Latest news on the search for Madeleine McCann

[lizzibif]

and who looks like Robert Murat ?

don't know and don't care who he looks like Stephen ..Im curious why murat keeps popping up ..no smoke without fire  &%+((£

[pathfinder73]

Madeleine world exclusive: 'Bring them all back to Portugal’

By: James MurrayPublished: Sun, May 5, 2013

Mr Murat, who was cleared as a suspect, said: “They need to start from the beginning.” So far the two-year review by more than 20 detectives in London has not led to a breakthrough.

Mr Murat, 39, spoke to the Sunday Express while sipping tea in Casa ­Liliana, his elderly mother Jenny’s villa 150 yards from apartment 5a of the Ocean Club where Madeleine vanished.

He said: “They need to speak to everybody, including myself, and they need to get the Portuguese involved in a much more constructive way.

“To get somewhere now they need to have a joint team working here together in Praia da Luz. This is where it happened. It didn’t happen in England.

“The reconstruction should cover the critical period just before and after the abduction.”

He said: “A reconstruction is a real necessity. I am sure it would fill in some of the missing pieces of the jigsaw. Even now after all this time, the timeline is still confused.”

Despite his ordeal he believes Madeleine’s fate should be uppermost in everybody’s minds as another anniversary passes.

He said: “You cannot lose sight of the fact that a child was taken and we need to know what happened to her.”

He is still willing to be interviewed by the review team, which has made no effort to contact him. “I have no problem with that whatsoever,” he said emphatically.

“I am available to help on the proper legal basis. I think everybody who was around at that time, holidaymakers and people at the Ocean Club, should be interviewed again. The timeline needs to be made crystal clear because there is still so much confusion, such a mess.”

Asked if he thought Madeleine’s fate would ever be known, he brushed back his thick dark brown hair, rubbed his tanned chin and said: “I hope so, I believe it will come out one day.”

When the original police investigation was at its height, he bumped into a British man, Steve Carpenter, who persuaded him to meet the McCanns because they needed his language skills. He said: “I met Gerry and said: ‘I don’t know what to say, there is nothing I can say but I do speak Portuguese and English and I will help in any way I can’.”

http://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/397244/Madeleine-world-exclusive-Bring-them-all-back-to-Portugal

Gerry wouldn't speak or do a TIMELINE reconstruction. You must be mad Murat to think such a thing!

[faithlilly]

This time, if the Portuguese prosecutor shows the same even-handedness as first time, the present joint investigation will need to demonstrate that they have constructed a sound case against anyone they ultimately accuse, or the prosecutors will (rightly) give this investigation the same, short shrift they gave the first one ...

Oh I agree completely ferryman   

[Anna]

Daily Express

Expat Robert Murat: Maddy police wanting to interview me is ‘fantasy land’

BUSINESSMAN Robert Murat yesterday dismissed claims he is set to be interviewed again about the disappearance of Madeleine McCann as “fantasyland.”

By: Gerard Couzens, Tracey Kandohla and John Twomey
Published: Thu, November 20, 2014

Image
TIM CLARKE
Robert Murat today in Praia de Luz

The British-born property developer insisted he has had no advanced warning of a proposed witness interview next week.

Mr Murat spoke after a leading Portuguese newspaper alleged Scotland Yard detectives have requested for him to be re-interviewed.

Detectives first questioned him after three-year-old Madeleine vanished from the family apartment in a holiday resort in Praia da Luz on the Algarve in 2007.

At the time, Portuguese police officials described him as an arguido or “suspect”. But he was never arrested or charged with any offence.

After months of protesting his innocence, his arguido status was removed in 2008.

Yesterday he said: “At the moment, the situation is I haven’t been informed about anything. I really can’t say anything about it.

“All I know is I haven’t had anything official. No comment. It’s all just fantasy land.”

Francisco Pagarete, Mr Murat’s lawyer, said he was aware of the Portuguese newspaper report.

He added: “My client has not received anything from the authorities.”

Image
PA
Robert Murat was quizzed after 2007 disappearance of Madeleine


"All I know is I haven’t had anything official it’s all just fantasy land."
Mr Murat


The Jornal de Noticias claimed Mr Murat is named on a list of witnesses whom Scotland Yard has asked the Portuguese police to interview again.

Yard detectives have sat in on interviews as part of Operation Grange – the Metropolitan Police’s multi-million pound investigation into Madeleine’s disappearance.

After Yard officers supervised the digging up of areas around the holiday resort, Mr Murat said: “Unfortunately, I’ll always be linked to it.

“It’s always going to have an effect on me because peoples’s opinions of what happened are so varied. I was cleared of everything right back in 2008 but the fact is that in some people’s mind there’s still going to be a link.

“So finding out the truth of what happened will conclusively take me out of that.

“It’s really important that something does happen and they do find out what happened.”

Mr Murat, 40, who grew up in Devon, lives in Lagos, a 10-minute drive from Praia da Luz. He has previously said that he should be re-quizzed by police.

He said: “They need to speak to everybody, including myself. I have no problem with that whatsoever. And they need to get the Portuguese involved in a much more constructive way.

“To get somewhere now, they need to have a joint team working here together in Praia da Luz.”

Yesterday, a Scotland Yard spokesman declined to comment on the article in the Jornal de Noticias.

He said: “We refuse to give a running commentary.”

http://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/537588/Robert-Murat-Madeleine-McCann-police-interview

[ferryman]

All I know is I haven’t had anything official. No comment.

I've no particular reason to doubt that.

The only reason I can think why Murat would be interviewed is concerning his whereabouts on the night, nothing directly to do with Madeleine's disappearance.

That would be strictly an internal Portuguese matter for them to pursue or not as they see fit.

Maybe that's what's happened, which would also explain why Scotland Yard would refuse to comment.

A strictly internal PJ and Portuguese matter.

[jassi]

I agree with that, though it seems to me that there was never any intention of interviewing him next week, otherwise he would have received notification.

[Wonderfulspam]

'Robert Murat yesterday dismissed claims he is set to be interviewed again about the disappearance of Madeleine McCann as "fantasyland.”'

[John]

Murat in dispute with the Portuguese police over his status ahead of questioning.


20 Nov 2014

Portuguese police's first suspect in the list of people they want to hear is English.
By Rui Gomes Pando



Robert Murat was among the people of Praia da Luz that most helped in searches to try to find Maddie in the days after the disappearance.

Seven years later, Robert Murat is designated by the British police as a person of interest in investigating the disappearance of Madeleine McCann.  This British citizen was first suspected by the Portuguese police in 2007, but later acquitted, is included in the list of people that the British asked to interrogate.

The interrogations were scheduled for next week, at the premises of the Judicial Police in Faro, but Robert Murat has not yet been notified.  Robert Murat's attorney Pagaret Francisco told CM, "My client was not notified about anything".   Murat's girlfriend, Michaela Walczuck, and her former companion Luis Antonio are also in the list of people that British police want to hear again.

The proceedings were cancelled as the CM reported yesterday, due to a legal issue, which is precisely related to the circumstances in which Murat will be questioned.  The English police consider him a "person of interest" but that status does not exist in national legislation.  He must be heard as a witness or as a defendant.  The final decision depends on the prosecutor of the Public Ministry of Portimão, who is ill.

www.translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=pt&u=http://www.cmjornal.xl.pt/nacional/portugal/detalhe/2014_11_19_murat_sem_aviso_de_interrogatorio.html&prev=search

[John]

From yesterday's Correio da Manhã


Maddie: interrogations were cancelled!


19 Nov 2014

Steps were scheduled for next week, but were postponed due to a legal issue that awaits resolution by the prosecutor.

By Rui Gomes Pando

A legal issue forced the cancellation of the interrogations of eleven people considered of interest by British police in investigating the disappearance of Madeleine McCann.

The inquiries, requested through a fifth rogatory letter sent by the British authorities, were scheduled for next week.  Seven people were due to be heard as witnesses including four defendants.  The CM has found that it will be necessary to make changes to the terms of the rogatory letter,  an aspect which requires that the prosecutor in Portimão to take a new decision.  The problem as the CM discovered is that the magistrate Agnes Sequeira is ill and can only return to work next week.  Only then will she decide the need for change in the legal letter of request which will allow the Judicial Police in Faro to continue interrogations ordered by British authorities.

As the CM had already reported earlier, the list of people who will be interviewed are eleven people, including foreigners and Portuguese.  At least three are British and living in the Algarve.  It was anticipated that seven defendants were established before the interrogation, but these legal conditions are likely to be changed.

Yesterday, the British television channel Channel 5 aired a documentary about the media impact of the Maddie case, when there are hundreds of children disappearing every year.

www.translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=pt&u=http://www.cmjornal.xl.pt/nacional/portugal/detalhe/interrogatorios_foram_cancelados.html&prev=search

[Brietta]

Murat in dispute with the Portuguese police over his status ahead of questioning.


20 Nov 2014

Portuguese police's first suspect in the list of people they want to hear is English.
By Rui Gomes Pando



Robert Murat was among the people of Praia da Luz that most helped in searches to try to find Maddie in the days after the disappearance.

Seven years later, Robert Murat is designated by the British police as a person of interest in investigating the disappearance of Madeleine McCann.  This British citizen was first suspected by the Portuguese police in 2007, but later acquitted, is included in the list of people that the British asked to interrogate.

The interrogations were scheduled for next week, at the premises of the Judicial Police in Faro, but Robert Murat has not yet been notified.  Robert Murat's attorney Pagaret Francisco told CM, "My client was not notified about anything".   Murat's girlfriend, Michaela Walczuck, and her former companion Luis Antonio are also in the list of people that British police want to hear again.

The proceedings were cancelled as the CM reported yesterday, due to a legal issue, which is precisely related to the circumstances in which Murat will be questioned.  The English police consider him a "person of interest" but that status does not exist in national legislation.  He must be heard as a witness or as a defendant. The final decision depends on the prosecutor of the Public Ministry of Portimão, who is ill.

www.translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=pt&u=http://www.cmjornal.xl.pt/nacional/portugal/detalhe/2014_11_19_murat_sem_aviso_de_interrogatorio.html&prev=search

It seems to be a very inflexible system ... either you're a witness or you're a suspect, with nothing in between.
No wonder we found it difficult to understand the 'arguido' status back in 2007.  A situation Mr Murat will not be eager to repeat.

I would imagine SY would be interested in a face to face interview before deciding if such a drastic step is necessary.

[Admin]

It was inevitable that there would be a conflict between English and Portuguese law.  However, the case is Portuguese and the questioning is being conducted in Portugal so the Portuguese Penal Code will have to be fully complied with irrespective of whether the persons of interest are witnesses or defendants.

I would think that Mr Murat would milk this situation for all he can.

[bros]

Madeleine McCann Update: Is Robert Murat About To Close This Case?


The Madeleine McCann mystery deepens with the revelation that Scotland Yard officials are eyeing Robert Murat as a potential witness. The British expat has been interrogated in the past as a suspect, but The Mirror reports that he denies ever being around her the night she vanished over seven years ago. Now that Murat is being considered a witness, what could happen next in the search for the missing child, and who will end up being suspects in her disappearance?

The Huffington Post also shares the news of this development in Madeleine’s case, but they’ve omitted the fact that he’s a witness from their report. This is likely due to the tension that hovers over U.K. publications regarding the McCann disappearance, and the litigious nature of her parents and others involved in the case. To explain, Murat being a witness — and not a suspect — throws a kink into the theory that Madeleine was kidnapped. That’s made incredibly apparent by the #McCann hashtag on Twitter, as well as the #Murat hashtag, which are both pathways to heated discussion and debate. If Murat witnessed something that proves she was not kidnapped, then that may change the course of this case altogether. So what exactly did Robert Murat witness when the British child vanished?

Back in October, 2007, The Daily Mail reported that Madeleine McCann’s DNA was found in Robert Murat’s home, but only superficial traces were found. This complemented the detective’s theory that the child died in her parents’ rental apartment, only to be moved to a different location later until her body could be disposed of permanently. Similar evidence, in far larger amounts, was found in the McCann apartment, as well as a car that they rented after the girl disappeared.

It’s been over seven years since the girl vanished and since Murat was declared a suspect and quickly cleared of involvement. Since he is being questioned now as a witness, this could very well signal the near end of the case — or at least the investigation into who is responsible for the disappearance. Meanwhile, two people have remained completely silent since the revelation of this explosive news. Madeleine McCann’s parents have been critical of Murat in the past, but now that he’s a possible witness will they change their tune?

 http://www.inquisitr.com/1630212/madeleine-mccann-update-is-robert-murat-about-to-close-this-case/#mQZ1LAvPcAVEyIXx.99

[Brietta]

Madeleine McCann Update: Is Robert Murat About To Close This Case?


The Madeleine McCann mystery deepens with the revelation that Scotland Yard officials are eyeing Robert Murat as a potential witness. The British expat has been interrogated in the past as a suspect, but The Mirror reports that he denies ever being around her the night she vanished over seven years ago. Now that Murat is being considered a witness, what could happen next in the search for the missing child, and who will end up being suspects in her disappearance?

The Huffington Post also shares the news of this development in Madeleine’s case, but they’ve omitted the fact that he’s a witness from their report. This is likely due to the tension that hovers over U.K. publications regarding the McCann disappearance, and the litigious nature of her parents and others involved in the case. To explain, Murat being a witness — and not a suspect — throws a kink into the theory that Madeleine was kidnapped. That’s made incredibly apparent by the #McCann hashtag on Twitter, as well as the #Murat hashtag, which are both pathways to heated discussion and debate. If Murat witnessed something that proves she was not kidnapped, then that may change the course of this case altogether. So what exactly did Robert Murat witness when the British child vanished?

Back in October, 2007, The Daily Mail reported that Madeleine McCann’s DNA was found in Robert Murat’s home, but only superficial traces were found. This complemented the detective’s theory that the child died in her parents’ rental apartment, only to be moved to a different location later until her body could be disposed of permanently. Similar evidence, in far larger amounts, was found in the McCann apartment, as well as a car that they rented after the girl disappeared.

It’s been over seven years since the girl vanished and since Murat was declared a suspect and quickly cleared of involvement. Since he is being questioned now as a witness, this could very well signal the near end of the case — or at least the investigation into who is responsible for the disappearance. Meanwhile, two people have remained completely silent since the revelation of this explosive news. Madeleine McCann’s parents have been critical of Murat in the past, but now that he’s a possible witness will they change their tune?

 http://www.inquisitr.com/1630212/madeleine-mccann-update-is-robert-murat-about-to-close-this-case/#mQZ1LAvPcAVEyIXx.99

Not at all sure that I am following the logic here.
If Mr Murat had information which pointed in any direction other than his own, I am sure it would have been shared with the PJ when he was an arguido back in 2007.

[bros]

They couldn't keep him Arguido more than 6 months without presenting details of evidence, they had to choose. There is a link in the text taking you the 2007 article. Where Madeleine DNA was found in his house was only with superficial traces.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-489408/Madeleines-DNA-Murats-house-police-claim.html

Now if we put this in context of recent writing that the technology have progressed and SY visit to Institute for forensic we might wonder what really  are they testing,

[Carana]

Not at all sure that I am following the logic here.
If Mr Murat had information which pointed in any direction other than his own, I am sure it would have been shared with the PJ when he was an arguido back in 2007.

You're not the only one. Who on earth wrote it?