Back in 2020, news surfaced that German prosecutors were looking into Christian B.’s possible involvement in the girl’s disappearance. He was officially declared a suspect in 2022, according to the BBC.

Last year, the 48-year-old was acquitted by a German court of r*** and sual abuse in a separate case, as reported by the BBC. However, he is currently serving a seven-year prison sentence in Germany for r*.

Braunschweig Chief Public Prosecutor Hans Christian Wolters confirmed to The Independent that Christian B. is now seeking early release from his sentence.

Wolters stated that the Hildesheim Regional Court has yet to rule on his request, and no hearing date has been set.

Meanwhile, The Sun reports that investigators were stunned by Christian B.’s acquittal on the r*** charges last year.

A source familiar with the case in Germany told the outlet, “Normally a move like his bid for an early release would be laughed out of court.”

“But everyone is very nervous after what happened with his r*** trial last year,” they added. “The court was surprisingly favorable to him.”

The source also mentioned that Madeleine’s prosecutors are feeling ‘nervous’ and that the situation “could mean disaster for the McCann case.”

“Charging over Madeleine would be the only ace left up their sleeve for keeping Christian B. behind bars,” they continued. “Let’s hope they don’t need it.”

Should the court rule in favor of Christian B.’s release, Madeleine’s lawyer is expected to file an appeal, which could postpone his release by several months.

If the appeal is unsuccessful, the only remaining option would be to formally charge him in connection with Madeleine’s case—leading to a new arrest warrant that could be used to keep him in custody.