THE POLICE
A trio of detectives has formed the backbone of
the investigation. Guilhermino
Encarnacao is head of the Policia
Judiciaria for the Algarve, Portugal's CID.
Described as a 'desk strategist', he is the
detective leading the enquiry into Madeleine's
disappearance.
Paulo Rebelo
was appointed on October 10 to head up the
Portimao Policia Judiciaria team investigating
Madeleine McCann's disappearance. Rebelo, 45,
was previously based in Lisbon, where he had a
reputation for being a discreet and highly
experienced criminal investigator. He has
replaced Goncalo Amarel, who had led the
investigation since Madeleine's disappearance on
May 3. Amarel was removed from his post on
October 2 following comments he made to a
Portuguese paper in which he accused the British
police of only following leads and information
'created' by the McCanns.
Luis Neves,
head of the DCCB, the Portuguese equivalent of
the serious organised crime agency, SOCA.
Credited with solving a high-profile kidnap case
involving the ex-president of Sporting Lisboa
football club.
Hovering in the
background has been Alipio Ribeiro,
Portugal's most senior police officer and the
national director of the Policia Judiciaria.
The best-known
face in the case is that of chief inspector
Olegario Sousa who acted as
police spokesman until he stood down on
September 16. Officially his role was no longer
required, but it has been reported he resigned
over leaks by his colleagues to the Portuguese
media.
Carlos Anjos,
the head of the Portuguese police federation,
stepped into the fray, saying that Kate and
Gerry McCann "do not help the investigation" and
that the McCanns were using PR as "diversion
tactics".
THE PROSECUTOR
When the case was passed 'upstairs', three
lawyers came into play. Jose Cunha de
Magalhaes e Meneses, a district
attorney, who was charged with sifting through
10 boxes of evidence; Pedro Frias,
a criminal instruction judge; and Luis
Bilro Verao, the public prosecutor. It
was Verao who announced on September 20 that no
new evidence had emerged to justify further
interrogation of the McCanns at this stage.
