Set back for Madeleine McCann's parents as European court overturns libel case against Portuguese detective

In the latest jolt to Madeleine McCann's parents, a European Court has overturned the libel case against the Portuguese police detective. Gerry and Kate McCann filed an appeal in a European Court of Human Rights against Portugal's mishandling of their libel challenge against claims made by Goncalo Amaral, the Portuguese detective involved in the investigation of Madeleine. But the court has now annulled the libel case.

What is the case related to Madeleine and the claims made by the Portuguese detective?

On the eve of May 3, 2007, 3-year-old Madeleine disappeared from her bed in a holiday apartment at Praia da Luz resort. Inspector Goncalo Amaral was the chief investigating officer of the case related to the disappearance of Madeleine. Goncalo was removed from the investigation following his criticism of the British police.

The parents of Madeleine came under the scanner by the Portuguese police in the initial stages of the case but were later removed as suspects in July 2008.


Following the removal of Amaral from the investigation, he wrote a book alleging that Madeleine's parents faked the abduction to cover up the fact that she died in the apartment following an accident.

What was the response to Amaral's book, and why was it banned and reinstated later?

After the case against McCanns's involvement in the abduction and disappearance of their daughter Madeleine was closed, Guerra & Paz published the book Maddie: The Truth of the Lie, written by Goncalo Amaral. And by November 2008, about 1,80,000 copies of the book were sold and then translated into six different languages in 2010.

A documentary was also made on the book and telecasted on one of Portugal's leading TV channels, TVI, viewed by 2.2 million people.

After the book was published and received a good response, the McCanns filed a libel case against Amaral and the publisher of his book. In 2015, the McCanns were granted over €600,000 for libel damages by a court, against which the Amaral appealed in 2016 and overturned that decision. Later in 2017, the Supreme Court of Portugal ruled against the libel damages and rejected the final appeal of McCanns against Amaral.

The case has been described by The Daily Telegraph as the most extensively reported missing-person case in modern history, as it started getting highlighted after the rise of social media.

German prosecutors are currently proceeding with the case following the report of a German suspect, Christian Buckner. However, Buckner has denied any involvement.
Nevertheless, the McCanns still have three months left to appeal against the decision made by the European court.

FAQs

Has Netflix released a documentary related to Madeleine's disappearance?
Ans. On March 15, 2019, Netflix released a documentary series named The Disappearance of Madeleine McCann, featuring Goncalo Amaral, apart from private investigators and journalists involved in that case.

Is prime suspect Christian Buckner serving prison?
Christian Buckner is serving a sentence in prison in Germany, but for separate offences.