Madeleine McCann suspect Christian Brueckner to be released early
Christian Brueckner, the prime suspect in the case of the disappearance of Madeleine McCann, could be released from prison as early as September, thanks to an unexpected intervention by a former German federal police employee.
German prosecutors confirmed on Monday that an outstanding fine had been paid on behalf of Brueckner, which would bring his release date forward. It had originally been scheduled for January 6 next year.
The convicted sex offender is serving time for the rape in 2005 of a 72-year-old American woman in Portugal. The additional fine had been imposed for previous charges of assault and forgery of documents.
Brueckner has also been under investigation for the abduction of three-year-old Madeleine, who vanished from a holiday resort in Praia da Luz, in the Algarve, in 2007. Brueckner denies involvement in the McCann case and has never been charged in relation to her disappearance.
His early release has become possible after a former employee of the German federal police, the BKA, paid an outstanding court fine on his behalf, Der Spiegel reported.
On June 5, she transferred €1,447 to the Braunschweig public prosecutor's account. The woman, who claims to have worked in the BKA's technical surveillance division, admitted to Spiegel that she made the payment, calling it a 'misunderstanding'.
The woman had never met Brueckner but contacted his lawyer last year, alleging that his prison cell had been bugged and that she had been involved in the surveillance setup.
Spiegel reported that she was willing to testify in Brueckner's most recent sexual offences trial, in which he was cleared of sex offences against five other girls and women. Her colleagues had said they had a score to settle with Brueckner, she alleged.
She initially believed the fine was related to an insult charge that she considered unjustified, leading her to pay the fine. She claimed to have only later realised its connection to more serious offences. The woman said she unsuccessfully tried to reverse the transfer. By then, it had been too late, she said. She also insisted she had never met Brueckner.
However, a spokesman for the Braunschweig prosecutor's office said that the person who paid the fine could still reverse the transfer.
Earlier this year, investigators had conducted a three-day search of the area where Madeleine disappeared in an attempt to find new evidence.
Brueckner's lawyer has previously said that he wants to settle down on the North Sea island of Sylt after his release.
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