A German man has been charged in connection with the disappearance of Madeleine McCann in Praia da Luz in Portugal in 2007.
"The defendant was constituted by the German authorities in execution of a request for international judicial cooperation issued by the Public Ministry of Portugal," according to a Public Ministry statement.
The investigation, was carried out by the German authorities in collaboration with the UK and the Faro district office in the Portuguese city of Portimao.
The suspect, who was identified by German media as Christian B. in 2020, is a 43-year-old sex offender with multiple convictions, including the sexual abuse of minors, according to Germany's Federal Criminal Police Office.
In September 2017, Christian B, was sentenced to one year and three months in prison for possession of child pornography and the sexual abuse of minors, according Hannover Public Ministry spokesperson, Thomas Klinge.
The Braunschweig Prosecutor's Office in Germany, which was investigating the suspect’s alleged connection to the disappearance of Madeleine McCann, assumed in June 2020 that she was dead.
But Police in the UK, who collaborated with the Portuguese and German authorities during the investigations, says Madeleine’s disappearance is still considered a missing persons case because there is no definitive evidence that she is dead.
Madelaine McCann was just 3 years old when she disappeared from a holiday resort apartment in Praia da Luz in Portugal.
Years later, the German authorities claimed to have evidence that she had been murdered by Christian B, but lack of evidence prevented him from being prosecuted.
A documentary about Madeleine will be broadcast on the AMC Crime Channel on Tuesday, the 15th anniversary of her disappearance.