McCanns hire crack team of ex-FBI agents to find Madeleine Daily

Mail

By NIALL FIRTH
Last updated at 12:25 PM on 13th August 2008

Kate and Gerry McCann have hired a team of crack U.S detectives to lead
the hunt for their missing daughter Madeleine, it has emerged.

The unnamed US firm is said to have been offered a £500,000 six-month

contract by the Find Madeleine Fun to help spearhead the search.

A friend of the McCanns said: 'The hunt for Madeleine is becoming more
and more international and it was felt that a truly international firm was
now needed to lead the inquiry.

"These really are the big boys. They are absolutely the best, but they are
extremely secretive and cloak-and-dagger about what they do.

'Since their appointment, Metodo has very much taken a back seat and
they are now concentrating primarily in Portugal and Spain and across the
Straits of Gibraltar into north Africa, where they have their main contacts.

'The American agency is pretty much handling everything else.'

The secretive firm is said to employ ex-FBI, CIA and U.S special forces,
according to the Daily Mirror.

The McCanns' spokesman Clarence Mitchell, said: 'Kate and Gerry made
it clear from the outset they would leave no stone unturned in finding
Madeleine and that means employing the very best people in any given
field.

'It is correct that an international firm of investigators have been appointed.

'But I am unable to say anything at all about them because of the covert
nature of their work and the need for secrecy, not only in looking for
Madeleine, but also in relation to previous operations.'

The McCanns now have detectives working around the world at a reported
cost of £166,000 a month.

Among the possible sightings they are following up, apparently ignored by
Portuguese police, is one by a British yachtsman on the Caribbean island
of Margarita last May.
The appointment of the U.S firm comes after it was revealed that a
suspected sighting of Madeleine in Brussels was ruled out by police.

A blonde girl had been seen with a woman in a hijab at the KBC bank in
the Belgium capital and the McCanns had been treating the sighting as a
priority.

However their hopes were dashed when a man came forward and
confirmed that the girl was his daughter out with her nanny.

Secret A-Team in hunt for Maddie Daily Star

By Jerry Lawton
14th August 2008

Desperate Kate and Gerry McCann have forked out £500,000 on an "A-
Team" of former top spooks to find missing daughter Madeleine.

The couple now have "a global operation" of dozens of retired FBI, CIA
and even MI5 agents dedicated to solving the mystery of her
disappearance.

The top secret team has been given six months to solve the riddle.

Doctors Kate and Gerry, both 40, have vowed to keep up the search for
five-year-old Madeleine after the latest sighting at a Belgian bank was
ruled out.

And the couple, from Rothley, Leics, have been reassured their new team
of private eyes will follow up every lead around the world.

Their spokesman Clarence Mitchell said: "There is a global operation

working for Kate and Gerry.

"They are internationally-based with components in Britain, America,

Europe and other countries where sightings have been made."

The new team, appointed three months ago, is half way through a six-
month contract.

Mr Mitchell explained: "A sum of £500,000 has been committed to them

from the Find Madeleine Fund.
"They have been on board for a few months and are on a six-month
contract.

"For security reasons we can't go into detail of the experts involved but it
would not be wrong to say some are former military and police personnel
with a degree of expertise."

Last night Mr Mitchell revealed there had been several more sightings of
Madeleine in Belgium on top of 30 reported in the past week.

He said: "A number of these sightings have been well-meaning and have
been looked at but ruled out.

"Kate and Gerry are not getting excited or upset by the reported sightings."

A family source added: "Unfortunately, with all the publicity, there have
been some copycat sightings which police are not taking at all seriously."

The couple's Spanish-based detective agency Metodo 3 are still working

on an £8,000-a-month retainer.

They are being kept on because of their local knowledge and contacts.

Mr Mitchell explained: "Spain, Portugal and North Africa still remain the
most likely places where Madeleine could be.

"However, with recent sightings in Amsterdam and Brussels, we have the

power to have investigators out on the ground immediately."

Madeleine fund in chaos as private eyes are axed after draining

£500,000 Daily Mail

By DANIEL BOFFEY and MILES GOSLETT

Last updated at 10:14 PM on 23rd August 2008

A team of private investigators working behind the scenes to find

Madeleine McCann has been axed after being paid £500,000 from publicly
donated funds.

The Find Madeleine Fund quietly engaged the services of a US-based

company which was awarded the lucrative six-month contract earlier this
year.

The company, Oakley International, which boasts former British security

service and FBI contacts, was hired to monitor the Madeleine Hotline,
carry out detective work and review CCTV footage of possible sightings of
the missing girl around the world.

A source revealed that the company had also spent resources in an

attempt to infiltrate a paedophile ring in Belgium.

However, the company's contract will now not be renewed. The Mail on
Sunday has learned that double-glazing tycoon Brian Kennedy, who has
been underwriting the fund's search for Madeleine, has conducted a
review of the agency's work and has become unhappy with the progress it
was making.

The deal was abruptly ended following a meeting last week after the fund
brought in independent monitors to assess how the money was spent.

The cost of employing the agency - run by a Briton, Kevin Halligen - has
drained the Madeleine fund and there is now less than £500,000 left.

The development is likely to dismay the thousands who gave to the

appeal, and raise questions about how the fund has been administered.

Mr Kennedy, who owns Sale Sharks rugby club, was said to be 'angry'
because he believed Oakley's bills, estimated to be more than £80,000 a
month, were too much for the results they achieved.

A source said: 'There is a sense that they were meaning well but hadn't
got as far as they should for the money involved.

'Brian Kennedy thought their work was far too pricey and wanted to know
where the money was being spent. He wasn't satisfied with their answers
and the contract was not renewed.

'Madeleine's parents, Gerry and Kate, have been kept informed all along
and agree with the decision. A lot of people were asking questions about
where the money was being spent.'

Oakley International won the contract after an introduction by another

company, Red Defence International (RDI), based in Jermyn Street,
Central London.

Listed as being involved with both companies was Mr Halligen, 47, a

communications expert. He is given as the 'contact name' for Oakley
International Group, a company registered in Washington DC as the
manufacturer of search and navigation equipment.
The company says it has annual sales of £33,000 and only one employee,
who appears to be Mr Halligen.

The address given for the company is 2550 M Street NW Washington,

which is the downtown office of Patton Boggs, one of the largest and most
powerful law companies in America.

A source at the law firm said last night that the lawyer who represented Mr
Halligen was unavailable for comment.

RDI, formed in 2005, bills itself as 'an experienced provider of crisis

prevention, management and expertise'. It claims to have a presence in
Washington DC and Virginia and representation in the Middle East, Africa
and Central America.

However, its latest set of accounts is two months overdue and it faces
being fined by HM Revenue & Customs.

Among the main players working on the McCann contract were Mr

Halligen and Henri Exton, 57, who headed the Greater Manchester Police
undercover unit until 1993. He then worked for the Government before
moving into the private sector.

One day after a crisis meeting last week with the Madeleine fund
administrators, Mr Halligen resigned as a director of RDI.

Mr Exton, of Bury, Lancashire, has the Queen’s Police Medal and an

OBE. During the Seventies and Eighties his work included uncovering
organised crime rings and recruiting supergrasses.

He also infiltrated football gangs, at one stage becoming a leader of the

Young Guvnors, who followed Manchester City, and was forced to take
part in organised incidents to preserve his cover.

Previously, the McCann fund had employed a Spanish detective agency

called Metodo 3. However, the fund lost confidence in them, especially
after they announced they would find Madeleine by last Christmas.

She had disappeared from the resort of Praia da Luz, Portugal, on May 3,
2007, nine days short of her fourth birthday.

A spokesman for the McCanns said yesterday: 'Kate and Gerry, the fund
and their backers have always sought to employ the very best people and
resources in the ongoing search for Madeleine.
'Kate and Gerry, via the fund and the backers, continue to employ many
such resources and it is true that Red Defence and Oakley were part of
those resources.

'I simply will not comment on any personnel, financial or operational

details whatsoever.'

No one could be reached for comment at Oakley International or Red

Defence International.

Mr Kennedy, estimated to be worth about £250million, became involved

after being moved by the plight of the McCanns during the period they
were made formal suspects – arguidos – in Madeleine's disappearance.
Portuguese prosecutors dropped the couple's arguido status last month.

The 47-year-old made his money in double-glazing and home

improvement ventures with companies including Everest windows. His
Latium Group business empire has an annual turnover of about

Madeleine McCann: Investigators dropped after being paid £500,000

Telegraph

A firm of private investigators hired to hunt for Madeleine McCann are

being dropped after being paid £500,000.

By Richard Edwards and Subhajit Banerjee

Last Updated: 2:30PM BST 24 Aug 2008

The US-based team, which boasts former British security service and FBI
contacts, had been given a six-month contract earlier this year and were
paid from the Find Madeleine Fund.

It is understood their contract will not be renewed at the end of the month
in a review led by double-glazing tycoon Brian Kennedy - who is
underwriting the fund's search.

Oakley International was hired discreetly just before the anniversary of

Madeleine's disappearance in Praia da Luz, Portugal, in May. It monitored
a Madeleine Hotline number, followed up leads and reviewed CCTV
footage of possible sightings.

Mr Kennedy reportedly believes the agency's bills - estimated to be over

£80,000 a month - were not justified by their results.
Most of the money spent on the agency came from a £550,000 libel pay
out from Express Newspapers in March. Around £450,000 remains in the
fund.

Several private investigators have been used to track down the missing
girl, including Metedo3, a Spanish agency. The fund lost confidence in
them, especially after they announced they would find Madeleine by last
Christmas, and the agency is now used only sparingly.

Oakley International won the contract after an introduction by another

company, Red Defence International (RDI), based in Jermyn Street,
central London.

A spokesman for the McCanns said: "Kate and Gerry, the fund and their
backers have continually sought to employ the best people in the search
for Madeleine. Red Defence and Oakley International were part of a large
number of resources employed in recent months.

"Their contract is continuing for the immediate future and will be reviewed
when it ends, as you would expect. We will not be comment on the detail
of any personnel, financial or operational arrangements."

Lawyers and investigators for the McCanns are still combing through the
police files released in Portugal earlier this month after Mr and Mrs
McCann were released from their status as official suspects or "arguidos".
They are looking for leads they fear police ignored after focusing the
investigation on the McCanns.

"The search is very much ongoing," said the spokesman, "and there is
certainly no crisis in the fund."

Original report:

Madeleine McCann: Investigators axed after being paid £500,000

Telegraph

A firm of private investigators hired to hunt for Madeleine McCann have

been dropped after being paid £500,000.

By Subhajit Banerjee
Last Updated: 10:46AM BST 24 Aug 2008
The US-based team had been given a six-month contract earlier this year
and were paid from money donated to the Find Madeleine Fund.

Their contract will not be renewed after double-glazing tycoon Brian

Kennedy - who is underwriting the fund's search - became unhappy with
the progress it was making.

Oakley International, which boasts former British security service and FBI
contacts, was hired to monitor the Madeleine Hotline, carry out detective
work and review CCTV footage of possible Madeleine sightings.

Mr Kennedy reportedly believes the agency's bills - estimated to be over

£80,000 a month - were not justified by their results, the Mail on Sunday
reports.

Madeleine's parents Gerry and Kate McCann have been kept informed all
along and agree with the decision.

Oakley International Group, a company registered in Washington DC as

the manufacturer of search and navigation equipment, is run by Briton
Kevin Halligen.

Madeleine McCann had disappeared from the resort of Praia da Luz,

Portugal, on May 3, 2007, nine days short of her fourth birthday.

A spokesman for the McCanns refused to comment on 'personnel,

financial or operational details'.