Kate and Gerry McCann
Kate and Gerry McCann are fighting a decision by a Portuguese
court to reverse their 2015 libel win against a former police chief over
his claims about their daughter's disappearance, according to the
Independent.
Reports say that the couple's lawyers have confirmed they will use money from the "Find Madeleine" fund to attempt to overturn the ruling and challenge claims by ex-detective Goncalo Amaral that they faked their daughter's abduction.
Madeleine went missing from her bed in a holiday apartment in Praia da Luz, Portugal, in May 2007.
In 2015 the couple launched a successful libel action case against Amaral's 2008 book. "The Truth of the Lie", in which he alleged that Madeleine, three, had died at their holiday flat and they had faked her kidnapping to cover up the tragedy.
Read more: Portuguese prosecutors "never concluded McCanns were innocent"
But this was overturned by a lower court in April the following year, leaving them with potentially vast legal costs and the possibility of being sued by Mr Amaral.
Last month Portugal's Supreme Court rejected the McCann's libel appeal over the book.
The McCanns fresh legal bid is reportedly based on comments made by the judges in the 76-page ruling, which stated the decision "was determined by the fact that public prosecutors hadn't managed to obtain sufficient evidence of the crimes by the appellants". (Because the McCanns refused to cooperate with the investigation and didn't ask for the investigation to remain open!)
Both were at one stage official suspectsfor a day (not true) in July 2008 following the adduction.
Read more: Madeleine McCann's parents lose court appeal against Portuguese detective
Judges have said the archiving of the criminal case did not equate to the McCanns being cleared of criminal responsibility.
"In truth, that ruling was not made in virtue of Portugal's Public Prosecution Service having acquired the conviction that the appellants hadn't committed a crime," they wrote.
"Even the archive ruling raises serious concerns relating to the truth of the allegation that Madeleine was kidnapped."
They also found Mr Amaral's book had "no defamatory intention" behind it.
"Our opinion is that rather than an injurious animus, the intention was informative and defensive," they said.
In a statement after the ruling, The McCanns said: "What we have been told by our lawyers is obviously extremely disappointing.
"We will of course be discussing the implications of the Supreme Court ruling with our lawyers in due course."
Reports say that the couple's lawyers have confirmed they will use money from the "Find Madeleine" fund to attempt to overturn the ruling and challenge claims by ex-detective Goncalo Amaral that they faked their daughter's abduction.
Madeleine went missing from her bed in a holiday apartment in Praia da Luz, Portugal, in May 2007.
In 2015 the couple launched a successful libel action case against Amaral's 2008 book. "The Truth of the Lie", in which he alleged that Madeleine, three, had died at their holiday flat and they had faked her kidnapping to cover up the tragedy.
Read more: Portuguese prosecutors "never concluded McCanns were innocent"
But this was overturned by a lower court in April the following year, leaving them with potentially vast legal costs and the possibility of being sued by Mr Amaral.
Last month Portugal's Supreme Court rejected the McCann's libel appeal over the book.
The McCanns fresh legal bid is reportedly based on comments made by the judges in the 76-page ruling, which stated the decision "was determined by the fact that public prosecutors hadn't managed to obtain sufficient evidence of the crimes by the appellants". (Because the McCanns refused to cooperate with the investigation and didn't ask for the investigation to remain open!)
Both were at one stage official suspects
Read more: Madeleine McCann's parents lose court appeal against Portuguese detective
Judges have said the archiving of the criminal case did not equate to the McCanns being cleared of criminal responsibility.
"In truth, that ruling was not made in virtue of Portugal's Public Prosecution Service having acquired the conviction that the appellants hadn't committed a crime," they wrote.
"Even the archive ruling raises serious concerns relating to the truth of the allegation that Madeleine was kidnapped."
They also found Mr Amaral's book had "no defamatory intention" behind it.
"Our opinion is that rather than an injurious animus, the intention was informative and defensive," they said.
In a statement after the ruling, The McCanns said: "What we have been told by our lawyers is obviously extremely disappointing.
"We will of course be discussing the implications of the Supreme Court ruling with our lawyers in due course."
Read more at http://www.leicestermercury.co.uk/mccann-s-fight-decision-to-reverse-their-libel-win-against-police-chief-s-claims-about-madeleine/story-30149203-detail/story.html#vOHwtADuo8Eqkb3L.99
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