The fund - was the formation time a "record"?

In some quarters, there is much ire and concern over teh speed with which the "fund" was set up. Examples below.

It seems that the fund was incorporated in its form of "no stone unturned" on 13th to 16th May. There are suggestions that this is in "record" time.

Discuss.

(By the way, for what it is worth I have excellent contacts in the Charity Commission. And at no time has anyone, to my knowledge, expressed any concern about the fund. I am sure that Havern will be able to provide some corroboration for the comment she made. If it is true, that is)
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Re: Do You Feel Like Giving Up?
Not Born Yesterday on Fri 02 Dec 2011, 3:48 pm

.Excellent posting Nospinnaker. I'll be happy to eat every hat I have if it turns out that I and all the other doubters were wrong.

However, I only have to think of the money-making commercial enterprise set up in near record time (unlike any previous genuine missing persons' case anywhere in the world) to convince me that this is all a gigantic hoax.
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03 May 2007

At 10.00pm Madeleine is reported missing.

06 May 2007

First website set up

The official Madeleine McCann website is launched under the domain name www.bringmadeleinehome.com - This does not have a 'donate' button and is a simple awareness site.

The Infohost site says: 'On the 6th of May Infohost received a call from Philomena McCann, Madeleine's aunt, asking if they would set up a website to help find her neice. The website was setup that day as www.bringmadeleinehome.com.'

11 May 2007

Lawyers fly in / 'No stone unturned' mentioned for first time

Portuguese newspapers report that this is the day lawyers flew into Portugal and met with the McCanns at the Ocean Club.

Extract:

English lawyers in Lagos

However, it is known to DN, that two British lawyers arrived Friday afternoon at The Ocean Club resort, and were staying there to advise the parents of Madeleine in this process. A situation that arises hours after the last presence of the parents with the PJ in Portimão, where they were interviewed for the second time, for long hours.

Although the PJ reiterate that the relatives and friends of Madeleine "do not fall under any suspicion," the presence of lawyers is nevertheless a curious fact, at a time when there is talk of a possible return to the United Kingdom by the couple. According to the PJ, there is no legal obligation to prevent the family and friends from leaving the country at this stage, since "nobody has been made an arguido".

Diário de Notícias (Portuguese language)

Gerry McCann reads a short prepared statement to the waiting press on the road outside their holiday apartment. He specifically emphasises that they will 'leave no stone unturned' in the search for Madeleine. He also mentions how grateful they are with the offers of support they have received both from home and around the world.

It would appear from this statement that the name of the company had already been decided and that this was a form of public preparation for the launch of Madeleine's Fund. Video link here.

12 May 2007

[Information previously contained here has been removed whilst the accuracy/source is checked]

13 May 2007

McCann lawyers arrival officially acknowledged

It emerges, for the first time officially, that London lawyers have flown to Portugal to assist the McCanns, and are setting up a special "fighting fund" to allow members of the public to make their own financial contribution to the search.

McCann family members in the UK confirm that 2 leading UK lawyers from the International Family Law Group (IFLG), specialising in divorce settlements where the affected parties are from different countries, have been hired.


The IFLG issue the following 'media release' on their website Link here:

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.

14 May 2007

McCanns lawyers approach the Charity Commission

"We were first approached for our advice about the possibility of a fund to assist the parents' search on Monday 14 May," explained a spokeswoman for the Commission. "We held discussions with the family's lawyers and in the end they decided not to pursue that route."

Gerry reveals help from two British lawyers at press conference

Kate and Gerry answer questions from the media for the first time, on the road outside their holiday apartment. Gerry says he is now being helped by two British lawyers from the Family Law Group on how best to use money pledged to help find Madeleine and give assistance in Portuguese legal processes.

He said: "We have felt a burden lifted from our shoulders. It is one less thing to think about. It has allowed us to concentrate more on our own physical and mental wellbeing. We do need to spend more time focusing on that and with our twins Sean and Amelie. We do wish to keep communicating with the media however as this is essential in the search for Maddy."

Public fund to aid Madeleine hunt BBC News

Last Updated: Monday, 14 May 2007, 00:56 GMT 01:56 UK

A "fighting fund" to which members of the public can donate to help in the search for missing Madeleine McCann is being set up by her family's lawyers.

The legal team, which has flown out to Portugal, will reveal details of the fund within the next few days.

The lawyers will help with liaison and will not interfere with the inquiry, Madeleine's uncle John McCann has said.

Rewards of £2.5m have been offered to anyone with information leading to the four-year-old's safe return.

Madeleine, from Rothley, Leicestershire, disappeared from an apartment in the Algarve resort of Praia da Luz on 3 May.

A spokesman for the International Family Law Group, the legal company helping the McCanns, said: "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."

15 May 2007

Madeleine's Fund incorporated

Date of incorporation of 'Madeleine's Fund: Leaving No Stone Unturned Limited' with Companies House as a private, limited by guarantee, no share capital company.

It is thought the original idea was to set the fund up as a charity but this was rejected, according to The Times, when it became clear that a charity cannot be operated for the sole benefit of one person. The Charity Commission later denied this.

One of the things that distinguishes a limited company from a charity is that it does not have all the rules and regulations which govern the conduct of the fundraising and which controls the proportion of the charities funds that are spent on overheads, expenses and wages etc.

It was also reported at the time that the Charity Commission was extremely disturbed at the way the Fund was being advertised as it gave people the impression that they were donating to a charity - not a private limited company.

The reality is, however unpalatable, that Madeleine's Fund is a private limited company and can therefore spend the money donated in any way it so chooses. The memorandum of association is so wide that practically any expenditure could be approved by the board of directors.

16 May 2007

Madeleine's Fund and new website launched

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http://www.smallfirmsservices.com/info/processing-times.aspx

I sometimes think they have no idea how the world actually works, sans, and don't understand how things can be done smoothly and quickly.

I noticed it at the time of the Leh sighting - they all instantly wrote it off as a 'hoax', seemingly unaware that there are things called 'airplanes' these days, instead of tea clippers.

Then they could not grasp how the photo of the child who was wrongly thought to be Madeleine McCann could get to the UK in a matter of minutes.

The wider world seems to be a place of mystery, wonder and dread to them.

It was the most sensible thing that they could do in setting up the fund as soon as possible. What were they supposed to do with all the donations especially considering that some people would have been sending checks and so on. The Fund would have needed to be set up in the correct legal way which they did.

Why wouldn't they set it up quickly?

Oh, of course, you would not do that if you were a pitchforker, would you? Too bad they have such a narrow world view........

It is still a mantra in some circles that the fund was set up unusually quickly, and this is one of the foundation stones of their "case" against the McCanns. And a pillar of their justification for persecuting them. They truly do not seem to live in the real world!

One poster made some kind of generalization of 'genuine' missing person cases as opposed to the McCanns.

I wish that poster would name the missing person cases where that indeed happened. (The setting up of a find in a timely manner).

ETA:
However, I only have to think of the money-making commercial enterprise set up in near record time (unlike any previous genuine missing persons' case anywhere in the world) to convince me that this is all a gigantic hoax.

Why do they think these things are so difficult and complicated? I really wonder if they understand the real world at all.

I bet they don't hurry themselves in their jobs, if they work.

It's amazing what people can do when they work hard and/or are under time constraints.

There is a saying, 'if you want something done, give it to a busy person'.

So what do the parents of other missing children do with Donations? Stick them in their pockets, or in their own bank accounts?
The Fund was set up as quickly as possible for the sake of honesty and transparency.
It's hardly rocket science, and there was such a lot of money being donated.

But that is what really pisses them off. So much kindness and generosity.
And what would they all be saying if it had taken any longer?
Any old shit stirring will do because so many people rushed to help them.
Their attitude doesn't make sense, but nothing they say does, beyond plain old jealousy.

You are right, Sabot. Plain old jealousy.