"I was Kicked in the Butt"
04 July 2008
Gonçalo Amaral Former coordinator of the Madeleine McCann Process
TVI Interview
Are you convinced that Madeleine McCann is dead?
I do have that conviction. It is an interpretation in the light of the Law based in concrete elements, with the knowledge that I have of the inquest and of the diligences done. Yes, I am convinced that she died there.
If the father and the mother were constituted as arguidos it's because they were suspects'
They were suspects and there were evidences for them to be constituted as arguidos, actually, strong elements relatively to two types of crime: hiding a cadaver [corpse occultation] and simulation of a crime [faking the crime of kidnapping]. That was public and at the time that I left the investigation that was the situation.
And the crime of abandonment, for what reason aren't the parents accused?
The issue there is to know if the children were safe or not. For me it's evident, even because the parents talked about kidnapping, that there was no safety.
Don't you feel frustrated as the case isn't moving forward?
I do not feel any frustration over the decisions made in courts. I have been around for many years and I do have a great admiration for the magistrates. I understand up to where the work of magistrates can go.
However you don't understand why you had to leave?
No, not that. I respected the decision as a professional. There was an understanding between the Portuguese and British authorities that the girl was dead and that there was a need to solidify the evidences that existed and move forward to try to understand where she could be.
Do you believe that the PJ's reaction had to do with the politicising of the case?
I believe that there was more politics than police [at work]. But on the field we did our best and we never felt any defence .
Do you think that it is normal for the case to be archived?
It doesn't shock me.
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