Christian B’s lawyers deny he’s charged in Madeleine McCann case after Portuguese detectives make him official suspect
CHRISTIAN B's lawyers denied that he was charged in the Madeleine McCann case after detectives yesterday made him an official suspect.
The 44-year-old was named by German prosecutors as the man ‘responsible’ for Madeleine’s kidnap and murder in June 2020.
But since then no charges have been brought.
The convicted rapist, 44, was yesterday classed as an 'arguido' or 'formal suspect' by Portuguese police.
However, his lawyers denied that he was charged over her disappearance.
Friedrich Fuelscher, Christian B's lawyer, said: "The step taken by the Portuguese authorities should not be overrated.
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"I assume that this measure is a procedural artifice to stop the statute of limitations threatening in a few days."
Portugal's Policia Judiciaria and the Attorney General's Office have yet to make any official comment.
Maddie vanished in 2007 while on holiday with her family in Praia da Luz, Portugal - triggering the most high-profile missing persons case in history.
On May 3 this year, it will be 15 years since Madeleine disappeared from her family holiday.
Portugal has a 15-year hearing limit on murder charges - meaning that police would have a reduced risk of convicting a suspect after next month.
The news comes after Portuguese police said they would continue to investigate Maddie's disappearance as the Met Police ended its probe.
COLD CASE
Sources close to authorities in Portugal say abandoning their ongoing case review was "completely out of the question".
Portugal's Attorney General’s Office said an independent inquiry led by prosecutors out of the Algarve will continue.
A spokesman said previously: “The investigation is proceeding, with the inquiry not having a final conclusion yet.”
Parents Gerry and Kate McCann left their three kids, including toddler twins Sean and Amelie, sleeping in their apartment while they dined at a tapas bar 120 metres away.
When Kate returned to check on the kids at about 10pm that evening, she found Madeleine was not in her bed and was missing.
In September of that year, Gerry and Kate, both doctors, were sensationally named as "arguidos" or "suspects" by Portuguese police.
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The following summer the McCanns were cleared by investigators in Portugal who declared they had exhausted all avenues in the case.
