Cash for former Maddie suspect
2008-07-17 11:35
London - A man named by police as a suspect in the disappearance of British toddler Madeleine McCann is due to settle his libel case against several British newspapers on Thursday.
Lawyers for Robert Murat said a statement containing details of the settlement would be read in the High Court. Media reports said Murat would receive damages of about £500 000.
Murat, 34, is a British man who lives near the southern Portuguese resort where three-year-old Madeleine disappeared in May 2007. Despite a global campaign by the girl's parents, no trace of her has been found, and no one has been charged in the case.
Murat sued the Sun, Daily Mirror, Daily Mail and other newspapers over stories alleging he was involved in Madeleine's disappearance.
Four months after Madeleine disappeared, Portuguese police also named her parents, Kate and Gerry McCann, as "arguidos", or formal suspects.
In March the McCanns won front-page apologies and a large libel payout from several newspapers that had made claims - often lurid and based on anonymous sources - about their role in their daughter's disappearance. The McCanns, like Murat, strenuously deny involvement.
Portugal's attorney general said on Wednesday he would announce next week whether he plans to bring charges in the case.
- AP