Express 8 Sep 2014 - Madeleine McCann hunt being slowed by Portuguese court 'chaos'

Tony Bennett wrote:Madeleine McCann hunt slowed by Portuguese court chaos

SCOTLAND Yard’s probe into the disappearance of Madeleine McCann is being held up because of chaos in the Portuguese legal ­system, the Sunday Express has learned.

Frustrated detectives want to quickly press ahead with their investigations and have sent a fifth letter of request detailing their requirements to legal chiefs in Portugal.

The process is being bogged down because of major changes in the way justice is delivered.

In an attempt to improve the ­service, 20 courts have closed creating a huge backlog of cases and a nightmare for administrators.

Trials are being held up as vast amounts of documents are moved all over the country in a bid to streamline the service. So government lawyers are giving priority to running trials and urgent cases.

A legal official in Portugal said: “The system is a mess, which is causing a huge political row between the right-of-centre government and the socialist opposition.

“This all means that Maddie is taking a low priority because all the effort is going on keeping the courts running. There is also a new prosecutor in Portimao on the Algarve who is having to be fully briefed on scores of cases, including Madeleine’s, and that all takes time.

“There are delays but people are working extra hours to try to get everything moving again.”

It is understood that the Yard detectives have requested to do further work on the background of three arguidos, or suspects, and several other people they believe could have important information.

Yard officers can sit in on interviews but they have to be conducted by Portuguese ­detectives.

They are now anxiously awaiting the formal legal response to their request before they can plan their next moves.

The hold-up is the latest problem to affect the work to find the youngster who, then aged three, vanished from a holiday apartment in Praia da Luz on the Algarve in May 2007.

Last week details emerged about a Home Office report which showed British police forces helping with the search for Madeleine hampered the Portuguese investigation.

So many UK agencies were keen to be seen to be helping, it created a “sense of chaos and competition”.

That damaged relations with Portuguese police and had a long-term ­negative effect, according to the unpublished findings of Jim Gamble, former head of the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre.

Commissioned by former home secretary Alan Johnson in 2009, the report was ­delivered the following year and led to the Met Police reopening the ­investigation into the disappearance.

The Home Office, which would not release the report under Freedom of Information laws, declined to ­comment.


http://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/507849/Madeleine-McCann-hunt-slowed-by-court-chaos

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Okeydokey wrote:

Tony Bennett wrote:Madeleine McCann hunt slowed by Portuguese court chaos

SCOTLAND Yard’s probe into the disappearance of Madeleine McCann is being held up because of chaos in the Portuguese legal ­system, the Sunday Express has learned.

Frustrated detectives want to quickly press ahead with their investigations and have sent a fifth letter of request detailing their requirements to legal chiefs in Portugal.

The process is being bogged down because of major changes in the way justice is delivered.

In an attempt to improve the ­service, 20 courts have closed creating a huge backlog of cases and a nightmare for administrators.

Trials are being held up as vast amounts of documents are moved all over the country in a bid to streamline the service. So government lawyers are giving priority to running trials and urgent cases.

A legal official in Portugal said: “The system is a mess, which is causing a huge political row between the right-of-centre government and the socialist opposition.

“This all means that Maddie is taking a low priority because all the effort is going on keeping the courts running. There is also a new prosecutor in Portimao on the Algarve who is having to be fully briefed on scores of cases, including Madeleine’s, and that all takes time.

“There are delays but people are working extra hours to try to get everything moving again.”

It is understood that the Yard detectives have requested to do further work on the background of three arguidos, or suspects, and several other people they believe could have important information.

Yard officers can sit in on interviews but they have to be conducted by Portuguese ­detectives.

They are now anxiously awaiting the formal legal response to their request before they can plan their next moves.

The hold-up is the latest problem to affect the work to find the youngster who, then aged three, vanished from a holiday apartment in Praia da Luz on the Algarve in May 2007.

Last week details emerged about a Home Office report which showed British police forces helping with the search for Madeleine hampered the Portuguese investigation.

So many UK agencies were keen to be seen to be helping, it created a “sense of chaos and competition”.

That damaged relations with Portuguese police and had a long-term ­negative effect, according to the unpublished findings of Jim Gamble, former head of the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre.

Commissioned by former home secretary Alan Johnson in 2009, the report was ­delivered the following year and led to the Met Police reopening the ­investigation into the disappearance.

The Home Office, which would not release the report under Freedom of Information laws, declined to ­comment.


http://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/507849/Madeleine-McCann-hunt-slowed-by-court-chaos

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Phew! For one moment I thought the Met had run out of excuses...but it appears not. :)

Okeydokey!!!   

jeanmonroe wrote:Last week details emerged about a Home Office report which showed British police forces helping with the search for Madeleine hampered the Portuguese investigation.
-----------------------------

Hmmm,

That's TWO meedja 'outlets' now saying that 'British Police forces HAMPERED, and by association, HARMED, the investigation'  over a YEAR, BEFORE, GA's book.
---------------------------------

"So, Cya in court MET Police, Leicester Police, CEOP, ACPO, Home Office, F&C Office, etc.,"

"our damages writ, to you all, is in the post, so CR tell us"

"It would appear that all you UK agencies, and indeed, confirmed by our mate Big Jim, that your combined agencies actions 'hampered and harmed' the 'search' for Madeleine, far more than that GA fellow ever did.

Yours faithfully,

Hotlips and Jaffa McCann.

ps: We do lots of out of court 'settlements', if you're interested.

nglfi wrote:Where's the hurry? Kate herself said things were moving too fast for her liking, in her 2013 Christmas message. Let's be honest, the McCann case really needs to be reclassified as a cold case review, there isn't any urgency. Harsh as it may sound, living children whose parents genuinely don't know where they are take priority.