A suspect believed to be involved in the disappearance of Madeleine McCann has criticized the investigation - describing it as an "unbelievable scandal."
German national Christian Bruckner ridiculed prosecutors for blaming the disappearance on him - despite failing to bring any charges.
In a written statement released Tuesday, the 44-year-old said prosecutors were wrongly persecuting him. Bruckner is currently serving time in prison for raping a 72-year-old woman in Portugal. That crime was committed near where the British toddler went missing 14 years ago.
"Charging someone with a crime is one thing. It is something completely different, namely an unbelievable scandal, when a public prosecutor starts a public prejudicial campaign before proceedings are even opened," Bruckner said.
Bruckner said the "scandalous prejudicial campaign" launched by prosecutors brought "shame to the German legal system." Bruckner said prosecutors were "unsuitable" for an office that advocates for "German people who trust in justice."
Bruckner was named a suspect in the disappearance of 3-year-old McCann in May 2007. The toddler disappeared from her bedroom at a holiday apartment in Praia da Luz in the Algarve region of Portugal. McCann's disappearance has been described by local news media as the most heavily reported missing persons case in modern history.
German prosecutors previously said they had "concrete evidence" to suggest that McCann might already be dead and they were now treating the case as murder.
"If you knew the evidence we had, you would come to the same conclusion as I do. I can't promise, I can't guarantee we have enough to bring a charge, but I'm very confident because what we have so far doesn't allow any other conclusion at all," Braunschweig state prosecutor Hans Christian Wolte said.
In his statement, Bruckner described the prosecutors' alleged evidence as a "fillet of forensic" - a stab at prosecutors' previous acknowledgment they lacked forensic evidence to tie Bruckner to the case.
Even though more than 14 years have passed since their child disappeared, McCann's parents, Kate and Gerry, remained hopeful they will find their daughter alive.
"All we have ever wanted is to find her, uncover the truth and bring those responsible to justice. We will never give up hope of finding Madeleine alive but whatever the outcome may be, we need to know as we need to find peace," the couple said.
