The Met Police is reportedly pushing to bring the prime suspect in the disappearance of Madeline McCann to stand trial in the UK.
Detectives are said to be pressing for German national Christian Brueckner, 48, to be extradited to Britain as it believes it can gather enough evidence for the Crown Prosecution Service to charge him for abduction and murder.
However, a Met request to bring him to the UK to trial him at the Old Bailey could be blocked by Berlin as Article 26 of the German constitution prevents the extradition of its citizens to non-EU countries.
Prior to Brexit, the convicted paedophile and rapist could have been extradited without complication, but now the Met would have to rely on Britain and Germany’s reciprocal extradition agreement which came into force in 2021.
The Met are also exploring other options to ensure Brueckner stands trial for his alleged crimes. For example, detectives could hand over evidence to Portuguese authorities, which, as an EU state could extradite Brueckner from Germany.
The German national was sentenced for the rape of a pensioner, but released last year. While incarcerated, he was named as a prime suspect behind Madeleine’s disappearance, however, German authorities have so far failed to charge him in connection with the alleged crime.
Hans Christian Wolters, who headed up the German investigation into Brueckner, has claimed numerous times that there is concrete evidence against the sex offender, but has never managed to charge him.
Nick Vamos, former head of extradition at the CPS, told The Telegraph: “Germany participates in the streamlined EU-wide extradition arrangements with the UK that were agreed after Brexit.
“However, Germany is one of 10 EU countries that chose to impose a ‘nationality bar’ and refuses to extradite its own citizens.
“This is a constitutional bar under German law so cannot be lifted or waived however serious the offence or strong the evidence.
“Brueckner could still be extradited to the UK if he left Germany, or to Portugal if the authorities there chose to prosecute him. It would be open to the Met Police to share evidence with the Portuguese for this purpose.”
This weekend marked the 19th anniversary of Madeleine McCann’s disappearance from her parents’ holiday apartment in Praia da Luz.
She has never been found.
In a post on Facebook, her parents Kate and Gerry McCann wrote: “19 years. The search goes on… to find our Madeleine, to achieve some justice, to make the world that bit safer.
“We remain very grateful for all our support from friends and family, people we know and those we don’t - and from the police and authorities for their continued determination and effort.”
At the time of Madeleine’s disappearance, Brueckner lived around a mile away from the McCann’s holiday abode. He was suspected of burgling hotel rooms and breaking into apartments and villas.
Searches of his property some years later in 2016 revealed that Brueckner had been collecting paedophilic material and diaries describing fantasies about abducting children.
The Met launched Operation Grange in 2011 to investigate Madeleine’s appearance. It was upgraded to a full inquiry in 2013 and is estimated to have cost in excess of £13million.
A spokesman for the force told The Telegraph: “The Met’s investigation into the disappearance of Madeleine McCann has been active since 2011. A dedicated team continues to examine the events of the evening of 3 May 2007 in Praia da Luz, while supporting and updating Madeleine’s family.
“As part of ongoing enquiries, we remain in close working discussion with policing colleagues in Germany and Portugal. We will continue to pursue any viable lines of enquiry.”
Brueckner has denied any involvement in Madeleine’s disappearance.
