Madeleine McCann: Portuguese police want to interview Tapas 7 again

Jan 15 2008

Portuguese investigators seeking to re-interview friends of Madeleine McCann’s parents in Britain are in contact with the UK authorities via an intermediary, it was confirmed today.

The friends - dubbed the “Tapas Seven” - were on holiday in Praia da Luz in the Algarve with Kate and Gerry McCann when the young girl vanished on May 3.

They are key witnesses in the case, and Portuguese detectives are reported to be poised to fly to the UK to sit in on fresh questioning of them by British police.

Portugal is seeking the assistance of a Europe-wide body in securing the help of the authorities in Britain.

The Portuguese public prosecutor contacted Eurojust - the European Union’s judicial co-operation agency - at the start of January.

Eurojust spokesman Joannes Thuy said today: “I can confirm that Eurojust was asked to be the go-between for the Portuguese and the UK authorities.

“Of course, as the investigation is ongoing, we cannot go into any details of the investigation itself.”

He could not comment on how long the process would take, stressing that Eurojust was only acting as an intermediary.

“We will make sure it arrives on the right desk,” he said.

Eurojust, based in The Hague, Holland, was formed in 2002 and is made up of 27 prosecutors and judges, one from each of the EU’s member states.

Its role is to help European investigators and prosecutors exchange requests for information and assistance in cases of serious crime involving more than one country.

Mr and Mrs McCann, from Rothley, Leicestershire, have been named “arguidos”, or formal suspects, in Madeleine’s disappearance, but they strenuously protest their innocence.

Several months ago the couple’s lawyers sent detectives in the Algarve a list of witnesses, including their friends, who they believe should be questioned again.

Meanwhile, the McCanns’ spokesman said yesterday that the couple expected the police files on Madeleine’s disappearance to remain secret for another three months.

On Friday, Portuguese detectives asked for the case’s secrecy time limit to be extended until April - beyond the usual eight months that starts once police have identified an “arguido”, in this case Anglo-Portuguese ex-pat Robert Murat.

But Clarence Mitchell, the McCanns’ spokesman, said: “I cannot tell you hand on heart that they (Portuguese officers) have had the extension approved, but we are 103% certain that they will get it.

“We are working on the basis that we have another three months of official secrecy.”