There are more problems than one when reward money is offered ... some replies might very well be genuine ... but there are all sorts of creatures encouraged to crawl out of the woodwork at the thought of putting their hands on some easy money.
I'm sure most of us are aware of the bare bones of most of the information real and fake surrounding Madeleine's case and I was aware of the attempt by a couple to make a fraudulent claim. I think it was discussed on the forum a while ago.
Very recently I was given pause for thought when I came across a report in a Portuguese newspaper of the time about this appalling couple.
A sad reminder of individuals attracted by the lure of 'easy money'. I'm glad it backfired on them but I hope that after due process they weren't allowed just to fade out of sight to continue to blight other young lives.
30/06/07 - 08h03 - Updated 06/30/07 - 08h11Couple arrested in Madeleine case arrested for abusing daughterThe information was published by the English newspaper The Times.
Casal has already been investigated for child trafficking.
The couple detained in Spain in an investigation into the kidnapping of British girl Madeleine McCann, who disappeared in Portugal on May 3, has been investigated in connection with child trafficking in the past, the Times reported on Saturday.
The 61-year-old Italian Danielo Chemello and his 54-year-old partner, Aurora Pereira Vaz, of Portuguese origin, drew the attention of French police three years ago. The reason was the high number of children passing by their house in the Côte D'Azur, the newspaper said.
SEE ALSO: Madeleine Can Attract Bounty Hunters, Says Lead Investigator
The French authorities suspect that the couple also dedicated themselves to the international sale of sperm and eggs. Chemello and Vaz, who lived in Italy and France, would have moved to Spain two months ago.
They spent 18 months imprisoned in France, convicted in 2004 for abusing their daughter, then at age 5, reports the Times.
In 2003, French police found the couple's daughter "almost naked" and taped.
UNDERSTAND THE MADELEINE CASE
According to the British newspaper, Vaz is being investigated for having lied about the biological motherhood of another girl.
The two detainees are accused of trying to receive the reward Madeleine's parents offer to anyone who hints at the girl's whereabouts.
Spanish police, who had been guarding the couple since Saturday, decided to detain them on Wednesday after discovering that there was an international arrest warrant against Chemello.
The agents found in his house several newspaper reports on the missing girl and pictures of her on a computer, as well as two children, 7 and 5 years old.
Police are now trying to find out whether the couple are actually involved in the kidnapping or simply wanted the reward for giving some clue about Madeleine.
According to the French promoter Christian Girard, despite strong suspicions that the couple engaged in international trade in gametes, in collaboration with a doctor in Greece and a laboratory in the United States, the two were not charged because the alleged crimes would have occurred outside France.
The French court, however, seeks Chemello to stand trial for attempting to blackmail the judge who sentenced the couple to three years in prison for abuse of their daughter.
According to Dominique Moyal, deputy prosecutor of Nice, Chemello was investigated on suspicion of having organized a plot to assassinate the judge.
According to "The Times", Chemello was a respected business man in Sandrigo (northern Italy), married with two children. Until, in the 90's, he met Aurora Vaz, who was married to financial executive Enzo Alberto Tana.
Chemello and her lover left the city where they lived and embarked on a new life of luxury by the nightclubs and restaurants of France and Italy.
The couple, who had a daughter from their extramarital affairs, were accused in 1996 of murdering the Portuguese's ex-husband, bribing a police officer and falsely accusing Enzo Tana of being part of a child pornography ring.
The two men were sentenced to five years imprisonment each for illegal possession of weapons, false testimony and bribery.
http://g1.globo.com/Noticias/Mundo/0,,MUL61535-5602,00.htmlOlegário Sousa - There was a police action in Spain that arrested a couple, an Italian citizen and a lady. We were following the operation to see if these people had any connection with the missing girl's case. But links have not yet been confirmed between the two who were detained and the case of Madeleine. It is still not possible to say if they have any responsibility in the disappearance of the child. The investigations go on and we will see what emerges from here on.
So far there is no indication that they have responsibility for the disappearance of the child.
http://g1.globo.com/Noticias/Mundo/0,,MUL61004-5602,00.html
