“It is a victory for justice, first of all, and a victory for the Portuguese State and of the Portuguese justice system, which worked very well”, the former PJ inspector told Lusa, also giving “congratulations to all those who defend freedom of opinion and expression”.

At issue in the Strasbourg-based court was the complaint against Portuguese justice for having acquitted Gonçalo Amaral of compensating the parents of the British girl - who disappeared in Lagos, in May 2007 - after allegations made by the former PJ inspector in a book, in a documentary and in an interview with the newspaper Correio da Manhã.

Regarding the process of Madeleine McCann's disappearance, Gonçalo Amaral said that the process is still open.

“It is a gross mistake to be waiting for decisions from the Germans and the English for us [Portuguese police] to do anything”, said the former inspector of the Judiciary, reiterating the criticisms made earlier in his latest book “Maddie – Basta de Mentiras!” (Contraponto Editores, 2021), especially with regard to German research.

German suspect claims

Gonçalo Amaral recalled that he had access to the German investigation process, analysed it and defended that the German suspect [Christian Bruckner] who was arrested in Germany and was made a suspect by the Portuguese Public Ministry in the disappearance of Madeleine McCann “has not committed any crime of rape in Portugal”, contrary to what the German authorities claim, who have already sentenced the accused to seven years in prison.

According to Gonçalo Amaral, “it is documented” that there was no crime of rape by Bruckner of a foreign citizen in the Algarve, noting that the German authorities sent requests for international collaboration “based on lies” and that the Portuguese authorities “never questioned” these allegations, when there is a medical report from the Hospital de Portimão ensuring that the violation did not occur.