THE parents of Madeleine McCann yesterday lost a battle over a £434,000 libel
payout — cash they planned to use to continue the hunt for her.
Ex-Portuguese detective Goncalo Amaral, 57, was last year ordered to pay Kate
and Gerry McCann the money after he was ruled to have libelled them in his
book Truth of the Lie.
But an appeal court in Lisbon yesterday overturned that ruling, depriving the
Maddie fund of cash to keep the nine-year search going.
The McCanns said they would take the case to Portugal’s Supreme Court,
although they could now face a series of hefty legal bills.
The appeal means Amaral’s book could be back on sale by next week
A source close to the McCanns said: “They are seething over the ruling and
fear Mr Amaral may now repeat all the slurs. It just drags on and on.
“The timing couldn’t be any worse, just a few weeks away from the ninth
anniversary of Madeleine’s disappearance.” Amaral led the hunt for
Madeleine, three, when she vanished from the family’s holiday apartment in
Praia da Luz on the Algarve in 2007. He was taken off the case for
criticising British police.
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In his 2008 book he claimed the McCanns faked an abduction to cover up
Madeleine’s death and they sued. He made £286,000 from the 2008 book. The
libel payout was never made to the McCanns because it was put on hold
pending the appeal.
Their fund was down to its last £750,000 in October, with few new cash
donations coming in. The Home Office this month provided £95,000 to maintain
it for six months.