Maddie trio ‘worked at the holiday village where she vanished’
THE three prime suspects in the disappearance of Madeleine McCann had worked at the resort where she vanished, it was claimed yesterday.
Details of the men’s alleged links to the Ocean Club resort in the Algarve were revealed in Portuguese newspapers with close contacts with local police.
They emerged two days after Portuguese police had a high-level meeting with a visiting Scotland Yard delegation. The revelations come amid growing optimism at New Scotland Yard that detectives are on the brink of a major breakthrough in the case.
At the meeting, Met detectives reportedly requested bank details of the men, who are thought to have carried out a series of break-ins at the resort in the run- up to Maddie’s disappearance.
They are also said to have asked local officers to quiz the unnamed trio and search their homes.
Although local media reported the men had been employed at the Ocean Club complex in Praia da Luz, it was not clear whether they were working there at the time Maddie went missing in May 2007.
Nor was it clear whether they were directly employed by the company Mark Warner, which runs the resort, or through a contractor.
The latest twist in the investiga- tion came weeks after the Mail exclusively revealed Scotland Yard had identified three burglars as prime suspects.
One theory is that the burglars raided the McCanns’ flat and were panicked into snatching the youngster when she woke up.
Analysis of mobile phone data suggests the men were close to the scene of her abduction, at the time she went missing, and were in close contact in the hours that followed.
Portuguese police chiefs con- firmed a three- hour meeting between the Policia Judiciaria, which is investigating the case, and a Met team led by Detective Chief Inspector Andy Redwood had taken place on Tuesday – but refused to say what had been discussed.
Local newspaper Correio da Manha reported: ‘The British want Portuguese authorities to interrogate and search the homes of three former Ocean Club employees. They also requested access to the bank accounts of the three suspects to see if there were any large deposits made after the child disappeared.’
The Ocean Club had about 130 Portuguese employees and 30 British when Madeleine vanished. All the Britons are thought to have left.
The McCanns’ lawyer in Portugal, Rogerio Alves, said he was aware Scotland Yard wanted to question three suspects but described reports that arrests were imminent as ‘improbable’.
Progress in the probe has been thwarted by the Portuguese author- ities’ reluctance to agree to a formal joint investigation. And, as none of the burglars is British, the Met does not have jurisdiction to arrest them in Portugal.
Behind the scenes, diplomatic discussions have taken place to resolve the issue so UK detectives can be based in Portugal.
Maddie’s parents, Kate and Gerry McCann, of Rothley, Leicestershire, declined to comment on the latest developments yesterday, as did a spokesman for Mark Warner.