Now shown on Channel 5: 'THE McCANNS AND THE CONMAN'

by **Tony Bennett** 22.05.14 20:27

Being trailed now -

http://www.tvrage.com/shows/id-42673

To be shown on Channel 5 on Wednesday 4 June

by Guest 22.05.14 20:29

Do we know which conman? There's so many to choose from.

by **Tony Bennett** 22.05.14 20:39

admin wrote:Do we know which conman? There's so many to choose from.

On the trailer, it says 'Episode One'.

That sounds a bit ominous for all the Directors of 'Madeleine's Fund: Leaving No Stone Unturned'.

They have a legal duty to take 'due care and dilgence', especially being custodians of millions of pounds donated by a generous British public.

Are we to believe that intelligent, experienced, high-flying professional and business people like

Dr Gerald McCann

Dr Kate McCann

Brian Kennedy

Edward Smethurst

Clarence Mitchell

and other Directors of Madeleine's Fund...

...couldn't spot an out-and-out conman, fraudster and conman when he bumped right into them?

And handed him a cheque from Madeleine's Fund saying:

"PAY KEVIN HALLIGEN FIVE HUNDRED THOUSAND POUNDS - ONLY"?

by aiyoyo 22.05.14 20:42

I can't wait for episode two......

by **Tony Bennett** 22.05.14 20:46

I have compiled a detailed biography of Kevin Halligen.

Here is a summary outline of the rise and fall of Kevin Halligen to date, from what I could garner about this secretive and elusive character, the charmer who seduced the McCann Team into parting with over £600,000 of public money:

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

KEVIN (RICHARD) HALLIGEN: A SUMMARY BIOGRAPHY

Kevin Richard Halligen

1961 14 July - Born Dublin

1988 (Aged 27) Said to have been working for the next 15 years in ‘Defence Technology’

1991 March (Aged 29) - Married Kevin R. Halligen married Jennifer P. Darvill (or Palmer) in Alton, Hampshire

1990s – Begins to work on (‘been closely involved in’) "Special" Projects for the Ministry of Defence

1995 – Shirin Trachiotis, his later girlfriend (or one of them), graduates from the George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences.

1996 June (aged 34) - Writes highly technical article on rechargeable batteries whilst working for DCB Special Batteries, based in Crawley http://www.latestproducts.info/techarchive/articles/2008/12/rechargeable-batteries-in-portable-applications/

2000 29 February - His later friend and partner Henri Herman Exton, QPM Grade 7, Ministry of Defence, is awarded the O.B.E.

Approx 1998-2003 (Aged late 30s) – Employed at Cap Gemini and Ernst & Young (the two firms merged during this time, where he’ advised clients in the Aerospace and Defence sectors, Ministry of Defence and government on ‘Business and Contracting Strategy’.

2002 September – Shirin Trachiotis (later girlfriend) was working on a Sigma Systems Research project; she is also a Member of National Board of Medical Examiners, PALS, ACLS certified. She is an ‘attending physician’ with the emergency medicine group at the Holy Cross Hospital (Silver Spring, Maryland). Her husband at the time was Gregory D. Trachiotis, Associate Professor of Surgery at the George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences, and later Professor of Surgery and Chief of Cardiac Surgery at the Washington, DC, Veterans Affairs Medical Center and Chief of Thoracic Surgery at the George Washington Medical Center.

2003 February (Aged 41) – Appointed Director at the Inkerman Group by Sir John Walker and the rest of board Sir John Walker later says he regretted appointing Halligen. He becomes Chief Executive Officer of Inkerman Global and Executive Technical Director of The Inkerman Group. The announcement says that “Kevin will focus on technology-centric issues and his prime task will be to roll out and deliver the revolutionary Minerva Programme, which addresses all facets of the multi-layered threat faced by Industry and Government in the post-September 11 era”.

2005 19 January (Aged 43) Domain name RedDefence.com registered by Halligen and his friend Tim Craig-Harvey; the administrative address is given as 1 Cornhill, London

2005 (Aged 43) - Red Defence International formed: registered at Flat 2, 113A Jermyn Street, London SW1Y 6HJ

2005 or 2006 (Aged 44) - Obtained the contract to work for Trafigura in which he promised to free two captive Trafigura staff in Ivory Coast, after allegations they had dumped toxic waste there, injuring or even killing many Africans in the process. Halligen was unsuccessful in his mission. Trafigura were represented by leading libel firm Carter-Ruck.

2007 - Halligen apparently describing himself as LLP/Attorney, working for Patton Boggs

2007 3 May (Aged 45) – Madeleine reported missing

2007 – Forms Oakley International

2007 June & July – Pays $1,000 (approx. £625) by way of donation to John Unger, a Democrat representing the 16th District in the West Virginia Senate. Unger had planned to fight for the Congressional seat of West Virginia, but changed his mind.

2008 April (Aged 46) appointed as private investigator by the Directors of the Find Madeleine Fund; paid £500,000 plus expenses. During this time he is described by the Washington Post as “staying in a Willard Hotel suite for months at a time, drinking the days away at pricey Georgetown restaurants…travelling everywhere in a chauffeur-driven Lincoln Town Car”.

2008 August (Aged 47) Sacked by the Directors of Madeleine’s Fund after a blazing row

2009 February (Aged 47) – Changes his address to ‘The Beeches’, Henley Park, Cobbett Hill Road, Normandy, Guildford, Surrey GU3 2BZ, which has been the home of Julia Lynne Powell since 1999. It is another of Halligen’s girlfriends Kevin R Halligen (Patton Boggs LLP/Attorney),

2009 3 April – Kevin Halligen and Tim Craig-Harvey set up a company called VIGIL LIMITED, at 5th Floor, 26-28 Great Portland Street, London W1W 8AS (Company No. 06868379).

2009 9 April – Lawsuit RYECROFT CONSULTANTS SA v. HALLIGEN filed. By this time Halligen is described as ‘on the run’

2009 October – Arrested at Hotel, Oxfordshire, following a tip-off

2010 22 December (Aged 49) Kevin Halligen was ordered to be extradited to the USA by the Home Secretary.

2011 21 June – His appeal against that decision was rejected by the High Court as he, through his solicitors, did not submit a correct notice of appeal in time.

2013 27 June (Aged 51) – After pleading guilty in the U.S. to the charges against him, is released, having already served nearly 4 years in prison - and returned to live in Dublin.

If anyone has more information about him, please let me know, and I'll add it to my biography of him before it's published

by ultimaThule 22.05.14 20:50

The McCanns and the Conman
Classification: Documentary
Genre: Crime | Current Events
Status: New Series
Network: Channel 5 ( United Kingdom)
Airs: Wednesdays at 09:00 pm
Runtime: 60 Minutes
Premiere: June 03, 2014

There's no cast list shown for this programme. Does this mean Kate & Gerry will be playing themselves?

by 1soapy 22.05.14 20:58

Thanks for this.

Isn't the number of episodes/seasons just a template? Looks like there's just a one off episode.

by **Tony Bennett** 22.05.14 21:03

Several years ago, an anonymous poster put up this allegation on one of the many Madeleine McCann discussion forums (and it wasn't me):

"The Madeleines Fund cheque [for Kevin Halligen] was placed in one of Kennedys holding companies and transferred the following day to another of Kennedy's holding companies".

Now, this may be true or false.

If true, one wonders if the then Madeleine's Fund Directors specifically authorised this unusual series of payments?

by ShuBob 22.05.14 21:04

Richard Desmond owns Channel 5.

Just saying.....

by TheTruthWillOut 22.05.14 21:10

I'm assuming this documentary is something Ch5 have sat on for some time? The timing of transmission can't be coincidence surely?

by petunia 22.05.14 21:15

hmmm money laundering springs to mind.

by ShuBob 22.05.14 21:25

TheTruthWillOut wrote:I'm assuming this documentary is something Ch5 have sat on for some time? The timing of transmission can't be coincidence surely?

I'm thinking along the same lines.

by **Tony Bennett** 22.05.14 21:27

petunia wrote:hmmm money laundering springs to mind.

The main expertise of the first man Kennedy picked to help him in his Knutsford, Cheshire office, right from the very start in September 2007, was Gary Hagland, whose main expertise was...

money laundering regulations:

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

EXTRACT FROM ‘FINANCIALTIMES DIRECTOR, 30 March 2001

Gary Hagland is a consultant with law firm Wragge & Co advising clients on the active management of compliance risks, including money laundering.

He works with the Institute of Directors' board consultancy department on the "Compliant Board" initiative that aims to guide company directors through the labyrinth of regulations and procedure that successful compliance demands. Mr Hagland paints a broad picture of the type of non-financial services businesses that may well be targets for the money launderer. These include auction houses, expensive car dealerships, property agents and developers - indeed any business that is used to handling high-value assets.

According to Mr Hagland, a problem for companies in complying with anti-money laundering initiatives is that their prevailing culture and ethos does not lend itself readily to accommodate scepticism about prospective customers. Rather, the opposite is likely to be the case. "To tackle the possible threat of being unwitting accomplices to a money laundering scheme, the challenge for non-financial businesses is to change their mindset, their core attitudes. The reputational focus of most businesses is clearly not on money laundering," says Mr Hagland.

Businesses used to dealing with wealthy clients are also used to handling those clients' wishes for anonymity and discretion; ideal conditions in which the money launderer can ply his trade. But businesses are required, increasingly, to interrogate rather than interview their clients and prospective clients.

In order to identify the risks, businesses need to ensure that they have a firm grasp of what money laundering is, how it may have an impact on their business, and the systems and procedures they may require to put in place in order to minimise their risk of exposure. But putting awareness into practice is more difficult. As Gary Hagland explains, practical guidance is thin on the ground: "One of the principal problems is that there is no established methodology for businesses to follow. Though business is told that it must be self-policing, there are no clear guidelines as to how they should go about fulfilling that role."

The risks associated with money laundering are clear enough. Money laundering is a criminal offence: any individual caught helping to process the proceeds of crime faces a lengthy prison sentence. Companies which stand accused of assisting with money laundering operations also risk substantial damage to their reputations.

But, how can you tell a money launderer?

For many businesses they are likely to be the kind of person that, on first impressions, they would welcome as a customer.

Money launderers are extremely well-funded, well-advised and make use of technically elaborate and sophisticated schemes to cover their tracks.

++++++++++++++++++++

In November 1999, according to Money Laundering Bulletin, it published an account of Gary Hagland’s time serving in the Hong Kong police force in the mid-eighties, titled: ‘Letter from Hong Kong’. In a letter to Money Laundering Bulletin, Steve Tarrant, superintendent with the Hong Kong Police, responded to the article. Tarrant, in introducing his article, begins:

“I am a serving Superintendent in the Hong Kong Police Force and for the last four years have headed ‘D’ Division of the Organised Crime & Triad Bureau. Our main function is money laundering investigations, the confiscation of crime proceeds and the investigation of suspicious transaction reports. My unit subscribes to your Bulletin and I find it informative and useful”.

by ultimaThule 22.05.14 21:28

Tony Bennett wrote:Several years ago, an anonymous poster put up this allegation on one of the many Madeleine McCann discussion forums (and it wasn't me):

"The Madeleines Fund cheque [for Kevin Halligen] was placed in one of Kennedys holding companies and transferred the following day to another of Kennedy's holding companies".

Now, this may be true or false.

If true, one wonders if the then Madeleine's Fund Directors specifically authorised this unusual series of payments?

As I'm at loss to understand how a cheque made payable to, say, John Smith can be cleared by being placed in the account of, say, Bill Bloggs, I can't fathom why a cheque made out to Kevin Halligen should be placed in one non-uncle Brian's companies,, holding or otherwise, and moved to another the following day unless, of course, one of those companies coincidentally trades under the name of K Halligen and has a subsidiary of similar name, but any such transaction would be irregular if not improper, would it not?

Perhaps the forthcoming documentary will provide enlightenment?

by margaret 22.05.14 21:28

Tony Bennett wrote:
I presume that Channel 5 must have been preparing this programe for months.

How is the programme been approached do you know Tony?

Is it poor Mccanns got scammed or questioning their use of a conman?

by margaret 22.05.14 21:33

ultimaThule wrote:
Tony Bennett wrote:Several years ago, an anonymous poster put up this allegation on one of the many Madeleine McCann discussion forums (and it wasn't me):

"The Madeleines Fund cheque [for Kevin Halligen] was placed in one of Kennedys holding companies and transferred the following day to another of Kennedy's holding companies".

Now, this may be true or false.

If true, one wonders if the then Madeleine's Fund Directors specifically authorised this unusual series of payments?

As I'm at loss to understand how a cheque made payable to, say, John Smith can be cleared by being placed in the account of, say, Bill Bloggs, I can't fathom why a cheque made out to Kevin Halligen should be placed in one non-uncle Brian's companies,, holding or otherwise, and moved to another the following day unless, of course, one of those companies coincidentally trades under the name of K Halligen and has a subsidiary of similar name, but any such transaction would be irregular if not improper, would it not?

Perhaps the forthcoming documentary will provide enlightenment?

Who was the cheque made out to? we don't know.

Sounds like a payment FROM Kennedy hence his companies being used. The only way l could see it being legit is if the company making the payment was the one using Halligens services.

FOLLOW THE MONEY....

by MyBrainHurts 22.05.14 21:34

How can a missing 3 year old girl be surrounded by so much wrongdoing? Actually that's not the word I'd like to have used but you know what I mean. There are suggestions of money laundering, paedophilia, tampering with witnesses, fraud, vexatious litigation, obtaining money under false pretences, lies, pacts, cover-ups, perverting the course of justice, mental abuse of the twins, and so on, you name it this case has got it.

by ultimaThule 22.05.14 21:35

I seem to recall reading that the McCanns gave Metedo £500,000 of the millions donated by the public to their limited company, but I also seem to recalling reading that one of Metedo's employees/agents/associates talked of £50,000 being the sum received. Perhaps whoever wrote up the story omitted a 0 (zero)?

by Guest 22.05.14 21:42

A couple of years ago I researched all companies related to BK. I've never in my life seen such a complicated Christmas tree of interaction. I cannot find it anymore, but do believe me ... each and every company was loaning money to another one - making profit and loss - and in the end it was BK, who cashed in on it ... IMO also M3 and Haligan were white-washings. The only problem for BK and McCs was Exton, whose report subsequently was filed in the toilets. All IMO and, sorry again, I cannot reconstruct BK's company-tree :-(

by ultimaThule 22.05.14 21:45

MyBrainHurts wrote:How can a missing 3 year old girl be surrounded by so much wrongdoing? Actually that's not the word I'd like to have used but you know what I mean. There are suggestions of money laundering, paedophilia, tampering with witnesses, fraud, vexatious litigation, obtaining money under false pretences, lies, pacts, cover-ups, perverting the course of justice, mental abuse of the twins, and so on, you name it this case has got it.

Perhaps an enterprising Scot will produce a documentary devoted to 'Clan McCann and the Conmen In Their Midst' subtitle 'When The Kilts Are Off & The Sporrans Are Opened', MBH smilie

by Guest 22.05.14 21:45

ultimaThule wrote:I seem to recall reading that the McCanns gave Metedo £500,000 of the millions donated by the public to their limited company, but I also seem to recalling reading that one of Metedo's employees/agents/associates talked of £50,000 being the sum received. Perhaps whoever wrote up the story omitted a 0 (zero)?

***
Unreliable, naughty, caught-out Marco did indeed mention a figure way out from what the "Fund" mentioned he'd been paid.

ETA from memory it was a 5-figure as opposed to a 6-figure amount ...

by 1soapy 22.05.14 21:47

How can such a tree be whooshed or no longer exist? Isn't it there at companies house or was it before a certain date or after so long, it can be/is removed? Otherwise, how could you have got hold of it?

by Guest 22.05.14 21:49

I think that Chatelaine means that it was something she drew up herself.

by Guest 22.05.14 21:49

1soapy wrote:How can such a tree be whooshed or no longer exist? Isn't it there at companies house or was it before a certain date or after so long, it can be/is removed? Otherwise, how could you have got hold of it?

***
It was a bit more complicated than that, 1soapy. I gathered information from various sources and combined them.
Little did I know at the time, that I should have saved them ...