They claimed the evidence gathered so far by Spanish-based private detective agency Metodo 3 “lacked credibility’�?
The police detectives scoffed at the private eyes�?claim they “know who the kidnappers are’�?and were “very, very close’�?to catching them.
And they insisted Robert Murat’s German girlfriend �?who the investigators allege is linked to Madeleine’s disappearance �?was not a suspect in the case.
She had been questioned as a witness and was “not under scrutiny’�? Portuguese police chiefs warned the private eyes not to interfere with their own investigation or they would face “obstruction of justice’�?charges.
The outburst came after Metodo 3 handed a file to police calling on them to probe Michaela Walczuch’s alleged involvement.
Their investigators claim a witness saw her handing over a blonde girl to a mystery man in Silves, Portugal, two days after Madeleine vanished from Praia da Luz, 25 miles away.
Another witness has told Metodo 3 she saw Michaela �?the lover of 34-year-old suspect Murat �?in Zaio, Morocco, on June 15 shortly after she saw Madeleine there.
The private eyes allege Madeleine was snatched to order by a paedophile ring after being targeted by a local “spotter’�?
But last night it was revealed Michaela, 39, was at a Jehovah’s Witness prayer meeting 10 miles away in Lagos when the youngster vanished. And she was in Lagos having her car repaired when the private detectives�?witness claimed she was in Silves. Police, who have questioned her twice, say they can account for her movements and are satisfied she played no part.
Michaela dismissed the private eyes�?allegations as “ridiculous’�?and plans to sue them. Murat, an ex-pat Brit estate agent, remains a suspect, but his mum insists he was with her the night Madeleine vanished. Police have so far found no evidence to link him to the youngster’s disappearance.
A police source said: “The McCanns�?investigators are small fry. The information they have gathered lacks credibility. “They are only in places that have already been talked about. They are going over old ground. “Miss Walczuch is not a suspect. She was at a prayer meeting. This was established months ago. “There are no new leads. We know when the private detectives come and what they are doing here.
“They can be in Portugal as long as they don’t interfere with the investigation. They are irrelevant.’�?A source close to the prosecutor handling the case said: “If they speak to any witness who has been named in the case, or have access to a procedural piece of evidence or a case document, they are committing a crime which could be obstruction of justice.�?nbsp;
The Barcelona-based agency was hired by Kate and Gerry McCann, both 39, in September. Agency boss Francisco Marco told BBC1’s Panorama they were close to cracking the case. Murat’s lawyer Francisco Pagarete said both his client and his girlfriend could prove their innocence.
Last night the McCanns�?spokesman Clarence Mitchell said they were keeping “an open mind’�?over the line of inquiry. He said: “The truth is we do not know where Madeleine is. “But we have every confidence in M3’s ability to investigate Madeleine’s disappearance.
“At every stage, where it is relevant, they are happy to share information they have gained with the Portuguese police.
“Everything Metodo 3 does is within the law.’�?/SPAN>
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