Home Secretary Jacqui Smith was yesterday accused of stalling the Madeleine McCann investigation. (Daily Mail Wednesday 30th January 2008) Portuguese police said the nine-month case had reached "a stalemate" because the Home Office had failed to respond to a list of demands sent almost a month ago.
Investigators sent a formal letter of appeal to Whitehall on January 7, asking that the seven friends who dined with Kate and Gerry McCann on the night of May 3 should face fresh police interrogations.
Three weeks have passed and the Home Office has yet to make any response to the letter, the Portuguese newspaper Correio da Manha reported. British police cannot carry out the interviews on behalf of their Portuguese counterparts until the request has been rubber-stamped by the Home Secretary. And Portuguese police claim they cannot progress with their investigation until the interrogations are carried out.
A source said the latest delay had stalled the entire case, adding: "It is very strange that we have heard nothing. There seems to be no sense of urgency on their part. But we cannot proceed until these interrogations have been carried out. It is a stalemate."
The police and the public prosecutor were notified three weeks ago that the letters had been delivered to the Home Office, the newspaper said.