The parents of Madeleine McCann have come under fire over allegations they used Madeleine’s Fund to pay towards their long-running libel case.
Kate and Gerry McCann brought the case against a Portuguese police officer after he suggested they had been involved in Madeleine’s disappearance.
The libel case ran for 13 years, with the McCanns ultimately losing the case.
Now, according to the Mirror, accounts have allegedly shown how part of the legal case was funded.
Parents of Madeleine McCann lose libel case
Kate and Gerry brought a libel case against Goncalo Amaral after allegations made in his book Maddie: The Truth About The Lie.
In 2015, a Lisbon court ordered Amaral to pay the McCanns £440,000 damages.
The following year an appeal court overturned the decision.
Then, in 2017, the Supreme Court also found against the McCanns.
As a result, they then took the case to the European Court of Human Rights
But in September, seven judges upheld the former detective’s right to free speech.
Kate and Gerry McCann have maintained they only took action against Amaral because his “unfounded claims were having a detrimental impact on the search for Madeleine”.
And now it’s been claimed that the couple used funds from not-for-profit company Madeleine’s Fund to pay for some of their legal fees.
Madeleine’s Fund accounts released
According to the report, accounts suggest Madeleine’s Fund handed over almost £7,000 in legal costs “in relation to a libel action in Portugal brought by Gerald and Kate McCann”.
The fund, which is said to have almost £1m in cash and assets, was set up to “secure the safe return” of Madeleine.
THEY WASTED the people’s money and they LOST.
And so, if Kate and Gerry thought the comments were having a “detrimental” impact on the search, wasn’t it right that it was used to help fund the legal battle?
Twitter appears divided, with the couple facing some backlash.
Parents of Madeleine McCann face backlash
“Kate and Gerry McCann are still USING THE FUND,” slammed one.
“So disgusting, using the fund for lawsuits. THEY WASTED the people’s money and they LOST,” they then added.
Another commented: “This is crazy.”
However, not everyone felt the same, with some pointing out why the fund was set up.
“From the very beginning, the legal side of things was a priority over the fund being used for finding Madeleine,” claimed one.
Why was Madeleine’s Fund set up?
The Madeleine’s Fund official website explains why it was set up.
It declares it was set up to “find Madeleine McCann”.
The website adds it also pays to “support her family and bring her abductors to justice”.
ED! has contacted reps for comment.
Read more: Parents of Madeleine McCann detail ongoing fight to find their daughter
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