GONCALO Amaral was in charge of the investigation into the disappearance of Madeleine McCann who vanished in Portugal in 2007. Amaral made the the child's parents Kate and Gerry "arguidos" - or official suspects - in the case before he was sacked for astonishing public attacks on his British counterparts.
Who is Goncalo Amaral?
Gonalo Amaral is a retired detective who led the initial hunt when three-year-old Madeleine McCann went missing from the Ocean Club holiday complex in Praia da Luz on May 3, 2007 - 12 years ago.
He was removed as head of the investigation after criticising British detectives and claiming they were only following leads the McCanns asked them to pursue.
Amaral has remained an outspoken critic of British police and the McCanns and has repeatedly claimed Gerry and Kate killed their daughter.
He released a book and subsequent TV documentary called The Truth Of The Lie in which he cruelly alleged the McCanns faked Maddie's abduction to cover their tracks after she had been accidentally killed.
The McCanns have accused Amaral of waging a "relentless battle" against them.
Once one of Portugal's most senior detectives, since retiring he has moved back to the tough Lisbon suburb of Olivais where he grew up.
Amaral's probe into Maddie's vanishing is examined in a Netflix documentary, The Disappearance of Madeleine McCann.
In May, he claimed Maddie could have been abducted by a paedo who was close to her family without them ever knowing.
Speaking to Australian podcast Maddie, Amaral also claimed a relevant statement to that line of inquiry was initially withheld by British police, who were working alongside Portuguese authorities.
What has Amaral claimed in his book?
In the book, it is claimed that Maddie had died in the family's holiday apartment in Praia da Luz and her parents faked her abduction to cover up the tragedy.
The book was released just three days after Gerry and Kate were told their status as formal suspects had been lifted as the Portuguese police investigation was closed in July 2008.
Amaral claimed it was entirely based on official evidence and Policia Judiciaria files but Kate and Gerry branded the book "downright lies".
The Truth Of The Lie became a bestseller in Portugal.
Court documents seen by The Sun revealed he made more than £350,000 from his book and the subsequent DVD.
Since the book was published Amaral has made further claims in controversial media interviews.
He said on Australian TV show Sunday Night that MI5 "for sure had an involvement" either by helping to hide Maddie's body or covering up the alleged crime.
He also suggested Madeleine’s body could be hidden in a well on Praia da Luz.
Just days later he told a Portuguese TV documentary he believes Madeleine was cremated in a church near where she vanished and the McCanns prayed in the first days of the search for her daughter.
When informed of Amaral's latest conspiracy theories, Gerry McCann said: "The less
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