As the investigation continues, German prosecutors say they will not prosecute Christian Brueckner with Madeleine McCann’s disappearance this year.
Hans Christian Wolters insisted that authorities would have sufficient evidence to indict the German paedophile the next year.
His remarks follow reports that prosecutors confessed to his friends and associates that they were having difficulty gathering sufficient evidence against him while interviewing them in an attempt to solve the case for good.
Mr. Wolters told the reputable Portuguese newspaper Expresso, “The investigation is ongoing, but it will take a great deal longer.”
“Perhaps we won’t finish this year.”
Despite German prosecutors identifying Brueckner as “responsible” for Madeleine’s abduction and murder in June 2020, he declined to explain the delays in bringing the case to court, telling Expresso he did not want to “share the results or the present state of the investigation.”
Mr. Wolters has repeatedly stated that he believes they have the correct man, despite growing concern over the failure to charge him in connection with the disappearance of the British teenager in May 2007 and growing fears that he may never stand trial.
In a May interview with the Portuguese journalist Sandra Felgueiras, he stated, “We are convinced he is Madeleine McCann’s murderer.”
“There is one suspect, and his name is Christian B.
There is no other individual for whom we have suspicions.
In October 2021, the German prosecutor stated that authorities had “strong evidence” against Brueckner and hoped to provide a “update shortly.”
These remarks prompted rumors that the 46-year-old, who is currently incarcerated for the 2005 rape of an elderly American in Praia da Luz, could be prosecuted by Christmas 2021.
Mr. Wolters made it obvious that Brueckner would be indicted in Germany and stated that, despite the assistance of Portuguese authorities, there was no “joint investigation.”
A Portuguese PJ team headed by Helena Monteiro and based in the northern Portuguese city of Porto is still investigating the crime.
Last night, a source involved with the Portuguese side of the investigation stated, “The team in Porto continues to have direct contact with the German and British authorities.”
“Now, of course, the focus is more on the Germans.
It’s an informal bilateral contact in which direct information verification assistance is provided.
Last fall, Brueckner was charged in Germany with multiple sex offences against women and children on the Portuguese Algarve, including the 2004 rape of an Irish holiday rep and the 2007 sexual assault of a 10-year-old girl on a beach near Praia da Luz.
There is currently no set timetable for the trials.
In a letter written from his prison cell, Brueckner, who denies any involvement in Madeleine’s disappearance, alleged that the decision to charge him was based on a “fairy tale” indictment.
In addition, he complained in an outburst from the Oldenburg prison where he is serving time for the American OAP rape that he is being treated worse than the infamous Nazi war criminal Joseph Goebbels.
German prosecutors are attempting to construct a case against Brueckner in connection with Madeleine’s disappearance, and it is believed that informants with shady pasts who knew Brueckner when he lived in Portugal and were involved in criminal activity with him are crucial.
One friend who lived in the Algarve with the German and spoke to detectives in recent months told the Mirror last month, “They believe Chris did it, they say they know he did it, but they told me they have no evidence.
“That is why they are reviewing old transcripts. When they spoke with me, they were extremely candid about the situation.
It appeared as if they were struggling. They simply repeated the same queries; there was nothing novel.”
Kate and Gerry McCann were pleased to learn in April 2012 that Brueckner had also been designated as a suspect or arguido in Portugal.
At the time, Brueckner’s defence attorney referred to it as a “procedural ruse” associated with statute of limitations laws.