Madeleine McCann’s parents said they welcomed the news that convicted child abuser Christian B had been declared an official suspect in the case of their daughter’s disappearance.
In a statement signed with Kate and Gerry, the couple also said they hoped Madeleine was still alive, although German police treated the case as a murder investigation.
Investigators believe Christian B killed Madeleine, who was three at the time of her disappearance, after she was abducted from a holiday apartment in Praia da Luz, Portugal, in May 2007.
Kate and Gary McCann’s statement reads: “We welcome the news that the Portuguese authorities have declared a German an ‘arguido’ in connection with the disappearance of our beloved daughter Madeleine.
“This reflects the progress of the investigation being carried out by the Portuguese, German and British authorities. We are informed about the events by the Sofia police.
“It is important to note that Arguido has not yet been charged with any specific crime related to Madeleine’s disappearance.
“Although the possibility may be small, we have not given up hope that Madeleine is still alive and we will reunite with her.
Image: Christian B has been declared an official suspect in the case of Madeleine McCann’s disappearance. Photo: Carabinieri Milan / AP
The statement comes a day after prosecutors in the town of Faro in the Algarve, without naming Christian B, said a man had been made “arguido” by German authorities at the request of the Portuguese prosecutor’s office.
Arguido translates as “named suspect” or “official suspect”.
Under Portuguese law, arguido status can be a preliminary move before arrest or indictment.
However, the decision is said to have been prompted by a 15-year limit on the prosecution of serious crimes in Portugal, with authorities seeking to “keep their opportunities open”.
The statute of limitations would mean that Christian B could no longer be indicted in the country after May 3.
German prosecutor Hans Christian Walters confirmed to Sky News that the move “was apparently only for formal reasons to prevent the statute of limitations in Portugal”.
Analysis: Christian B is not the first official suspect in the disappearance, but may be the last
Image: Madeleine McCann disappeared in 2007
A Portuguese source added: “The legal grounds for doing so [Christian B] Arguido includes the fact that he claims to have confessed to a friend that he stole Madeleine, and cell phone recordings placed him in Praia da Luz the night she disappeared. “
Christian B, whose last name was not given due to Germany’s strict privacy laws, remained silent after being informed that he was an official suspect and refused to be questioned, according to the source.
The suspect, in his 40s, traveled between Praia da Luz and Germany in a VW truck for several years before Madeleine disappeared and said he had survived drug trafficking.
It is understandable that German investigators are focusing their forensic work on the vehicle.
Image: Volkswagen camper connected to the suspect
Christian B has become a suspect after claiming he confessed to kidnapping Madeleine while sitting in a German bar on the 10th anniversary of her abduction.
He is currently serving a seven-year sentence in Germany for raping a 72-year-old woman in 2005 in the same town of Madeleine and disappeared two years later.
The federal court in Karlsruhe, a city in southwestern Germany, dismissed the appeal against the November 2020 verdict.
In 1994, Christian B was convicted in Germany of sexual abuse of a child, attempted sexual abuse of a child and sexual intercourse with a child.
Earlier this month, Portuguese authorities insisted they continue to investigate Madeleine’s disappearance, despite reports that Scotland Yard plans to end its investigation in 11 years.
Sofia police continue to treat Madeleine’s disappearance as an investigation into missing persons.
Add Comment