rented holiday apartment in Praia da Luz.

He wrote: 'The family is a lead that should be followed.

'The contradictions in Gerald McCann's statement might lead us to suspect a homicide. This is a lead that should be investigated.'

Mr Amaral's lawyer told the court: 'Portuguese police had only considered the abduction theory. It was British police who said they must consider homicide as well.'

The McCanns took legal action against Mr Amaral in an effort to stop the sale of his book, The Truth of the Lie, in which he claimed they covered up their daughter's death.

His former deputy, Tavares Almeida, gave evidence on his behalf, and said British and Portuguese police had both concluded Madeleine was dead.

He told the court: 'We all believe she is dead. It was our conclusion as police professionals, both Portuguese and British police. The McCanns didn't kill her but they concealed her body.'

The couple's spokesman, Clarence Mitchell, said: 'The cable is a historic note that is more than three years old.

'Subsequently, Kate and Gerry had their arguido status lifted, with the Portuguese authorities making it perfectly clear that there was absolutely no evidence to implicate them in Madeleine's disappearance whatsoever.'

McCanns under scrutiny in Wikileaks latest, 14 December 2010
McCanns under scrutiny in Wikileaks latest Algarve Resident

Gerry and Kate McCann's spokesman Clarence Mitchell described the revelations "as a completely historical note". Photo: CHRIS GRAEME, THE RESIDENT GROUP

By CHRIS GRAEME
Updated: 14-Dec-2010

The British Ambassador to Portugal confided with the United States Ambassador that British police suspected Kate and Gerry McCann over the disappearance of their daughter Madeleine in 2007.

In the latest explosive WikiLeaks revelation, the Spanish daily newspaper El Pais published news on Tuesday that in a telegram dated September 28, 2007, US Ambassador Alfred Hoffman revealed details of a short conversation he had had with Alexander Ellis, the newly-appointed British Ambassador to Lisbon.

"Ellis didn't go into details about the case, but admitted that it was the British police themselves who found proof" which led them to suspect the McCann couple.

The United States ambassador also revealed that his British opposite number had told him that the Portuguese and British police "were working cooperatively" on the investigations.

Two weeks earlier Portuguese police had named Gerry and Kate McCann as 'arguidos' or formal suspects.

The McCann's spokesman, Clarence Mitchell, immediately downplayed the information which appeared on the Portuguese and Spanish news on Monday "as a completely historical note".

Portuguese evening news coverage on Monday included commentaries from the former police detective who led the case into the disappearance of Madeleine, Gonçalo Amaral.

But Gonçalo Amaral, the author of the explosive and banned book Maddie - The Truth of the Lie (Maddie - A Verdade de Mentira) said on Monday night that it was "strange" that it had been necessary for an ambassador to talk about evidence in order to give "some veracity to the McCanns' alleged involvement".

"I led the investigation, I know what's there and what needs to be done and I know that someone is responsible for Madeleine's disappearance. I've no doubt about this.

"It was not the British police who reached these conclusions. I don't know what evidence the British Ambassador was referring to. Now, that there were strong indications that the parents were responsible - there were, and that they were collected by the Portuguese police in cooperation with the British police, they were."

The former inspector told the press that the leaked information could lead to the re-opening of the Madeleine case.  

The cable to Washington, marked 'confidential' from Alfred Hoffman Junior, stated: "without delving into the details of the case, Ellis admitted that the British police had developed the current evidence against the McCann parents" and added "the British and Portuguese police have been working cooperatively".

But the cable does not specify what evidence the British police are alleged to have gathered or even if the UK investigators were involved in the decision to formally name them as suspects.

In another cable, Hoffman stated: "Madeleine McCann's disappearance in the south of Portugal in May 2007 has generated a lot of international media attention with controversy surrounding the Portuguese-led police investigation and the actions of Madeleine's parents".

He said that the British Ambassador thought that the "media frenzy was to be expected and was acceptable as long as government officials kept their comments behind closed doors".

A spokesman from the British Embassy told the Algarve Resident on Tuesday: "We condemn any unauthorised release of classified information, just as we condemn leaks of classified material in the UK. They can damage national security, are not in the national interest and may put lives at risk. We have a very strong relationship with the US Government. That will continue."

According to El Pais, the conversation between the two diplomats took place in Lisbon 19 days after Gerry and Kate McCann had left Portugal after being questioned at Polícia Judiciária headquarters in Portimão.

In that interrogation, on September 6, Madeleine's parents were quizzed as suspects into the accidental death of their daughter and of then having "hidden" Madeleine's body.

The case was later shelved because of lack of evidence on July 21, 2008 and the 'arguido' status on the McCanns was dropped.

One of the clearest examples of Portuguese-British police cooperation was that all of the analyses on material collected from the Praia da Luz apartment and the rental vehicles used by the McCanns and their friends were carried out at a laboratory in Birmingham and paid for by the British police.

Information widely published in the Portuguese press at the time was that information on potential evidence was "shared between the Portuguese and British police and discussed jointly".

The press also reported on the apparent rivalry between the two police forces investigating the disappearance and criticising the methods used, rivalries and criticisms which were later downplayed when the British police stated that relations between the two forces had been "excellent".

McCanns' detectives in Lagos, 15 December 2010
McCanns' detectives in Lagos Jornal de Notícias

MARISA RODRIGUES
15 December 2010, 00h15m
Thanks to Joana Morais for translation

"Leave us in peace once and for all." The request is made by a former Ocean Club employee, in Praia da Luz, Lagos, who has been "insistently" contacted by a new group of private investigators hired by the McCanns.

"They've contacted me three times, by letter, by phone and recently they came knocking at my door. They were two women, one Portuguese another English, searching for new evidence to reopen the process, but we want to forget what has happened. We will only answer to questions made by the Judiciary Police," vented the woman in frustration. She is one of the witnesses heard during the investigation to Madeleine's disappearance, in May 2007.

This is an action that the former coordinator of the Portuguese Judiciary Police classifies as "illegal". Even suggesting that "those people be identified and heard by the police because they are committing a crime."

This revelation comes a day after Wikileaks, quoted by Spanish newspaper "El País", disclosure of the contents of a conversation between the United Kingdom and the United States ambassadors, with the former affirming that the police of his own country had gathered evidence incriminating the child's parents.

"That had been already stated by the PJ and figures in the process. It was the conviction of both police forces, however it had never been assumed from the British side. The only novelty is, that, for the first time, there is someone who is not Portuguese, affirming that there were suspicions against the couple, which reinforces the investigation thesis," said Gonçalo Amaral.

For the family spokesman, Clarence Mitchell, it is "an entirely historic note that is more than three years old. Kate and Gerry had their arguido status lifted, with the Portuguese authorities making it perfectly clear that there was absolutely no evidence to implicate them in Madeleine's disappearance."

To JN, a source from the Portuguese Public Relations team hired by the McCanns [Salvador da Cunha's Lift Consulting], confirmed that there is a "private investigation team" led by a former British policeman, Dave Edgar, trying to gather evidence to reopen the process, archived back in July 2008.

Yesterday, in a declaration, the Portuguese Attorney General, considered that there are no "new, credible and relevant" facts to determine the reopening of the investigation related to Madeleine McCann.

Back to the Maddie case, 15 December 2010
Back to the Maddie case Correio da Manhã

eduardodamaso.jpg

By Eduardo Dâmaso, assistant director
15 December 2010
Thanks to
Joana Morais for translation

What is the worth of the WikiLeaks disclosure in the Maddie case? It is truly worthy. Firstly, in the foreground, it shows that the British police were convinced as to the credibility of the evidence that involved the parents in the disappearance. After that, the matter was then the subject of a conversation, at State diplomatic level, between England and the USA.

In other words, and for reasons that remain unclear and which may be related to some work by Gerry McCann for the British government, the issue had a clear political dimension. It was a dossier that was managed with all political care, as can be understood by reference to the "secrecy" that the matter demanded from the British.

Today, one can also realise the lack of credibility in the information provided by the U.S. to the request of the investigation regarding the images collected by a U.S. satellite positioned to the south of Portugal and North Africa. At the time, the Americans confirmed the positioning of the satellite, but said that on the night of the disappearance it was directed toward Africa, and therefore, it could not have seen a man carrying a child, which later was said by a witness to be Maddie's father.

If the McCanns truly wished to reopen the case, now would be a good time. But is it really their convenience to face the facts? It doesn't seem to be...

"Political Influence demands an Inquiry", 15 December 2010
"Political Influence demands an Inquiry" Correio da Manhã

Gerry and Kate McCann were constituted arguidos on September 7, 2007 and then returned home
Gerry and Kate McCann were constituted arguidos on September 7, 2007 and then returned home

Maddie: WikiLeaks reveals the conversation between the British and North-American ambassadors

Gonçalo Amaral, the former coordinator of the investigation to the disappearance of Madeleine McCann in Praia da Luz, on the night of May 3, 2007, is not surprised with the Wikileaks disclosure of the cable sent by the US ambassador in Portugal, Alfred Hoffman Jr, to Washington.

By Paulo Marcelino / J.F. / R.R. with agencies
15 December 2010
Thanks to Joana Morais for translation

In that letter, of September 28, 2007, the diplomat reported on a conversation with his British counterpart, Alexander W. Ellis, in which the latter said that the "British police had obtained evidence against the McCanns". The former coordinator of the Judiciary Police admits that he felt "political pressures during the investigation" and is now asking for the creation of a commission of inquiry in the Portuguese Republic Assembly, alleging that political interference in a criminal investigation undermines the Rule of Law.

"There was political influence as to the direction of the investigation and in the process archival," said Gonçalo Amaral to CM. The former coordinator of the investigation - removed from it at its final stage - further adds: "Before the passivity, and almost complicity of the government [Portuguese] still in office, it is imperative, within the Portuguese Republic Assembly, to create a commission of inquiry, in order to investigate the influences and political manoeuvring which has led to the discontinuation of the investigation and to the process archival. At stake is the Rule of Law."

As to the disclosure that it would have been the British police to have gathered evidence against the couple, Gerry and Kate McCann (the missing girl's parents), Amaral is peremptory: "They didn't gather any evidence". The former coordinator acknowledges the good cooperation of the English police officers sent to the Algarve at the time, but adds that "whomever was in England had other ideas."

And he gives examples: "The English police even held back the statement made by Katherine Gaspar about a potential paedophile [David Payne] in the group on holiday in Luz". And he recalls that David ended up being questioned in England without the PJ's inspectors present. It should also be remembered that the credit information requested by the Police never received a reply. And Amaral also says that "there are strong suspicions" that the FSS lab results in England were manipulated. And that they were well known at the date of the cable. The laboratory conclusions devalued the evidence that was found in the apartment and in the couple's car by the British dogs, specialized in sniffing blood and cadaver odour.

SCENT OF DEATH

They were first offered in May and then provided with some reservation back in August 2007, the dogs 'Eddie' and 'Keela' signalled the cadaver odour and found blood traces in the apartment from where Maddie disappeared and inside the trunk of the car rented by the McCanns.

ABDUCTION WITHOUT EVIDENCE

Gonçalo Amaral says that there is no evidence of abduction in the process other than the statements of Jane Tanner, who was on holiday with the McCanns in Praia da Luz. "She recognized several people as the perpetrators of the abduction and she lied blatantly," said the former PJ coordinator.

"I FELT PRESSURED": Gonçalo Amaral, former coordinator of the Portuguese Judiciary Police

Correio da Manhã – Did you feel political pressures during the investigation?

Gonçalo Amaral – I did, yes. I was confronted, by way of the national PJ directory, with a question that coincided with the thought of the Attorney General's Office, at the time, that not all processes have a conclusion.

- How do you explain the political interference?

– The initiative was started by the McCanns, through their family contacts, in order to defend themselves.

– Does the cable disclosure surprise you?

– No. I only hope that the Portuguese Justice hears both ambassadors. They are potential witnesses.

COUPLE CREATE A NEW INVESTIGATION TEAM

A new team of investigators hired by the McCanns and constructed of Portuguese and English elements, headed by a former British policeman is already in the Algarve according to TVI. The couple allege to be interested in reviewing the constant sightings that appear in the process. But Gonçalo Amaral dismisses them: "These parents aren't searching for their daughter. They only care about their own image." And he argues that, otherwise they would ask for the reopening of the process, as he himself defends. "Just a letter. They would only and solely have to pay for the price of the stamp," quips the former coordinator of the investigation.

[The article continues with general information related to the WikiLeaks releases]

Portugal Refuses To Re-open Madeleine McCann Investigation, 15 December 2010
Portugal Refuses To Re-open Madeleine McCann Investigation Sky News Blog

Martin Brunt




Martin Brunt
December 15, 2010 12:08 PM

I hear that ex-Madeleine cop Goncalo Amaral has tried to use the WikiLeaks revelation to get the Portuguese investigation re-opened, but he's been rebuffed.

He urged the Attorrney-General in Lisbon to find out exactly what evidence against her parents was "developed" by British police.

I imagine the top law officer Jose Pinto Monteiro, already knew what it was all about.

He said today that the Portuguese authorities would not respond to "opinions, digressions, political analyses, abstract theories and journalistic comment."

Only fresh evidence would prompt a re-investigation, he said.

The Wikileaks website released a diplomatic cable from 2007 which suggested that British police had played an active role in helping the Portuguese cops build a case against Kate and Gerry McCann over Madeleine's disappearance in May that year.

It was always a bit of a mystery at the time which British police were doing what, though they kept saying they were simply acting as "co-ordinators"

The McCanns' Portuguese lawyer Rogerio Alves said the cable was probably refering to the use of sniffer dogs, which were sent to examine the family's holiday apartment, hire car and other things weeks later and before the couple were made official suspects in September.

Mr. Alves said: "This information is totally useless. It makes one reference to evidence state prosecutors and the Judicial police considered useless.

"Nobody in a democratic state can be brought to trial on the basis of dogs barking."

The dogs were said to have found evidence of blood and a body, but the McCanns were eventually cleared of any involvement in their daughter's disappearance and insist the suspicion around them held up the search for Madeleine and dissuaded potential witness from speaking to police.

Another flicker..., 15 December 2010
Another flicker... The Blacksmith Bureau

Posted by John Blacksmith at 15:30
Wednesday, 15 December 2010
"5. (C) Madeleine McCann's disappearance in the south of Portugal in May 2007 has generated international media attention with controversy surrounding the Portuguese-led police investigation and the actions of Madeleine's parents. Without delving into the details of the case, Ellis admitted that the British police had developed the current evidence against the McCann parents, and he stressed that authorities from both countries were working cooperatively. He commented that the media frenzy was to be expected and was acceptable as long as government officials keep their comments behind closed doors."
"...has generated international media attention with controversy surrounding the Portuguese-led police investigation and the actions of Madeleine's parents." Note the phrase "Portuguese-led". The US ambassador is asking his newly-arrived counterpart about the loud and persistent media attacks organized by the McCanns, their family, their public relations team Hanover Communications and their wealthy backers following their flight from Portugal. Was it really true that the Portuguese police had lost the plot and turned on the parents without evidence? Or, even worse, had they as the McCann family claimed, actually framed - "fitted up" in the family's low-life phraseology – the pair?

The accusations were extremely serious. If there was evidence that they were true then clearly there would be dangerous implications for the Anglo-Portuguese relationship. Then it really would get "political" since no nation would willingly allow such a thing to happen to a pair of its innocent citizens. A breakdown in relations between the two countries would be almost certain and, as an ally of both countries, the Americans would need to be briefed on it.

But the allegations were not true. The Portuguese had not acted in such a disgraceful way. The claims had been made up by the parents and their team. Ellis, "without going into details", gave the ambassador the evidence he needed to report to his government: the claims couldn't be true because the British themselves had seen and worked on the evidence against the parents and were therefore familiar with the facts.

Ellis was behaving perfectly correctly: he didn't add any gossip and he made no comment about the possible innocence or guilt of the parents. As far as the media were concerned his comments about the "frenzy" were obviously made in the light of the decision to make the pair arguidos: what had been a dramatic story about a missing child had now moved into the legal arena and it was clearly imperative that members of the UK government – whatever their personal opinions – made no public comments pro or con and allowed the legal process to take its course.

The McCanns' odious spokesman – we discovered the reasons for his new hairstyle recently, by the way, but we'll save that for another time – claimed that this was just history. It isn't. All along the McCann team has tried to separate the British side of the investigation from the Portuguese "rogue cop and rogue police force", safe in the knowledge that the Leicester Police cannot issue a formal denial of their claims.

The cable has two consequences, one legal and one concerned with the never-ending PR battle. As for the latter, that cynical measure of average opinion, the Mail, immediately used the opportunity to air the old suspicions about the parents since quoting the cable verbatim makes them safe from libel threats. It was notable that in its article the Mail referred in neutral terms to Goncalo Amaral for the first time in two years – no "discredited", no "disgraced".

On the legal side this formal confirmation of Goncalo Amaral's central contention – that he was representative of the entire investigation in his line of enquiry – continues the gradual demolition of the McCanns' libel and associated claims in Portugal. And the ambassador's report confirmed once again the reckless and self-centred dishonesty of the McCann family. If the facts showed that the media claims were untrue and the media claims derived directly from the family and their Team – which we know they did - then the conclusion is clear: the McCanns were lying. Again.

Will the slightly crazed attacks on ambassador Ellis by the Portuguese cease with this evidence that he was countering the lies being spread about their country? We doubt it. Just as we regret that when the courts and the evidence are moving in Goncalo Amaral's favour he permits himself to be drawn into television speculation about the non-existent British political pressure on the investigation.

The assorted conspiracy theorists on the Portuguese TV screens – none of whom, unlike Amaral, is fighting a legal battle that could ruin them and can therefore indulge themselves in such games at no cost – continue to encourage him along this doomed path rather than concentrating his expertise on the actions of the Tapas 9 and an evidence-based defence to the claims of the parents. These allies do him no favours: his enemies are noting the blatant factual inaccuracies in his comments on the UK political and legal scene, no doubt with a view to damaging his credibility in court.

Otherwise the cable is just another flicker in the "ever-widening pool of light."

The McCanns' statement to the Portuguese media, 15 December 2010
The McCanns' statement to the Portuguese media

15 December 2010

The speculation that has been published about our daughter's disappearance as referred to on WikiLeaks forces us to take the following position:
  1. WikiLeaks website has published a summary of an alleged telegram exchanged between the USA and UK Ambassadors. This summary does not contain any new or relevant facts that will lead us to the discovery of what happened to our daughter.
  2. If the mentioned telegram does exist, its contents only tell that the British Police developed in September 2007 (we believe that to be the date of the correspondence exchange) information regarding our responsibility in the disappearance of our daughter.
  3. We recall that on that date the team coordinated by Gonçalo Amaral was still investigating the case, having produced a report incriminating both of us. That report was not supported by evidence that validated his allegations so due to the absence of any incriminating evidence about us, the case was filed after eight months of further investigation.
  4. Presumably, if any correspondence summarized by WikiLeaks does exist, it is based on the circumstances that arose in the investigation at that time, since we do not know that there has been any further investigation besides the one that we all know about – and in the process there isn't any information to the contrary.
  5. Once again, the ex-inspector Gonçalo Amaral has seized the opening given by the Portuguese media for his thesis, producing deeply hurtful insinuations and invocating the investigations defects. Defects on an investigation that he coordinated and didn't achieve any useful results for our daughter.
  6. These speculations are periodically brought to public opinion by that former employee of the PJ, accompanied by threats to reopen the case on his own initiative.
  7. When he claims publicly that he knows what needs to be done on the investigation and if "what needs to be done" is the investigation of facts, documents, data or real and concrete information that can lead to Madeleine's whereabouts, discovery or even the reason for her disappearance, he has the obligation to present it to the process to reopen the investigation, in which we are most interested.
  8. We are aware that Madeleine's disappearance is an inexhaustible source of enrichment to Gonçalo Amaral by means of false accusations, deeply offensive and harmful to the investigation itself, so we appeal to journalists' critical sense to disentangle what is journalistic information and what is speculation and a dubious means to an easy profit.
15th December 2010

Kate and Gerry McCann

"English may have other evidence", 16 December 2010
"English may have other evidence" Correio da Manhã

Maddie disappeared in May 2007. The parents were considered suspects
Maddie disappeared in May 2007. The parents were considered suspects

16 December 2010

British ambassador's revelations raise new suspicions. Gonçalo Amaral, former coordinator, believes that the British police did not disclose everything to the PJ regarding the McCanns and the suspicion of paedophilia of their friend Payne.

Learn more in the paper edition of the newspaper 'Correio da Manhã'.

----------------

Paper edition

- Front page -

Maddie Case: English suspected of withholding relevant evidence

Gonçalo Amaral believes that the British police did not disclose all that they have found to the PJ

- Article, page 10 -

Maddie Case: British ambassador's revelations raise new suspicions

"English may have other evidence"

Gonçalo Amaral, former coordinator, believes that the British police did not disclose everything to the PJ regarding the McCanns and the suspicion of paedophilia of their friend Payne

 
Correio da Manhã, 16 December 2010

HENRIQUE MACHADO
16 December 2010
Thanks to
Joana Morais for translation/newspaper scan

The British ambassador in Lisbon admitted that the police of his country found incriminating evidence against the McCanns in the disappearance of their daughter Maddie, as was revealed by WikiLeaks. Gonçalo Amaral, the former Judiciary case coordinator "without knowing which evidence that was", admits that it could have been omitted. "It is very strange, for example, that they did not send us the information relative to the suspicion (of paedophilia) referring to David Payne", an element of the [Tapas] group in Praia da Luz, in the Algarve, in May 2007.

"Similarly, the British police always told the PJ, in the requests made, that there was nothing relevant as to the credit card transactions" made by Maddie's parents or by the group of friends, nor in relation to "Kate and Gerry's relationship or to the missing child clinical records", for example.

The PJ coordinator does not believe that the evidence mentioned by the UK ambassador, Alexander Ellis, with his US counterpart had anything to do with the fact that the dogs, which had detected blood and cadaver odour in the trunk of the car rented by the McCanns, were British. "Even because, on September 28 (the day the ambassadors' conversation took place), the English lab [F.S.S.] had already stated that the blood evidence gathered did not belong to Maddie". Therefore, the evidence that Ellis makes reference to "must be something else" - which the British police failed to deliver to the Judiciary.

For Amaral, the most probable hypothesis has to do with Payne: in Majorca, two summers before, he had rubbed his nipple and put his finger in his mouth while looking at Maddie, suggesting a sexual act, asking Gerry if his daughter would do that.

Those gestures were witnessed by a British doctor, who denounced them to the British police in May 16, 2007. "The PJ was only informed in October", and, when Paulo Rebelo's team went to England with questions for the group, David Payne "was the only one who was heard by the English Police without the presence of the PJ".

DETAILS

He enjoyed giving baths

Payne was the last person, known, besides the parents, to see Maddie alive. The Englishman, over whom a suspicion of paedophilia was raised, enjoyed giving baths to the children.

New Investigation
Gonçalo Amaral, PJ inspector now retired, told CM that he is gathering new indicia that provide for the reopening of the investigation.

Laboratory
Amaral raises doubts as to the DNA results obtained by the English lab.

Find Madeleine: Updates, 17 December 2010

 
findmadeleine.com update, 17 December 2010

Madeleine McCann

Friday, 17th November, 2010

This month marks our fourth Christmas without Madeleine. We hope with all our hearts that wherever she is, she is safe and well and whoever may be with her is treating her with the love and respect she so deserves.

We would like to thank all our supporters for 'staying at our side' in spite of the injustices that we continue to be subjected to. Madeleine is the person who suffers most from all of this injustice. It is this fact alone which causes us the most distress. It is absolutely heart-breaking.

The Wikileaks 'news' this week has led to the repetition of many unfounded allegations and smears both in the UK and in Portugal in particular. This has been seized on as an opportunity by those who wish to compound our suffering and hamper our efforts, including the very person who was entrusted with finding our daughter. Those who could help Madeleine but choose to do nothing are also complicit in this injustice. Without the love and help from so many good people around the world we would not be able to find the strength to continue the fight to find our daughter.

Thank you to all those who have signed our petition calling on the UK and Portuguese Governments to conduct an independent review of Madeleine's case. The petition is still on-going. If you haven't signed and would like to further the search for Madeleine, please sign our on-line petition or sign a paper petition form. The latter can be downloaded from the website and distributed to shops, post-offices etc. and returned to us.

Along with our family, we would like to thank everyone who has sent us Christmas cards, letters, donations and gifts at this difficult time of year. It is impossible to find enough positive words to describe such kindness or the hugely important and heart-warming effect it has on us. Without any doubt, it helps us immensely and we are incredibly grateful.

We wish you all a merry Christmas and a very happy, healthy and positive 2011. Please remember to spare a thought and a prayer for all the children who will not be with their families this Christmas.

Thank you.

Kate and Gerry

McCanns fury over Wiki slur, 19 December 2010
McCanns fury over Wiki slur News of the World (paper edition)

December 19, 2010

THE parents of Madeleine McCann last night condemned WikiLeaks "smears" as they prepared for their fourth Christmas without their daughter.

A diplomatic cable from 2007 emerged on the controversial website suggesting that British police had played an active role in helping the Portuguese cops build a case against Kate and Gerry McCann.

But yesterday the McCanns said the WikiLeaks report "has led to the repetition of many unfounded allegations and smears both in the UK and in Portugal in particular."

In a message on their Find Madeleine website, they added: "This has been seized on by those who wish to compound our suffering."

Madeleine was nearly four when she disappeared from her family's holiday apartment in Portugal while her parents dined with friends nearby.

McCanns reject WikiLeaks claims, 19 December 2010
McCanns reject WikiLeaks claims Sunday Express

VANISHED: Madeleine McCann.

By James Murray
Sunday December 19,2010

KATE and Gerry McCann have reacted angrily to revelations by WikiLeaks that alleged British police had been helping to build a case against them over the disappearance of their daughter Madeleine.

In a statement on their Find Madeleine website, they said: "The WikiLeaks 'news' this week has led to the repetition of many unfounded smears. This has been seized on as an opportunity by those who wish to compound our suffering and hamper our efforts, including the very person who was entrusted with finding our daughter."

The couple are locked in a bitter civil dispute with former ­Portuguese police chief Goncalo Amaral over claims he made in his book, Maddie: The Truth Of The Lie.

Earlier this year the McCanns met Home Secretary Theresa May and were hoping to persuade her to order a review of all the known evidence but the attempt was unsuccessful.

Their statement adds: "Those who could help Madeleine but choose to do nothing are also complicit in this injustice.

"Madeleine is the person who suffers most from all of this injustice. It is that fact alone which causes us the most distress. It is absolutely heart-breaking."

Last week newspapers published information from Wiki­Leaks about a meeting between US ambassador to Portugal Al Hoffman and the British ambassador Alexander Wykeham Ellis in September 2007, four months after Madeleine disappeared from an Algarve holiday apartment. In a diplomatic cable the US ambassador reported: "Without delving into the details of the case, Ellis admitted the British police had developed the current evidence against the McCann parents, and he stressed that authorities from both countries were working cooperatively."

Dirt, 19 December 2010

Francisco Moita Flores

There is no politics, there is no private interest or of any other kind that can override the search for the truth

By Francisco Moita Flores
19 December 2010
Thanks to Astro for translation

WikiLeaks has drilled through the USA's security system and has been publishing thousands of documents. One of them tells us what we already knew. The English ambassador reported that the English police had obtained evidence that Maddie's parents were involved in the death and disappearance of their daughter and that, for State reasons, that fact had been simply hidden from the Portuguese Justice.
The couple's spokesman did not deny it. He merely stated that this issue was history. It didn't matter. When one is protected, such arrogance is permitted. Nonetheless, it is also true that protection by the powerful serves the powerful but will never be able to hide the truth, which, as we all know, always surfaces.

And the truth is here again. Vigorous, without mercy, without pity for those who have always wanted to see a moral end to this story. From pitiful journalists who have refused to publish any other thesis apart from the truth that was sold and produced before time: the little girl was abducted, end of. Everything else was silliness and bad taste by the Portuguese police and those who have always understood how the famous adbuction was impossible. And that silliness was accepted by the Public Ministry, that ordered the process to be shelved, The investigation interrupted, the couple under protection, the formal, judicial truth hacked off without scruples. WikiLeaks tells us that the whole thing was well secured by the English government after all, and who knows where the evidence is being kept.

The truth is that the criminal investigation cannot live on prejudice. To demonstrate the nexus of causality between the victim and the perpetrator is, under any circumstance, the sole motivation that presides over police work. There is no politics, there is no private interest or of any other kind that can override the search for the truth. This works in Portugal. And every year parents kill children and children kill parents. Nevertheless, they are not protected by any specific government, neither in Portugal nor in any other country. Therefore, they are subject to the superior decision of the courts.

That was not the case of the unfortunate English child, whose disappearance remains unsolved due to the protection that surrounded her dear parents, who, by the way, have always been treated in an excellent way in Portugal, regardless of the suspicions that hung over them. From the media campaigns until the English provocation that insulted Portugal in the name of the parents' dignity. How much did that campaign cost? Maybe there is another WikiLeaks cable that informs us about the dirt concerning this subject, that we still have to learn.

The yo-yo of popularity, 21 December 2010
The yo-yo of popularity Daily Mail

Peter McKay

By PETER MCKAY
Last updated at 1:23 AM on 21st December 2010


- Extract -

At the same time, WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange - toast of the fashionable Left - suffers a drop in his share value after new reports about his seedy sexual activities. It's reported that he and his chief supporter at The Guardian are not on speakers.

Even the McCanns, who got newspapers to apologise for doubting what they said about their missing daughter, Madeleine, are on the 'down' public esteem escalator after it was reported that British police helped Portuguese colleagues build a case against them.

In the instant world of internet, Facebook and Twitter commentary - faithfully repeated by the Press and TV - you are up one moment and down the next. On a rollercoaster - as everyone always says when questioned on TV about how they feel.

McCanns angry at 'smears' fuelled by WikiLeaks files, 21 December 2010
McCanns angry at 'smears' fuelled by WikiLeaks files Leicester Mercury

McCanns angry at 'smears' fuelled by WikiLeaks files

By Dan Martin
Tuesday, December 21, 2010, 09:30

Kate and Gerry McCann have condemned claims published by website WikiLeaks that British police helped gather evidence against them.

The McCanns, from Rothley, said the publication of the claim, made last week, had led to repeated allegations and smears against them.

In a Christmas message published on their website, they thanked their supporters in their search for Madeleine but said they continued to be subject to "heartbreaking" injustices.

The couple are preparing for their fourth Christmas without their daughter, who went missing from the Portuguese resort of Praia de Luz in May 2007 during a family holiday.

In the message published on their official website, they said: "We would like to thank all our supporters for staying at our side in spite of the injustices that we continue to be subjected to.

"Madeleine is the person who suffers most from all of this injustice.

"It is this fact alone which causes us the most distress.

"It is absolutely heartbreaking.

"The WikiLeaks news has led to the repetition of many unfounded allegations and smears both in the UK and in Portugal in particular.

"This has been seized on as an opportunity by those who wish to compound our suffering and hamper our efforts.

"Those who could help Madeleine but choose to do nothing are also complicit in this injustice.

"Without the love and help from so many good people around the world we would not be able to find the strength to continue the fight to find our daughter."

Britain's ambassador to Portugal reportedly made the claim to an American diplomat two weeks after Portuguese police named Kate and Gerry McCann, of Rothley, as "arguidos", or formal suspects, in their daughter's disappearance.

The message, contained in a US diplomatic communication, surfaced on the WikiLeaks website last week.

Mr and Mrs McCann's status as suspects was lifted in July 2008 when Portuguese detectives shelved the case.

Mr and Mrs McCann said: "We hope with all our hearts that wherever she is, she is safe and well and whoever may be with her is treating her with the love and respect she so deserves."

More than 37,000 people have signed the couple's online petition calling on the UK and Portuguese Governments to conduct an independent review into the evidence collected during the search for Madeleine.

Mr and Mrs McCann added: "Along with our family, we would like to thank everyone who has sent us Christmas cards, letters, donations and gifts at this difficult time of year.

"It is impossible to find enough positive words to describe such kindness or the hugely important and heart-warming effect it has on us.

"Without any doubt, it helps us immensely and we are incredibly grateful."

The Find Madeleine fund, set up by the McCanns to help search for their missing daughter, stood at £470,034 at the end of March, according to accounts published at Companies House.

Since then, Mr and Mrs McCann have signed a deal to write a book about Madeleine's disappearance, with all proceeds going to the fund.

Last year, the fund paid for the private investigators, a telephone hotline for public information and the McCanns' legal battle to ban a book about what happened to Madeleine by former Portuguese detective Goncalo Amaral.

A Home Office spokesperson said: "The Government wants to ensure everything feasible is being done to progress the search for Madeleine.

"The British authorities will maintain a dialogue with the Portuguese and continue to liaise with Madeleine's family on any developments."

Internet revelations are "deeply hurtful" say the McCanns, 24 December 2010
Internet revelations are "deeply hurtful" say the McCanns The Algarve Resident

By DAISY SAMPSON
Updated: 24-Dec-2010


Kate and Gerry McCann have issued a scathing response to the WikiLeaks claims that the British Ambassador confided that the British police had "helped develop" evidence against the couple over the disappearance of their daughter in 2007.

In a statement to the Algarve Resident, the couple say that the alleged telegram about a conversation between the UK and US Ambassadors to Portugal published by WikiLeaks "does not contain any new or relevant facts that will lead us to the discovery of what happened to our daughter".

The statement continues: "If the mentioned telegram does exit, its contents only tell that the British Police developed information regarding our responsibility in the disappearance of our daughter."

The revelations from WikiLeaks were seen by Kate and Gerry McCann as an "opening" for former lead investigator in the case, Gonçalo Amaral, and are described as being "deeply hurtful".

"Once again, the ex-inspector has seized the opening given by the Portuguese media for his thesis, producing deeply hurtful insinuations and invocating the investigations defects. Defects on an investigation that he coordinated and didn't achieve any useful results for our daughter," said the couple.

Offensive

In response to claims by Gonçalo Amaral that he knows "what needs to be done" in the investigation (see the Algarve Resident edition December 17), the McCanns said: "If 'what needs to be done' is the investigation of facts, documents, data or real and concrete information that can lead to Madeleine's whereabouts, discovery or even the reason for her disappearance, he has the obligation to present it to the process to reopen the investigation."

The couple added: "We are aware that Madeleine's disappearance is an inexhaustible source of enrichment to Gonçalo Amaral by means of false accusations, deeply offensive and harmful to the investigation itself."

Further criticism of the WikiLeaks claims were posted by Kate and Gerry McCann on the findmadeleine.com website.

"The WikiLeaks 'news' this week has led to the repetition of many unfounded allegations and smears both in the UK and Portugal in particular. This has been seized on as an opportunity by those who wish to compound our suffering and hamper our efforts, including the very person entrusted with finding our daughter."

Meanwhile, as the McCanns approach their fourth Christmas without Madeleine, they once again made an appeal: "We hope with all our hearts that wherever she is, she is safe and whoever may be with her is treating her with the love and respect she so deserves."

With thanks to Nigel at McCann Files

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