The Portuguese detective does not believe the main suspect, Maddie Mac …

Maddie McCann disappeared on May 3, 2007 shortly before her fourth birthday from the holiday home her parents had rented in Praia da Luz, Portugal. Last year, the German judiciary announced that it suspected the existence of German Christian Bruckner.

But according to Amaral, German authorities “created a suspect.” He said this Wednesday to Agence France-Presse after the publication of a new book on the case, entitled ‘My money is enough lies’. “If they (German authorities) had anything against him, he would have been charged and convicted,” the Portuguese said. He adds that there is still no evidence of a kidnapping.

Fourteen months after a controversial investigation, in which the parents also became suspicious, Portuguese police sorted out the case, only to reignite it five years later. The German was on the list of people to be questioned, but the police did not find him and were unable to speak to him in 2007. According to Amaral, the police had to insist on speaking to him.

In 2008, the former investigator also published a book on the mystery. In it, he said that the parents were involved in the disappearance. The parents filed a defamation lawsuit and wanted the book banned, but Amaral was acquitted in 2017.