I assume it would be easy to make Portuguese nationals living in Portugal arguidos. Not so easy British nationals living in the UK. Perhaps that’s why the input of the CPS was needed.
I think you may well have hit the nail right on the head there.
There were many suspects who had not been interviewed and many persons of interest who had not been interviewed.
Assuring as the thread title acclaims ...
'The McCanns are Not Suspects'CPS lawyers travel to Portugal to explore Madeleine McCann leads
Senior prosecutors have travelled to Portugal to explore new leads in the Madeleine McCann case amid speculation that Scotland Yard is about to open a new investigation into the child’s disappearance.By Victoria Ward7:33PM BST 21 Jun 2013
Alison Saunders, London's chief crown prosecutor, and her deputy Jenny Hopkins, head of the complex casework unit, discussed the inquiry with their Portuguese counterparts.
It is the first time CPS lawyers have visited the country in connection with the Yard’s £5 million review of the case.
A CPS spokesman confirmed that prosecutors had travelled to Portugal with officers from the Metropolitan Police “to discuss possible next steps”.
The two-year review has identified several potential suspects who have not been interviewed and detectives have indicated that they need to be questioned in order to be eliminated or pursued further.
More than 20 people "of interest", including Britons, have been uncovered. They also include known child offenders who were in the Algarve at the time Madeleine disappeared in May 2007.Theresa May, the Home Secretary, has agreed to fund a new full-scale investigation and an announcement is expected within the next few weeks.
A new inquiry would allow police to interview suspects in Britain, although they would seek the assistance of the Portuguese to carry out investigations there.
Kate and Gerry McCann’s spokesman, Clarence Mitchell, said they would not comment publicly while the review, code-named Operation Grange, continues.
"They remain grateful, however, to the UK authorities for the work being done to establish what happened to Madeleine and to bring those responsible for her abduction to justice,” he said.
The Portuguese inquiry into Madeleine’s disappearance was shelved in 2008 amid fierce criticism.
Operation Grange, conducted by Scotland Yard's Homicide & Serious Crime Command, was launched in May 2011 following a campaign by the McCann family.
Detective Chief Inspector Andy Redwood, who is leading the police review, said last year that his team had identified 195 potential leads.
Scotland Yard also published an age-enhanced image of what Madeleine might look like today, aged nine, saying it had uncovered new information to suggest she could still be alive and living with her abductor.
Last month, Det Chief Supt Hamish Campbell, the head of Scotland Yard's homicide and serious crime command, confirmed that they had identified "both investigative and forensic opportunities".
Officials in Portugal insist that, under their laws, the case can only be reopened if there is new concrete evidence but British investigators are confident that their new leads could provide a breakthrough.
As they marked the sixth anniversary of their daughter’s disappearance last month, Mr and Mrs McCann said they were encouraged by Operation Grange and that the police seemed "more determined than ever".
The couple's hopes were further reinforced by the recent discovery of Amanda Berry, Gina DeJesus and Michelle Knight in Ohio, a decade after they went missing in separate incidents.
The McCanns said the rescue of the women "'reaffirmed" their hope of finding Madeleine, which has never diminished.
Madeleine, who was then nearly four, disappeared from her family's holiday apartment in Praia da Luz on May 3 2007, as her parents dined at a nearby tapas restaurant with friends.
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/crime/10135847/CPS-lawyers-travel-to-Portugal-to-explore-Madeleine-McCann-leads.html
