Revealed - £100k stolen from Madeleine Fund by man close to the search.

[Admin]

£100,000 donated to Madeleine McCann campaign ‘stolen to fund lavish lifestyle’, whisteblowers claim



By Harry Readhead
Monday 26 Oct 2015



Up to £100,000 of the fund to help find Madeline McCann was stolen by someone connected to the hunt and used to fund his lifestyle, two whistleblowers have claimed.

According to The Sun, the two whistleblowers wrote in sworn affidavits that a man close to the search for the three-year-old defrauded the public and tricked Kate and Gerry McCann into believing the cash was being used to help find their daughter.

The pair say that the unnamed man forged travel and hotel receipts to hide the deception.

‘What made the fraud so disgusting was money came from people who shed tears over her disappearance and wanted to do their little bit,’ The Sun reports one of the whistleblowers as saying.

The fund, which was launched in May 2007 when Madeleine disappeared from Praia da Luz, Portugal, reached more than £2million, and included donations from celebrity backers.

‘Madeleine’s Fund takes extremely seriously any suggestion monies intended for the search have been obtained fraudulently,’ a spokesman for the McCanns said.

‘Kate, Gerry and the other directors of Madeleine’s Fund will co-operate fully with authorities to ensure these claims are fully investigated.’

There is no suggestion of any wrongdoing by Kate or Gerry McCann.

http://metro.co.uk/2015/10/26/100000-donated-to-madeleine-mccann-campaign-stolen-to-fund-lavish-lifestyle-whisteblowers-claim-5462667/#ixzz3piyUJOHr

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[xtina]

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/6709337/100000-fraud-on-Maddie-McCann-search-fund.html

Documents alleging the huge fraud have been handed to her parents Kate and Gerry.

It is claimed a person connected to the hunt for the three-year-old used public donations to fund his own lifestyle. He is said to have duped the McCanns into thinking the cash was spent looking for their daughter.

Two whistleblowers named the man in sworn affidavits which The Sun passed to the couple.

They allege false accounting and forgery of travel and hotel receipts.

One said: “What made the fraud so disgusting was money came from people who shed tears over her disappearance and wanted to do their little bit.”

The Fund was launched in May 2007 when Madeleine disappeared from the Portuguese resort of Praia da Luz.

It has raised more than £2million. Backers include JK Rowling and David Beckham.

There is no suggestion of any wrongdoing by Kate or Gerry who thanked The Sun for the evidence.

Last night the McCanns’ spokesman said: “Madeleine’s Fund takes extremely seriously any suggestion monies intended for the search have been obtained fraudulently.

“Kate, Gerry and the other directors of Madeleine’s Fund will co-operate fully with authorities to ensure these claims are fully investigated.

[faithlilly]

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/6709337/100000-fraud-on-Maddie-McCann-search-fund.html

Documents alleging the huge fraud have been handed to her parents Kate and Gerry.

It is claimed a person connected to the hunt for the three-year-old used public donations to fund his own lifestyle. He is said to have duped the McCanns into thinking the cash was spent looking for their daughter.

Two whistleblowers named the man in sworn affidavits which The Sun passed to the couple.

They allege false accounting and forgery of travel and hotel receipts.

One said: “What made the fraud so disgusting was money came from people who shed tears over her disappearance and wanted to do their little bit.”

The Fund was launched in May 2007 when Madeleine disappeared from the Portuguese resort of Praia da Luz.

It has raised more than £2million. Backers include JK Rowling and David Beckham.

There is no suggestion of any wrongdoing by Kate or Gerry who thanked The Sun for the evidence.

Last night the McCanns’ spokesman said: “Madeleine’s Fund takes extremely seriously any suggestion monies intended for the search have been obtained fraudulently.

“Kate, Gerry and the other directors of Madeleine’s Fund will co-operate fully with authorities to ensure these claims are fully investigated.

A more interesting question is why was it the Sun and not the fund directors who were handed the evidence in the first place ? Were the  whistleblowers afraid their evidence would be buried ? There certainly seems to be a lack of trust between them and the directors.

[Carana]

A more interesting question is why was it the Sun and not the fund directors who were handed the evidence in the first place ? Were the  whistleblowers afraid their evidence would be buried ? There certainly seems to be a lack of trust between them and the directors.

Were the "whistleblowers" paid by the Sun?

[Alice Purjorick]

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/6709337/100000-fraud-on-Maddie-McCann-search-fund.html

Documents alleging the huge fraud have been handed to her parents Kate and Gerry.

It is claimed a person connected to the hunt for the three-year-old used public donations to fund his own lifestyle. He is said to have duped the McCanns into thinking the cash was spent looking for their daughter.
Two whistleblowers named the man in sworn affidavits which The Sun passed to the couple.
They allege false accounting and forgery of travel and hotel receipts.

One said: “What made the fraud so disgusting was money came from people who shed tears over her disappearance and wanted to do their little bit.”
The Fund was launched in May 2007 when Madeleine disappeared from the Portuguese resort of Praia da Luz.

It has raised more than £2million. Backers include JK Rowling and David Beckham.

There is no suggestion of any wrongdoing by Kate or Gerry who thanked The Sun for the evidence.

Last night the McCanns’ spokesman said: “Madeleine’s Fund takes extremely seriously any suggestion monies intended for the search have been obtained fraudulently.

“Kate, Gerry and the other directors of Madeleine’s Fund will co-operate fully with authorities to ensure these claims are fully investigated.

A strange article with some "interesting" wording.

[misty]

Curious timing of such an article, with the GFM appeal closing this very week.

[Alfred R Jones]

A more interesting question is why was it the Sun and not the fund directors who were handed the evidence in the first place ? Were the  whistleblowers afraid their evidence would be buried ? There certainly seems to be a lack of trust between them and the directors.

Between who and the directors?

[faithlilly]

Between who and the directors?

The whistleblowers.

[Alfred R Jones]

The whistleblowers.

Who are they then?  Why does going to the Sun imply a lack of trust between these anonymous beings and the Fund directors?  Maybe it implies they were after a few quid, ever think of that, oh ye of such cynicism (usually) when it comes to all matters MSM!

[jassi]

Maybe it implies that they wanted the matter to see the light of day and thought a newspaper was the best way forward.

[Alfred R Jones]

Maybe it implies that they wanted the matter to see the light of day and thought a newspaper was the best way forward.

And they chose the Sun.  Right.

[jassi]

And they chose the Sun.  Right.

Why not, isn't it one of the best selling tabloids?  Where better to get it into the public eye.

[faithlilly]

And they chose the Sun.  Right.

Why not the Sun ?

[Alfred R Jones]

Why not, isn't it one of the best selling tabloids?  Where better to get it into the public eye.

A tabloid is the obvious 'go to' choice for selling a story to about "Maddie", isn't it?  I expect the Sun pays the best of all of them. 

[faithlilly]

A tabloid is the obvious 'go to' choice for selling a story to about "Maddie", isn't it?  I expect the Sun pays the best of all of them.

Whistleblower
A whistleblower is a person who exposes any kind of information or activity that is deemed illegal, dishonest, or not correct within an organization that is either private or public. Wikipedia

''Within an organisation'. Are you saying someone within the McCann's campaign has sold this story ?