PJ says the investigation is ongoing and confirms contact with Maddie McCann’s parents.

The Judicial Police clarified this Monday that during the investigation into the disappearance of the English girl Madeleine McCann in the Algarve in 2007, steps are continuing to be taken to clarify the situation and that contacts have been established with the child’s relatives.

“In this context, and as was timely made public, in close coordination with the German (BKA) and English (Metropolitan Police) authorities in Portugal and abroad, official investigations and examinations were carried out, as well as the exchange of information and witness statements. revised,” the Judicial Police (PJ) said in a statement.

According to the SP, since “this is also normal in this type of situation and in accordance with best practice”, personal contacts were established with the relatives of the missing child, conveying only “procedural status, as part of the ongoing investigation pending at the Ministry of Justice of the District of Faro”.

PJ’s clarification came after the BBC, cited by EFE, reported that PJ had apologized to the parents of Madeleine McCann, who was 3 years old at the time, for “the way she responded to the disappearance of a girl in the Algarve.” , in May 2007.”

According to the same news, earlier this year a delegation of PJ agents traveled from Lisbon to London to apologize to Gerry McCann, the child’s father, after the parents were named as suspects in the girl’s disappearance.

Madeleine McCann disappeared from the room where she was sleeping in the Algarve resort of Praia da Luz while her parents dined with friends on holiday in Portugal.

During a meeting with Gerry McCann, BBC Panorama reported, PJ agents apologized for the way Portuguese detectives had handled the investigation and the treatment of the family.

In September 2007, the parents – Kate and Gerry McCann – were considered suspects in the original Portuguese investigation then led by Detective Gonçalo Amaral, but that status was withdrawn from Inspector PJ the following year.

Gonçalo Amaral accused the parents of involvement in the disappearance of their daughter and even wrote a book dedicated to the case of Maddie’s disappearance.

However, Portuguese police have now admitted that the investigation was mishandled.

According to the BBC program, after several years of investigation, Portuguese agents this year supported German authorities who believe that the child was killed by German Christian Brückner.

According to the BBC, Hans Christian Wolters, the German prosecutor in the case, welcomed Portugal’s apology, saying: “This is a good sign. This shows that there is progress in Portugal in the McCann case.”