Days after the British press buzzed with excitement over the possibility of a new Portuguese prosecutor “utterly determined” to get to the bottom of the seven-year mystery, three officers from Operation Grange have returned to Faro to continue their investigations into the disappearance of Madeleine McCann.
As the three-man team led by Detective Chief Inspector Andy Redwood arrived yesterday (Monday) afternoon, it is believed that first they will meet incoming PJ detectives in Faro, to discuss the next steps they hope to be allowed to take, and then they will travel up to Coimbra to receive analysis of the items recovered during the high-profile digging for clues that went ahead in Praia da Luz in the heat of the media spotlight in July.
According to Jornal de Notícias this morning (Tuesday), Scotland Yard has “seized” on the appointment of 49-year-old Sequeira “to exert pressure on the magistrate” who is described as having to be brought up to speed on hundreds of cases as she takes over from outgoing prosecutor Magalhães e Menezes.
A fifth international letter of request for house searches of the three Portuguese men Scotland Yard have in their sights has still to be authorised.
It is unlikely to get Sequeira’s rubber-stamp during this visit, suggests Correio da Manhã, stressing that the prosecutor’s immediate priorities are cases that involve prisoners.
Portuguese papers appear to be the only ones reporting on this morning’s news. After the rush of British focus on what they termed a “high flying prosecutor” at the weekend, there has been very little said about this week’s routine visit by the Brits whose investigation now is reported to have pushed Grange’s expenditure well over budget.
Jornal de Notícias talks of €9 million while the British press suggests expenses so far are more like 10 million pounds. That’s double Scotland Yard’s original estimates, and as many point out, follows on from many millions spent previously in the search. As CM concludes, “the costs of the investigation reopened on the orders of Prime Minister David Cameron are being criticised”.
