Police investigating Madeleine McCann’s disappearance make ‘secret’ trips to Portugal
DETECTIVES investigating the disappearance of Madeleine McCann have made several ‘secret’ visits to Portugal in the past year.
Five return flights were booked to the country, where the toddler from Leicestershire disappeared in 2007, Met Police documents have revealed.
The £1,240 flights were revealed in a Freedom of Information request made by the - and also showed £811 was claimed for one officer’s accommodation.
Scotland Yard confirmed the trips to The Sun Online - but refused to confirm if they were made as part of the missing girl probe.
Det Chief Insp Nicola Wall is the senior investigating officer on the case and, in addition to the accommodation claim, he lodged an £80 receipt for taxis to and from UK airports.
DCI Wall is part of the Operation Grange investigating team working to solve the mystery of Maddie’s disappearance.
The probe recently secured £150,000 in funding from the Home Office.
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The trips to Portugal suggest detectives could be pursuing important leads in the case.
Maddie’s parents Kate, 50 and Gerry, 49, believe their daughter – who would now be 15 – could still be alive.
In 2011, an £11.5million police probe was launched after a plea to then-Prime Minister David Cameron for a British investigation.
Maddie was three when she disappeared from a holiday apartment in the Algarve region of Portugal whilst her parents dined with friends nearby.
A Met Police spokesman said "The investigation is ongoing.”
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