Why did the Portuguese Police not come to UK to interview witnesses?

[John]

It is my understanding that the Portuguese Police wanted to come to the UK to interview the Tapas 9 but this ultimately didn't happen as Leicestershire Police did it after receiving a list of questions from Portugal.

I do apologise if this is wrong.

My question is this.  Why did the Portuguese Police not come to the UK?  Were they prevented from doing so?

[Eleanor]

It is my understanding that the Portuguese Police wanted to come to the UK to interview the Tapas 9 but this ultimately didn't happen as Leicestershire Police did it after receiving a list of questions from Portugal.

I do apologise if this is wrong.

My question is this.  Why did the Portuguese Police not come to the UK?  Were they prevented from doing so?

No.  Various members of The PJ did go to England to witness The Rogatory Interviews.  The Leicester Police conducted The Interviews due to the language problem, but there appears to have been a Translator present. 
Mr. Rebelo, then in charge of The Case, left in a hurry half way through these interviews because yet more  leaks were appearing in The Portuguese Press.

Interestingly enough, Mr. Rebelo left before David Payne was interviewed.  He of the scurrilous accusations of Paedophilia which have never been proven.

[debunker]

There is no legal procedure for Portuguese police to interview in England - they have to use rogatory interviews carried out by English police; they must provide a set of questions and are allowed to ask limited supplementaries via the UK interviewers. This is a voluntary process- no one can be forced to present themselves for interview.

WHen this process was being organised, the [ censored word ]s were jumping up and down celebrating their false view that the police would be arresting the McCanns And the Tapas group, dragging them to police cells, and coercing the "truth" out of the- they knew nothing of the law and laughed at my posts saying that Portuguese police would be observers, written notice of questions were required in advance, the interviewees would be legally represented, would not be compelled to attend or remain at interview and could leave at any time if they wished. All true.

[Carana]

It is my understanding that the Portuguese Police wanted to come to the UK to interview the Tapas 9 but this ultimately didn't happen as Leicestershire Police did it after receiving a list of questions from Portugal.

I do apologise if this is wrong.

My question is this.  Why did the Portuguese Police not come to the UK?  Were they prevented from doing so?

Madeleine McCann: Portuguese police fly to UK
Kate and Gerry McCann
Image 1 of 2
Telegraph TV: Portuguese experts have flown to Britain over the McCanns' DNA samples

By Caroline Gammell and Fiona Govan

3:46PM GMT 28 Nov 2007

Portuguese investigators trying to solve the disappearance of Madeleine McCann have flown to the UK ahead of their first face-to-face meeting with British police and forensic scientists working on the case.


They will discuss the DNA evidence gathered in connection with the missing four-year-old, including blood and hair samples collected from the apartment where she vanished and the car hired 25 days later by her parents.

It is the first time all three agencies have met in Britain, more than 200 days after Madeleine disappeared from Praia da Luz in May.

The four-strong team from Portugal - thought to include a senior detective, two police forensic experts and Francisco Corte Real, the vice president of the National Pathology Institute - touched down at East Midlands airport at midday.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/1570807/Madeleine-McCann-Portuguese-police-fly-to-UK.html
---



There are photos of the PT team arriving at the airport floating somewhere on the Internet.

[Carana]

A pic of the PT team arriving in the UK here:




Portuguese investigators arrive in UK 28 November 2007:

(from left) Luis Viriato, Francisco Côrte-Real, Ricardo Paiva and Fernando Viegas.

The four-strong Portuguese team met five experts from the FSS at Leicestershire Police headquarters on 29 November 2007 to review and interpret the DNA results.

The team was led by Francisco Côrte-Real, the vice-president of the National Pathology Institute. With him were Det Insp Ricardo Paiva and police scientists Fernando Viegas and Luís Viriato.

http://joana-morais.blogspot.com/2008/01/madeleine-mccanns-investigative-team.html



(Courtesy blog: Joana Morais).

[debunker]

@Carana

THat visit was separate from the interviews withthe witnesses which was what was being asked about.

[Eleanor]

@Carana

THat visit was separate from the interviews withthe witnesses which was what was being asked about.

I don't think so.

[Carana]

@Carana

THat visit was separate from the interviews withthe witnesses which was what was being asked about.

Yes, correct, my mistake.  I had the Portuguese team visiting the FSS visit in mind, which was much earlier.

[John]

Thank you for clarifying this guys. 

[Carana]

“Portuguese detectives set to quiz ‘Tapas Seven’
Portuguese detectives set to quiz 'Tapas Seven' in London about Madeleine 's disappearance

By Vanessa Allen, David Wilkes and Daily Mail Reporter
Last updated at 10:09 AM on 07th April 2008


 Portuguese detectives arrive in Britain today ahead of fresh police interviews of Kate and Gerry McCann's friends.

The so-called Tapas Seven who dined with the couple on the night their daughter Madeleine disappeared are among a list of 24 people due to be grilled by detectives over the next four days.

But the McCanns themselves will not face new interrogations and are due to leave Britain during the Portuguese police visit.

Their spokesman Clarence Mitchell insisted the couple were on a pre-arranged visit to Brussels to lobby Euro MPs for a better alert system for missing children, and denied the trip was a "smokescreen".

He said they welcomed the latest police move and would be willing to be interviewed again if it would help the investigation.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1008821/Portuguese-detectives-set-quiz-Tapas-Seven-London-Madeleine-s-disappearance.html#ixzz2PensMDN1
Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook



Kate also mentions that the PJ went to Leicester for the interviews in her book, P.298 (hardback).

[faithlilly]

@ Eleanor

Another myth. We have no idea why Rebelo left early. Perhaps he heard that the McCanns and their friends had tightened up their story at the November meeting in Rothley  and therefore decided nothing of value would come from the interviews ? Truth is we simply don't know.

[Eleanor]

@ Eleanor

Another myth. We have no idea why Rebelo left early. Perhaps he heard that the McCanns and their friends had tightened up their story at the November meeting in Rothley  and therefore decided nothing of value would come from the interviews ? Truth is we simply don't know.

There is do doubt that more leaks started while he was out of the country.

[Carana]

@ Eleanor

Another myth. We have no idea why Rebelo left early. Perhaps he heard that the McCanns and their friends had tightened up their story at the November meeting in Rothley  and therefore decided nothing of value would come from the interviews ? Truth is we simply don't know.

There is do doubt that more leaks started while he was out of the country.

No myths come to mind post-Rebelo.

A leak was the crying story (in the Spanish press?) whilst the PJ Rebelo team were in the UK for the rogs and the McCanns were in Brussels.

Was that a post-GA leak, or one leaked during GA's tenure and held by someone for a rainy (media sunshiny) day?

I doubt that we will ever know.

[faithlilly]

@ Eleanor

Another myth. We have no idea why Rebelo left early. Perhaps he heard that the McCanns and their friends had tightened up their story at the November meeting in Rothley  and therefore decided nothing of value would come from the interviews ? Truth is we simply don't know.

There is do doubt that more leaks started while he was out of the country.

That is simply nonsense. There is no way to know when the journalist, and I assume you are talking about the 'crying' story, acquired his story and from whom. It is possible that the McCanns themselves leaked it to discredit the PJ.

[gilet]

@ Eleanor

Another myth. We have no idea why Rebelo left early. Perhaps he heard that the McCanns and their friends had tightened up their story at the November meeting in Rothley  and therefore decided nothing of value would come from the interviews ? Truth is we simply don't know.

There is do doubt that more leaks started while he was out of the country.

That is simply nonsense. There is no way to know when the journalist, and I assume you are talking about the 'crying' story, acquired his story and from whom. It is possible that the McCanns themselves leaked it to discredit the PJ.

Oh and they leaked it on the very day when they were making an appeal to the European Parliament as well did they, so that it would also discredit themselves I presume?

When you resort to such idiotic claims then you really are becoming truly desperate.

Why would the McCanns, please do explain, attempt to discredit themselves when making such an important appeal?