Where has the £266,000 gone?

[misty]

Are you accusing someone of something? Unless you can back it up I think you should stop now.

This whole thread is based on the hypothetical assumption that £266,000 has been removed from the McCann Fund for an unknown purpose.
Can you back that up?

[G-Unit]

This whole thread is based on the hypothetical assumption that £266,000 has been removed from the McCann Fund for an unknown purpose.
Can you back that up?

As I didn't make the assumptions I'm not required to back them up. I have no idea what the balance of Madeleine's Fund is at the present time.

If you wish to discuss the credibility of the newspaper articles which made the assumptions about the remaining amount in the Fund a new thread may be required. This thread is discussing the possible expenditure arising from those figures, not whether the alleged figures are correct.

[faithlilly]

As I didn't make the assumptions I'm not required to back them up. I have no idea what the balance of Madeleine's Fund is at the present time.

If you wish to discuss the credibility of the newspaper articles which made the assumptions about the remaining amount in the Fund a new thread may be required. This thread is discussing the possible expenditure arising from those figures, not whether the alleged figures are correct.

I seem to remember in the first few months the donations total was displayed on the Find Madeleine website. I wonder why this was discontinued ?

[John]

seems not everyone................ has not got the begging bowl out

Riddle of misinformation as media reports McCanns. "down to their last €72,000"

Portugal Resident
5 September 2016

All kinds of misinformation appears to be surfacing as the countdown begins on whether (or not) the Metropolitan Police search for Madeleine McCann is really due to end Click here.

The most bizarre detail appeared in Portugal’s national tabloid Correio da Manhã on Sunday, suggesting the McCanns were “reduced to €72,000” in a Fund that in its heyday had raked in close to €5 million.

The reasons, claims CM, are “travel expenses, payments to detective agencies and a €500,000 claim for damages from former PJ detective Gonçalo Amaral”, whose appeal against the €1.2 million civil suit lodged by the McCanns was upheld earlier this year Click here.

This last ‘reason’ for the depletion of the massive fund instantly set tongues wagging on various ‘Madeleine sites’ online.

No-one appears to have been aware of any kind of counter-claim by Amaral.

The truth is the ‘news’ is a red-herring.

The Resident has been in touch with the man whom the McCanns have been pursuing in court since 2009 and he told us he had “stopped reading Correio de Manhã years ago”.

“I don’t know what they are talking about,” he said. “The problems of the McCanns are their own,” he added. “I am not interested in their lives.”

But Amaral stressed that he has not asked for “any kind of compensation” - let alone €500,000.

“In my new book I touch on these subjects,” he told us, referring to the book he began writing when the Met’s multi-million pound Operation Grange investigation began Click here.

“But at this point in time, I have nothing to say.”

Amaral has always been a man who measured his words, and he has never had a press spokesman - as the McCanns have had throughout their nine-year ordeal.

Mainstream media reported last month that because of their current purported money troubles, the couple have decided to drop Clarence Mitchell as their media spokesperson.

But bystanders on fora dedicated to discovering the truth of what happened to the missing toddler have suggested the new ‘running-out-of-money stories’ could be a precursor to declaring that the McCanns will be unable to pay any kind of expenses on the legal horizon.

“I don’t know if this is just another publicity stunt,” said Jill Havern, who runs one of the many Madeleine online fora. “It was in the press a while ago that the McCanns were moving some money from the search fund in order to pay for future searches! People donated to the Madeleine Fund purely to search for her, not for legal bills, but that inconvenient truth appears to have been lost in all the PR nonsense.”

Certainly, there is a moral issue as to whether the Fund should be used for legal expenses as shortly after its inception, former trustee Esther McVey stressed the “spirit which underlies the generous donations” which she felt trustees had the “responsibility to steer” Click here.

McVey resigned from the Fund shortly after making this statement.

Meantime, eyes now are on October 5 - the date media sources claim could see an end to the Met’s long-running investigation that this far appears to have spent in excess of €15 million of British taxpayers’ money.

natasha.donn@algarveresident.com


http://portugalresident.com/riddle-of-misinformation-as-media-reports-mccanns-%E2%80%9Cdown-to-their-last-%E2%82%AC72000%E2%80%9D

And so the mystery deepens.  The FMF could nip all this speculation in the bud if they were to issue a simple statement stating what the true position is.

Is that too much to ask?

As for Gonçalo Amaral, he tells the Portugal Resident that he has not asked for any compensation, let alone €500,000.  Thing is though, as of this moment in time he cannot do so since we await the final decision by the Portuguese Supreme Court.

Add to this the fact that he is on record stating that he will counter sue for damages.

[G-Unit]

And so the mystery deepens.  The FMF could nip all this speculation in the bud if they were to issue a simple statement stating what the true position is.

Is that too much to ask?

As for Gonçalo Amaral, he tells the Portugal Resident that he has not asked for any compensation, let alone €500,000.  Thing is though, as of this moment in time he cannot do so since we await the final decision by the Portuguese Supreme Court.

Add to this the fact that he is on record stating that he will counter sue for damages.

A certain amount of people are likely to know the balance in the Fund. Either one of those people told the journalist or it was a guess. If the McCanns or the Fund directors corrected every mistake in the media it would probably be a full-time job.

If Amaral wins in the Supreme Court it is then that he will submit any claim he is entitled to.

Amaral has stated his intention to sue, but as you say he can't do anything until this case ends.

[Lace]

Can you point me to any other case where the parents of a missing child have within days set up a limited company and surrounded themselves with press agents, PR experts and lawyers in both England and Portugal?

I found this little snippet which might solve why the McCann's had lawyers so early on.

When asked what they were going to do in the near future as to the search for Madeleine Gerry said this -

Gerry: "Obviously, you know, the thrust of the search for Madeleine is the investigation, which we are fully supporting. We have brought in the lawyers, really, to advise us what else can be done. I don't know what that is at the minute. You have seen that the family, and close friends back home, in contact with us, are doing everything that we feel in our power to keep the publicity high, and that has been our thrust and main actions at this time. We will have to consider that, with the experts advice, and taking advice from all the many different agencies that are involved and really that's why we can't do that on our own."

[G-Unit]

I found this little snippet which might solve why the McCann's had lawyers so early on.

When asked what they were going to do in the near future as to the search for Madeleine Gerry said this -

Gerry: "Obviously, you know, the thrust of the search for Madeleine is the investigation, which we are fully supporting. We have brought in the lawyers, really, to advise us what else can be done. I don't know what that is at the minute. You have seen that the family, and close friends back home, in contact with us, are doing everything that we feel in our power to keep the publicity high, and that has been our thrust and main actions at this time. We will have to consider that, with the experts advice, and taking advice from all the many different agencies that are involved and really that's why we can't do that on our own."

That statement was made on Monday 14th May. I think Gerry knew very well what the lawyers had advised them to do. They were hot-footing it back to London as he spoke to set up the fighting Fund, apply for Ward of Court Status for Madeleine and whatever else IFLG did. He doesn't mention Control Risks group, who came with IFLG. Did he bring them in too? Kate gives the impression in her book that they just appeared as if by magic. Nevertheless they made new statements to them the day before. Jane Hill's attempts to ask about Private Investigators at the same News Conference were ignored.

I notice the poster I'm replying to didn't provide a cite. I have followed their example.

[Brietta]

That statement was made on Monday 14th May. I think Gerry knew very well what the lawyers had advised them to do. They were hot-footing it back to London as he spoke to set up the fighting Fund, apply for Ward of Court Status for Madeleine and whatever else IFLG did. He doesn't mention Control Risks group, who came with IFLG. Did he bring them in too? Kate gives the impression in her book that they just appeared as if by magic. Nevertheless they made new statements to them the day before. Jane Hill's attempts to ask about Private Investigators at the same News Conference were ignored.

I notice the poster I'm replying to didn't provide a cite. I have followed their example.

The McCanns' PDL Media Statements
A collection of the media statements given by the McCanns, or on behalf of the McCanns, during their time in Praia da Luz
http://www.mccannfiles.com/id170.html


Might I suggest you continue your good practice of sourcing your statements and lead by example ... no doubt had you asked Ferryman Lace would have corrected his/her omission.
Sorry FM                                                                                        %£&)**#

[Lace]

That statement was made on Monday 14th May. I think Gerry knew very well what the lawyers had advised them to do. They were hot-footing it back to London as he spoke to set up the fighting Fund, apply for Ward of Court Status for Madeleine and whatever else IFLG did. He doesn't mention Control Risks group, who came with IFLG. Did he bring them in too? Kate gives the impression in her book that they just appeared as if by magic. Nevertheless they made new statements to them the day before. Jane Hill's attempts to ask about Private Investigators at the same News Conference were ignored.

I notice the poster I'm replying to didn't provide a cite. I have followed their example.

So what do you not agree with?   That they shouldn't have taken the advice?  The thing is you and I have never lost a child,  also they lost Madeleine abroad,   of course they had these people, who probably offered their services to them,  of course they took advice they wouldn't have known what to do would they?

[G-Unit]

The McCanns' PDL Media Statements
A collection of the media statements given by the McCanns, or on behalf of the McCanns, during their time in Praia da Luz
http://www.mccannfiles.com/id170.html


Might I suggest you continue your good practice of sourcing your statements and lead by example ... no doubt had you asked Ferryman Lace would have corrected his/her omission.
                                                                                        %£&)**#

Thank you Brietta. I have tried leading by example ever since I joined the Forum and sadly it has had no effect whatsoever. Not only that, but on the odd occasion when I have neglected to add a source I have been picked up for it.

Therefore I'm now adopting the policy of ''when in Rome''.

I was replying to Lace, I think, by the way, but the last time I asked ferryman for a cite he/she said 'can't be bothered' and 'done it before'

Posting about the lawyers is on topic I hope? They did advise setting up the fighting fund which is alleged to be so depleted.

[Lace]

Thank you Brietta. I have tried leading by example ever since I joined the Forum and sadly it has had no effect whatsoever. Not only that, but on the odd occasion when I have neglected to add a source I have been picked up for it.

Therefore I'm now adopting the policy of ''when in Rome''.

I was replying to Lace, I think, by the way, but the last time I asked ferryman for a cite he/she said 'can't be bothered' and 'done it before'

Posting about the lawyers is on topic I hope? They did advise setting up the fighting fund which is alleged to be so depleted.

I do apologise I saw the link on another topic and had been looking for it,  sorry.

[G-Unit]

So what do you not agree with?   That they shouldn't have taken the advice?  The thing is you and I have never lost a child,  also they lost Madeleine abroad,   of course they had these people, who probably offered their services to them,  of course they took advice they wouldn't have known what to do would they?

I have no problem with them taking advice. I do have a problem when such a straightforward matter is made opaque.

The lawyers arrived on Friday afternoon, the 11th, on spec; according to Kate.

One of the offers of help we’d received came from a paralegal based in Leicester, via a colleague of Gerry’s. He worked for a firm specializing in family law, the International Family Law Group (IFLG). It was difficult to know what this company could do but we decided it would be worth meeting them to discuss the possibilities.
[Madeleine]

They quickly understood what the lawyers could do because two days later IFLG released this;

13 May 2007
 
Embargo: None
 
Media Release
 
Last week, Gerry and Kate McCann instructed The International Family Law Group, London specialist lawyers in child abduction and international family law, together with Michael Nicholls QC of 1 Hare Court, to help them in the search for Madeleine. They have been visiting the family in Portugal.
 
Gerry and Kate are very grateful for all the support and generous offers of help that they are receiving. Details of how contributions can be made to help get Madeleine back to the safety of her own family will be made available in the next couple of days.

Not only had they hired IFLG, they had a barrister too. Not to mention CRG who came along with IFLG;

By the Sunday evening, we found ourselves giving our statements again, this time to a couple of detectives from Control Risks
[Madeleine]

That was a busy weekend! It was Madeleine's birthday on the Saturday too. I would have thought an international company like IFLG would have used ISO 8601, which places Friday and Sunday in the same week, but apparently not.

[G-Unit]

I do apologise I saw the link on another topic and had been looking for it,  sorry.

Not a problem Lace, I can usually find the source as I did with yours. It's the ones I can't find which are frustrating because then I have to ask.