Where has the £266,000 gone?

[Brietta]

Thank you.

Is there any reason why Mr Brian Kennedy thought, by 17 May 2007, that the fund would not be for living expenditure (travel, accommodation, expenses back home whilst off work), or search expenditure (for the missing Madeleine McCann)?  But rather thought, a fortnight after Madeleine went missing, that legal expenditure was top of the pile?

Don't you think the legal expenses may have had a direct association with the recovery of the missing child?  They were in the position to know exactly why it was required ... we are not.

[ShiningInLuz]

I think it should be pointed out that the Find Madeleine limited Company is called "No Stone Unturned Limited" and not "Throw a Pile of Stones Limited"!

I must admit I have thought about compiling a list of the 'unturned stones' in this case just to see how high the number goes.  It is a futile exercise though, as I can't see those 'unturned stones' being turned in the near future.

[Angelo222]

Don't you think the legal expenses may have had a direct association with the recovery of the missing child?  They were in the position to know exactly why it was required ... we are not.

Absolutely NOT!!   All they have been used for now is to cover the McCanns own asses!

...and that has backfired big time leaving them to pay a huge damages and legal expenses bill.

[misty]

Thank you.

Is there any reason why Mr Brian Kennedy thought, by 17 May 2007, that the fund would not be for living expenditure (travel, accommodation, expenses back home whilst off work), or search expenditure (for the missing Madeleine McCann)?  But rather thought, a fortnight after Madeleine went missing, that legal expenditure was top of the pile?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Child-selling

*snipped*

Other cultures and worldwide[edit]

In Greece, "babies of ... young women are sometimes sold to adoptive parents before their mothers even leave the hospital."[57] In 2007, brokering was being investigated by Interpol in Greece.[58]

Worldwide, in modern years, according to reporter Barbara Bisantz Raymond, brokers steal and sell children.[59] In France, Italy, and Portugal, in 2007, brokering was being investigated by Interpol.[58]

International law[edit]

One proposal is the Hague Convention on Intercountry Adoption, a treaty which would ban child-buying

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

How much litigation would be required if the above had occurred?
Had Madeleine been removed to a country which doesn't subscribe to the Hague Convention, how much litigation be required?
Amaral's book hadn't even been drafted by 17/5/2007 so there was no preconception along those lines.

[ShiningInLuz]

Don't you think the legal expenses may have had a direct association with the recovery of the missing child?  They were in the position to know exactly why it was required ... we are not.

If Brian Kennedy thought the top priority a fortnight after Madeleine disappeared was for legal expenses he was either on the inside track or he was a clairvoyant.

The clue is in the date - 17 May 2007.

Hmmm, no PIs hired.  OC was housing the McCanns and co.  Was there any sign of legal action on the horizon?  Nope.

The lawyers were going to do what?  Tough question.

[faithlilly]

And another thing - money started pouring in in the first few days of Madeleine's disappearance.  Do you think that all those who gave money in those first weeks gave it expecting it be be needed for a long and expensive private investigation?  Most who gave would have done so hoping and praying that the PT police would soon find her, but privately expecting the worst news to come out of Portugal any day.  I know I did.  So don't let's have any more of this claptrap about the morality of how the money was spent.  Most people who gave at the beginning (when most of the public donations were made), gave out of sympathy to the McCanns themselves and a desire to help them and their family, not for any specific purpose such as paying out for investigators.  In most high profile cases, especially those involving children the public like to give cash as a way of showing their support (see April Jones also - do you think all those donors gave with the expectation that the Jones family would use it to fund a private investigation when the police failed to find her?  Rubbish!)

I'm absolutely sure that if most of those who donated money AT ANY TIME were told up front that that money would be used for libel litigation they would not have donated. I assume that's why the McCanns have never included the fact in the aims of the fund detailed on their website.

[Brietta]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Child-selling

*snipped*

Other cultures and worldwide[edit]

In Greece, "babies of ... young women are sometimes sold to adoptive parents before their mothers even leave the hospital."[57] In 2007, brokering was being investigated by Interpol in Greece.[58]

Worldwide, in modern years, according to reporter Barbara Bisantz Raymond, brokers steal and sell children.[59] In France, Italy, and Portugal, in 2007, brokering was being investigated by Interpol.[58]

International law[edit]

One proposal is the Hague Convention on Intercountry Adoption, a treaty which would ban child-buying

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

How much litigation would be required if the above had occurred?
Had Madeleine been removed to a country which doesn't subscribe to the Hague Convention, how much litigation be required?
Amaral's book hadn't even been drafted by 17/5/2007 so there was no preconception along those lines.

Part and parcel perhaps of Madeleine being made a ward of court weeks after her disappearance.

**snip
“This application is just part of their search for Madeleine.”
Madeleine’s status as a ward of court has never been disclosed by her parents, who quietly made a wardship application in the High Court just weeks after she went missing.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/madeleinemccann/2164743/Madeleine-McCann-parents-court-bid-for-information.html

[misty]

I'm absolutely sure that if most of those who donated money AT ANY TIME were told up front that that money would be used for libel litigation they would not have donated. I assume that's why the McCanns have never included the fact in the aims of the fund detailed on their website.

Why ever not? It certainly didn't stop people in their thousands donating to an overseas purely libel litigation fund at a later date, mistakenly under the impression that they were supporting justice for Madeleine.

[faithlilly]

Why ever not? It certainly didn't stop people in their thousands donating to an overseas purely libel litigation fund at a later date, mistakenly under the impression that they were supporting justice for Madeleine.

With Amaral's fund it was made perfectly clear from its inception that the money was going to be used for his legal fees and I'll guess that you have no evidence that thousands gave to it by mistake. The McCanns, on the other hand, have never informed the public either in media articles, in Kate's book or within the aims of the fund that the money the generous public were donating was going to be used for private libel litigation. That is simply wrong

[mercury]

And another thing - money started pouring in in the first few days of Madeleine's disappearance.  Do you think that all those who gave money in those first weeks gave it expecting it be be needed for a long and expensive private investigation?  Most who gave would have done so hoping and praying that the PT police would soon find her, but privately expecting the worst news to come out of Portugal any day.  I know I did.  So don't let's have any more of this claptrap about the morality of how the money was spent.  Most people who gave at the beginning (when most of the public donations were made), gave out of sympathy to the McCanns themselves and a desire to help them and their family, not for any specific purpose such as paying out for investigators.  In most high profile cases, especially those involving children the public like to give cash as a way of showing their support (see April Jones also - do you think all those donors gave with the expectation that the Jones family would use it to fund a private investigation when the police failed to find her?  Rubbish!)

Well its not rubbish at all as john mccann told the public in the fund launch press conference that as the case got protracted, and madeleine not found, when the police closed their investigation, PIs would be needed
Just saying for info

[mercury]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Child-selling

*snipped*

Other cultures and worldwide[edit]

In Greece, "babies of ... young women are sometimes sold to adoptive parents before their mothers even leave the hospital."[57] In 2007, brokering was being investigated by Interpol in Greece.[58]

Worldwide, in modern years, according to reporter Barbara Bisantz Raymond, brokers steal and sell children.[59] In France, Italy, and Portugal, in 2007, brokering was being investigated by Interpol.[58]

International law[edit]

One proposal is the Hague Convention on Intercountry Adoption, a treaty which would ban child-buying

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

How much litigation would be required if the above had occurred?
Had Madeleine been removed to a country which doesn't subscribe to the Hague Convention, how much litigation be required?
Amaral's book hadn't even been drafted by 17/5/2007 so there was no preconception along those lines.

You typed that as if Mr Kennedy had that scenario in his mind when saying what he did
It didnt come to pass at all
The first years accounts show that out of 815k a quarter of it went on legal expenditure though


Expensive business


http://www.mccannfiles.com/imagelib/sitebuilder/misc/show_image.html?linkedwidth=actual&linkpath=http://www.mccannfiles.com/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderpictures/madeleinesfundgraphic.jpg&target=tlx_picamk1

Edited "third" to a "quarter"

[misty]

With Amaral's fund it was made perfectly clear from its inception that the money was going to be used for his legal fees and I'll guess that you have no evidence that thousands gave to it by mistake. The McCanns, on the other hand, have never informed the public either in media articles, in Kate's book or within the aims of the fund that the money the generous public were donating was going to be used for private libel litigation. That is simply wrong

The money donated by the general British public would not have even covered Oakley's fees imo. You'd have to ask the limited number of wealthy benefactors if they object to the manner in which their money is being spent as there is no obvious public support now for the McCanns (according to the learned thousands who comment on social media & newspaper articles).

[misty]

You typed that as if Mr Kennedy had that scenario in his mind when saying what he did
It didnt come to pass at all
The first years accounts show that out of 815k a third of it went on legal expenditure though


Expensive business

IMO BK had many legal scenarios in his mind at that time after speaking with various sources.
 Subsequently there  was the little matter of the arguido status to be dealt with. You think theparents & their friends would have been entitled to freebies?

[mercury]

IMO BK had many legal scenarios in his mind at that time after speaking with various sources.
 Subsequently there  was the little matter of the arguido status to be dealt with. You think theparents & their friends would have been entitled to freebies?

Ah, so, legal defence WAS on the agenda from day 1 of the fund
But esther mcvey told us all not a penny would be paid for this
Never mind, been through all this before

[faithlilly]

The money donated by the general British public would not have even covered Oakley's fees imo. You'd have to ask the limited number of wealthy benefactors if they object to the manner in which their money is being spent as there is no obvious public support now for the McCanns (according to the learned thousands who comment on social media & newspaper articles).

No matter how small or large the contribution from the public to the fund was, and we have no evidence that anyone other than Brian Kennedy actually gave the McCanns any money, the public were unable to make an informed choice in regard to donating because they were deliberately kept in the dark about how a large chunk of the money was going to be spent.