See The McCann Files archive: Gonçalo Amaral - The Interviews (July '08)
See Joana Morais Blog: Paedophile list hidden from the PJ
Paedophile list hidden from PJ
19 April 2009
Correio da Manhã
(full article appears in paper edition only)
Investigation: Attorney General's Office prevent police from gaining access to documentation on abusers
Tânia Laranjo
Thanks to Joana Morais for translation
An extensive dossier holding information about several dozen English paedophiles that reside in the Algarve was sent by the British authorities into Portugal within the investigation into the disappearance of Maddie McCann. It is now in the Court of Portimão, locked in the office of the prosecutor who headed the case, Magalhães e Menezes.
The Attorney General's office, led by Pinto Monteiro, accepted that said documentation was removed from the inquiry, at the British' request, and was not even handed over to the police authorities for the investigation into other cases that may involve Portuguese children.
These are hundreds of pages, with data, addresses and facts about English citizens that have been condemned over sexual acts with minors, who are living in the Algarve. There is also data about individuals who live in Southern Spain, in cities near the border, who have a criminal past due to sexual acts with minors.
The PJ in Portimão, that was confronted with this kind of information, checked out all of these men, when Maddie disappeared, in order to find out if any of them had been involved. Alibis were confirmed, and in some cases, telephone information was analysed, as well as the mobile phone locations, in order to verify where they were on the date of the disappearance. Nothing was found, and during the following months, the English continued sending information into Portugal. Whenever someone was condemned over paedophilia and decided to settle in the South of Portugal, the authorities alerted the PJ.
When the investigation into the disappearance of Madeleine was closed, the English demanded that the dossier was removed from the process, alleging the need to protect those individuals, given the fact that the process would be made public.
The dossier was handed over to Magalhães e Menezes and is now locked in his office. The PJ does not own a copy and cannot use the information for other investigations.
England has also stopped sending the Portuguese authorities information about the travelling of paedophiles.
Método 3 hired a homicide suspect
His name is Amor and he is in jail for raping his 19-year-old daughter. He has recently been indicted over the strangling of a prostitute, whose cadaver was found dismembered by an animal, in Faro.
During the past year, Amor was one of the men that were hired by Método 3, the Spanish detective agency that worked for the McCann couple, to demonstrate that Maddie was alive.
At the time, the man said that João Cipriano - the uncle of Joana, the girl that was killed in the Algarve a few years ago - had assured him that his niece was alive after all, and that she had been sold to a couple. Método 3 paid Amor to find her, with the intention of proving that Madeleine was also alive, by proving that someone had been convicted over a death that had not taken place.
The result was not what was expected. Amor took the money, but he knew nothing about Joana. Last year, in the summer, he went to the PJ to file a complaint against the Spanish detectives over attempted murder. The process was then handled by the PJ in Faro, and ended up being archived.
Abduction theory defended by English
The investigation into the disappearance of Maddie, on the 3rd of May 2007, in Praia da Luz, rapidly acquired the outline of a national case to the British. They bet everything and sent a liaison officer into Portugal, supplying all the data that might sustain the theory of abduction by a paedophile network. Clarence Mitchell, the McCanns' spokesperson, continues to sustain the same theory - that this was an abduction - and remains at the McCanns' side, after abandoning the English government, that has also supported Madeleine's parents.
Luz rejects the couple's return
The possibility that Kate and Gerry return to Portugal, before or after the date of the second anniversary of their daughter's disappearance, is not seen with pleasure by the residents in Praia da Luz. In the Algarvian village, the tiredness over the case's dimension, as well as the revolt against the parents, is evident. With major cuts in business and with the Ocean Club almost bankrupt, the residents even refuse to discuss the possibility of the couple returning to the area where the little girl was last seen. Gerry has recently been to Luz, and he was jeered at.
VIDEO: Portuguese Attorney General Office Hides List of British Paedophiles
19 April 2009
Translation by Joana Morais
In this interview, Gonçalo Amaral describes how the PJ was warned that British paedophiles were coming to Portugal or residing here; however that was only after Madeleine's disappearance. Gonçalo Amaral says that in the process of Maddie McCann, the sex offenders' list, sent by the UK authorities, was omitted by the PGR, the Portuguese General Attorney's Office, while other witnesses' names and addresses were published.
Investigation: PGR prevents Police from gaining Access to Documentation on Sexual Offenders
An extensive file containing information regarding several British paedophiles who live in the Algarve was sent by the British authorities to Portugal, in the scope of the investigation into the disappearance of Maddie McCann. The file is now at the Court of Portimão, closed in the office of the prosecutor who coordinated the case, Magalhães e Menezes.
(transcript & translation of the Correio da Manhã video interview)
British Police sent List of Paedophiles
Data was only sent due to the disappearance of the English child
Journalist [Tânia Laranjo]
At the time they sent an extensive document, with persons convicted for paedophilia, who would be here, in the Algarve.
Gonçalo Amaral
Indeed, we received that information, it was the first time ever that that type of information [list of UK British paedophiles] arrived. It was worked upon; everything was seen, and located. We reached the conclusion that it had nothing to do with this case. In fact, according to them [UK authorities], this little girl did not have the profile, and explains the why, due to the age reason…
Journalist
She was too young?
Gonçalo Amaral
Exactly, he focused that point, and it is a person with experience in that field. And who is here. These are people [the sex offenders] who are living here, or who have been here. It is important that the Police are able to keep that data. It’s in the office of the Prosecutor, who was in the process here in Portimão [Magalhães e Menezes]. When the process was made public, there was no care to avoid the names of the witnesses, their addresses, their phone numbers… There was more care regarding criminals, paedophiles, than with the common citizen, who had nothing to do with the case.
Journalist
In any case, the English only decided to send to the Judiciary Police that list, after a British girl went missing. That is, never before, never a priori [lat.].
Gonçalo Amaral
No, at least here in the Algarve, never. In fact, besides sending the list, two or three months later, there was a paedophile, coming from the UK convicted of paedophilia, which they informed that he was here, and we had to establish surveillance on that individual, for that time. So, they adopted then a new type of cooperation, of collaboration with the Portuguese authorities. They informed us of the coming of that man, something that they wouldn’t do before. And then they just stopped doing it. So, it was just during that period of time. [video cut] And here it seems that there is an excessive zeal, concerning one British child and it seems that the Portuguese children have fewer rights than the British children. In fact, that information only served for one child and cannot be used to prevent other cases that might happen here in Portugal.
Journalist
And this was the only file that was removed from the process? That the English were able to have removed from the process?
Gonçalo Amaral
It appears to be like that, yes. But there are also other files who went missing, so, that is a matter of consulting the process, and understand what is missing there.
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