British police involved in the hunt for Madeleine McCann have met a Portuguese prosecutor to discuss what evidence should be made public at the end of the investigation.

A request from Leicestershire Constabulary to withhold results of DNA tests on samples taken from a car used by Madeleine's parents is reported to have been rejected.

There is increasing speculation that Kate and Gerry McCann, from Rothley, Leicestershire, will be officially cleared next week of involvement in their daughter's death. Fernando Jose Pinto Monteiro, Portugal's attorney-general, has indicated that a decision on the future of the investigation will be announced on Monday.

Leicestershire Constabulary confirmed today that officers had held discussions about how evidence in the investigation will be disclosed at the end of the case.

A Portuguese newspaper reported that the British officers had tried to stop the release of certain information, including results of a DNA test on a sample from the McCanns' Renault Mégane hire car.

The samples are reported to have led to the Portuguese police believing that Madeleine's corpse could have been carried in the car more than three weeks after she died. This has been strenuously denied by Mr and Mrs McCann.

The request to withhold the DNA evidence was refused by the public prosecutor, Jose Cunha de Magalhaes e Meneses, at a meeting in the Algarve town of Portimaõ on Thursday, according to Correiõ da Manha. Detective Superintendent Stuart Prior, the officer in charge of the British end of the inquiry, was among those at the conference, the paper said.

A Leicestershire police spokeswoman refused to comment on the report and would not confirm which officers were in Portugal.

“Representatives from Leicestershire Constabulary are currently in Portugal to better understand how the disclosure process works following a criminal investigation in Portugal,” she said. “This has included a meeting with the public prosecutor.”

The British officers will return to the UK within the next few days.

Mr and Mrs McCann, both 40, from Rothley, Leicestershire, remain arguidos, or formal suspects, in their daughter's disappearance.

The Portuguese authorities' investigation into Madeleine's disappearance from the Algarve holiday resort of Praia da Luz on May 3 last year appears to be coming to an end. Detectives handed over their lengthy final report at the start of this month for prosecutors to consider whether to bring charges, request further inquiries or close the case.

In recent weeks Portuguese newspapers, citing anonymous sources, have repeatedly reported that the investigation would be shelved shortly, but could be reopened if new evidence emerged.

If the Portuguese authorities do shelve the case, the McCanns want their own private investigators to be given access to detectives' files so they can continue the search for Madeleine.

The McCanns' spokesman, Clarence Mitchell, said today: “Obviously they are aware of numerous reports suggesting that the case is about to be shelved.

“If that is the case they hope that it is made very clear that their arguido status is revoked and they hope to gain access to the police files so that their private investigators can continue the search for Madeleine.”

Despite a huge police investigation and massive coverage in the Portuguese and British media, the young girl has not been found.

The third arguido in the case, the Algarve property consultant Robert Murat, 34, received £600,000 in libel damages from four newspaper groups yesterday over “seriously defamatory” articles. Two other people wrong accused of being involved in Madeleine's disappearance received what have been described as “substantial six figure sums”.

Mr Murat and the McCanns all strenuously deny any involvement in Madeleine's disappearance.

Times Recommends

• Times Christmas appeal: Letter from the Editor
• Conferences — what a waste of money
• Schools supremo learns a painful lesson