Brexit has effectively blocked any attempt to bring Madeleine McCann suspect Christian Brueckner to trial in Britain, German officials have confirmed, dealing a blow to hopes of justice for the missing toddler, the Express understands.
A spokesman for the German government explained the country’s post-war constitution bars the extradition of suspects to nations outside the EU. Asked whether Brexit had sealed Brueckner’s fate, the spokesman said: “Yes, that is the case.”
Article 16 of the German constitution states that “no German may be extradited to a foreign country” — carving out only EU member states and bodies such as The Hague. German officials say extraditions to Britain have been “generally precluded by German constitutional law” since the UK left the EU.
Prior to Brexit, the European Arrest Warrant allowed British authorities to secure the automatic transfer of suspects from Germany with few legal obstacles.
The findings emerge days after Scotland Yard’s ambition to prosecute Brueckner on British soil over the toddler’s disappearance emerged – and cast serious doubt over whether the 49-year-old convicted paedophile will ever be held to account in the UK.
Will Christian Brueckner ever face justice over Madeleine McCann?
Scotland Yard is understood to be mounting a fresh effort to charge Brueckner ahead of the 20th anniversary of Madeleine’s disappearance in Portugal, which falls in 2007. A senior officer is overseeing the renewed push to bring the suspect to Britain to stand trial over the three-year-old’s vanishing.
German prosecutors identified Brueckner as their prime suspect in the McCann case five years ago, and he has since dismissed the latest extradition push. “I have good lawyers,” he said.
A source close to his legal team told MailOnline they were confident the extradition would never happen. “We have been here many times before, and nothing has ever happened. We are sure this attempt will go the same way.
“If the UK authorities have any evidence and if they are so sure of it, why don’t they share with the Germans so that they can look at it and press their own charges?
“German law forbids German citizens from being extradited to another country; they can only be put on trial in Germany, so the chances of this happening are non-existent.”
Senior public prosecutor Han Wolters also cast doubt on the prospect. “I suspect this is just hot air again. Extradition would require an arrest warrant. But there certainly isn’t one,” he said.
A second source close to Brueckner added: “He has seen the news and is aware of it. He’s completely unfazed by it. As far as he is concerned, they have had years to bring a case against him, and have failed. He’s very confident this won’t be going anywhere soon, but then again, he has always been an arrogant and self-assured man.”
What other legal trouble is Christian Brueckner facing?
In a separate development, The Telegraph reported that Brueckner is also under investigation over a violent altercation in the northern German port city of Kiel. The offence — known under German law as “mutual assault” — treats the suspect as both perpetrator and victim.
The Telegraph was told by a German police spokesman that Kiel prosecutors had received a formal complaint and would rule on whether charges should follow, though officers refused to elaborate further. A conviction could carry a sentence of up to five years.
