3 October 2007
Daily Mail
The detective leading the hunt for Madeleine McCann was sacked last night.
Chief Inspector Goncalo Amaral was removed from the inquiry after he claimed that British detectives had been duped by Kate and Gerry McCann and only investigated leads which were ' convenient' for the couple.
His outburst led to a reprimand from Portugal's justice minister, lberto Costa, who said: 'We need to concentrate on the job and not on the commentary.'
Within hours Alipio Ribeiro, the head of the Policia Judiciaria, ordered Mr Amaral off the case, demoted him to inspector and stripped him of his role as a regional head of the force.
Mr Amaral made his 'angry and explosive' remarks to the Portuguese newspaper Diario de Noticias. He claimed: 'The British police have only been working on that which the McCann couple want them to, and which is most convenient for them.'
He said British police appeared to have forgotten that Mr and Mrs McCann remain suspects. He also repeated Portuguese claims that the couple were manipulating the inquiry.
'They (the English) have been investigating tip-offs and information created and worked upon by the McCanns,' he added.
The newspaper also reported an unnamed police source as saying: 'After we bought into a war with the British media we are now buying into another with the English police.'
Mr Amaral, 47, has attracted criticism from the early days of the inquiry and news of his departure was met with relief by those close to the investigation.
He enjoyed frequent three-hour boozy lunches and two days ago a British newspaper claimed he worked only four hours a day and had ignored most of the 252 possible sightings and tip-offs in the case. He is also facing a criminal hearing over another missing girl, Joana Cipriano, accused of concealing evidence that the girl's mother, Leonor, was beaten into confessing to her murder.
Mr Amaral came under pressure to step down from the McCann investigation after it emerged he could face trial over the accusations, but he refused to resign.
His sweaty, corpulent figure is a familiar sight in the restaurants and cafes around police headquarters in Portimao.
While the McCanns have been warned they be jailed for speaking about the case, Mr Amaral, who was 48 yesterday, has frequently been heard holding court and accusing them of killing Madeleine.
He has said: 'We are sure the parents killed Madeleine. They are both doctors and know about drugs. We are confident in our case.'
Mr Amaral, a father of three, has worked in the police for 26 years but has only investigated two other child killings.
British police will hope that his successor will bring fresh impetus to the investigation, which appeared to be stalling as Portuguese detectives refused to consider any evidence which did not fit theories implicating the McCanns.
Clarence Mitchell, the family's spokesman, said last night: 'We're aware of these reports and we simply can't comment.
'Gerry and Kate have consistently said that they are happy to cooperate fully with the Portuguese authorities and will continue to do so no matter who is in charge of the Madeleine investigation.' Mr Amaral had dismissed the latest development in the case, an email sent to Prince Charles which claimed Madeleine was abducted by a disgruntled former employee at the Praia da Luz holiday complex where the McCanns stayed, as 'another fact worked upon by the McCanns'.
Meanwhile Mr McCann, of Rothley, Leicestershire, said he and his wife, both 39, had endured 'another painful day without our beautiful daughter' on Sunday, the 150th day since she disappeared.
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