Maddie hunt detective to face fraud trial in US

Maddie hunt detective to face fraud trial in US
22 June 2011Liverpool Echo
John Siddle

Businessman fails in High Court action 

A businessman whose firm helped look for Madeleine McCann has failed in a last ditch High Court bid to escape extradition over an alleged £1.3m fraud .

Kevin Halligen is now set to stand trial in the US accused of defrauding a London law firm. It is claimed he took the money to secure the release of Dutch business executives arrested in the Ivory Coast but instead spent it on a mansion.

The 49-year-old's company, Oakley International, was employed in 2008 by Allerton-born Kate and Gerry McCann to find their three-year-old daughter, who disappeared in Praia da Luz, Portugal, in 2007. But after six months, his contract was cancelled by the Find Madeleine Fund after he delivered little to the investigation.

Halligen, whose firm was based in Washington, was arrested in 2009 after months spent evading police. He was found staying at the plush Old Bank hotel in Oxfordshire, where he was known under a number of aliases. Halligen would spend most of his evenings getting drunk in the bar, witnesses said, and caused consternation over unpaid bills.

In December last year, Home Secretary Theresa May ordered his extradition to stand trial in America, but lawyers for Halligen challenged the move at London''s High Court. However, his case fell at the first hurdle yesterday when top judges ruled he had left it too late to lodge an appeal against the extradition order.

They also dismissed claims that the tight time limit violated his human rights.

Mr Justice Stadlen concluded: "The court has no jurisdiction to entertain Mr Halligen''s appeal."

Kate McCann this month said she was confident that her daughter can be traced after Scotland Yard was called in to review the investigation.

   

Continue Reading... Labels: Fraud, Kevin Halligen, Madeleine McCann, Oakley Intl, Theresa May, Trafigura

Halligen v Secretary of State for the Home Department [2011]

England and Wales High Court (Administrative Court) Decisions

BAILII

Halligen v Secretary of State for the Home Department [2011]

EWHC 1584 (Admin) (21 June 2011)

[2011] EWHC 1584 (Admin)

Neutral Citation Number: [2011] EWHC 1584 (Admin)

Case No: CO/135253/2010

IN THE HIGH COURT OF JUSTICE QUEEN'S BENCH DIVISION ADMINISTRATIVE COURT
Royal Courts of Justice
Strand, London, WC2A 2LL
21/06/2011

B e f o r e :

LORD JUSTICE LAWS AND MR. JUSTICE STADLEN
____________________

Between:

Kevin Richard Halligen
Appellant

- and -

Secretary of State for the Home Department

-and-

Government of the United States of America
Respondent

Interested Party
____________________

Mr Stephen Vullo and Mr David Patience (instructed by Carter Moore Solicitors) for the Appellant
Mr Ben Watson (instructed by Treasury Solicitors) for the Respondent
Mr Ben Lloyd (instructed by The Crown Prosecution Service) for the Interested Party
Hearing date: 19th April 2011
____________________

Continue Reading... Labels: 2011, FBI, Find Madeleine Fund, Fraud, Kevin Halligen, Madeleine McCann, MI5, Money Laundering, Oakley Intl, Theresa May, Trafigura

Kevin Halligen (McCann detective) will be extradited to US

KEVIN HALLIGEN
21 June 2011
Liverpool Echo
   

A businessman whose firm helped look for Madeleine McCann has failed in a last ditch High Court bid to escape extradition over an alleged £1.3m fraud.

Kevin Halligen is now set to stand trial in the US accused of defrauding a London law firm.

It is claimed he took the money to secure the release of Dutch business executives arrested in the Ivory Coast but instead spent it on a mansion.

The 49-year-old’s company, Oakley International, was employed in 2008 by Allerton-born Kate and Gerry McCann to find their three-year-old daughter, who disappeared in Praia da Luz, Portugal, in 2007.

But after six months, his contract was cancelled by the Find Madeleine Fund after he delivered little to the investigation.

Halligen, whose firm was based in Washington, was arrested in 2009 after months spent evading police.

He was found staying at the plush Old Bank hotel in Oxfordshire, where he was known under a number of aliases.

Halligen would spend most of his evenings getting drunk in the bar, witnesses said, and caused consternation over unpaid bills.

In December last year, Home Secretary Theresa May ordered his extradition to stand trial in America, but lawyers for Halligen challenged the move at London's High Court.

However, his case fell at the first hurdle yesterday when top judges ruled he had left it too late to lodge an appeal against the extradition order.

They also dismissed claims that the tight time limit violated his human rights.

Mr Justice Stadlen concluded: "The court has no jurisdiction to entertain Mr Halligen's appeal."

Kate McCann this month said she was confident that her daughter can be traced after Scotland Yard was called in to review the investigation.

Continue Reading... Labels: 2011, FBI, Find Madeleine Fund, Fraud, Kevin Halligen, Madeleine McCann, MI5, Money Laundering, Oakley Intl, Theresa May, Trafigura

Irish investigator into disappearance of Madeleine McCann up on U.S fraud charges

Irish investigator into disappearance of Madeleine McCann up on U.S fraud charges
7 November 2010
IrishCentral
Cathy Hayes

An Irish man whose company helped with the investigation into the disappearance of Madeline McCann may be extradited to the United States for a $2.1 million fraud.

Kevin Halligen, of Oakley International, was employed by the McCann family in 2008 when their daughter Madeleine went missing from their vacation apartment in Portugal.

Oakley International was paid about $486,701 for its services over a six-month period.

Later it emerged that the 48-year-old businessman Halligen was wanted in the U.S for defrauding a London firm for $2.1 million.

The firm claims that money taken from a Dutch company, Trafigura, as part of a deal to secure the release of executives under arrest in the Ivory Coast, was instead spent on purchases. These included a mansion and a present for Mr Halligen's girlfriend.

He was arrested on November 24, 2009, at his hotel in Oxford, Britain. He was staying there under an assumed name. His assets have now been frozen.

Halligen is now being remanded in custody and awaits a decision from the Home Secretary Theresa May as to whether the extradition will go ahead

Continue Reading... Labels: 2010, FBI, Find Madeleine Fund, Fraud, Kevin Halligen, Madeleine McCann, Money Laundering, Oakley Intl, Theresa May, Trafigura

I’m disappointed in you Home Secretary, says Kate McCann

7 November 2010
Mail
Tracey Kandohla

The mother of missing Madeleine McCann fears Home Secretary Theresa May is failing to act in the search for her.

Dr Kate McCann said she was ‘disappointed’ by Mrs May when they met three months ago.

She said: ‘There is an abductor out there who is free to take another child. Other children are at risk and nothing is being done.’

Mrs McCann, 42, was speaking after she and surgeon husband Gerry launched an online petition to lobby the British and Portuguese governments for a review of the case. [Note: Gerry McCann is NOT a surgeon]

Yesterday, three days after the launch, the petition had been signed by more than 24,000 people.

The McCanns met Mrs May in the hope she would contact the Portuguese authorities over Madeleine, who was three when she vanished from a holiday flat in the Algarve in May 2007 while her parents dined with friends at a tapas bar nearby.

Mrs McCann said:

‘Theresa May said she didn’t want to make any commitment. It was disappointing.

‘I can’t get my head round the Government giving up on Madeleine. Why are missing children not important? They look for terrorists, why can’t they look for child abductors?

‘Door-to-door enquiries need to be done and lots of people still need talking to. Portuguese police say the case will reopen if there is evidence but we have to generate the new evidence.’

Just before the Election in May, the McCanns met David Cameron who said that if he became Prime Minister, he would do what he could to help.

A report by Jim Gamble, of the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre, is thought to back the McCanns’ demand for a review of all the evidence.

The report was commissioned by the then Labour Home Secretary Alan Johnson but not completed until the summer, when Mrs May became Home Secretary.

So far, the Home Office has refused to disclose the report’s recommendations. Mrs McCann, who has five-year-old twins Sean and Amelie, said:

‘There is no reason why the contents can’t be made available to us.

'They say some of it is sensitive but we are Madeleine’s parents, for goodness sake.

We’ve said we will not divulge any of it except to help our investigators.’

Those investigators are paid for by the Find Maddie Fund, which has now dwindled to £300,000 and it is set to dry up within five months.

Portuguese police shelved an 18-month investigation into Madeleine’s disappearance after clearing her parents as formal suspects.

The Home Office said:

‘The Home Secretary has met Kate and Gerry and is deeply sympathetic to their situation.

We will maintain a dialogue with the Portuguese and will continue to liaise with Madeleine’s family.’

Continue Reading... Labels: 2010, Find Madeleine Fund, Madeleine McCann, Theresa May

Madeleine hunt businessman may be extradited

Madeleine hunt businessman may be extradited
5 November 2010
Hawick News

A businessman whose firm helped look for Leicestershire girl Madeleine McCann and who is wanted in the US over an alleged £1.3 million fraud has been told that the Home Secretary will decide whether he will be extradited.

The case of Irish national Kevin Halligen, 48, was referred to Theresa May following a hearing at City of Westminster Magistrates' Court in London, a court spokesman said.

Halligen, who was remanded in custody, is accused by prosecutors in America of attempting to defraud a London law firm of 2.1 million dollars (£1.32 million). His assets were frozen after his arrest on November 24.

The businessman's firm Oakley International had been employed by Kate and Gerry McCann, of Rothley, for around six months in 2008 to look for their missing daughter.

In all, the Washington-based firm was paid around £300,000 for its services by the McCanns.

Police acting on a request from US law enforcement agencies detained Halligen after finding him in a hotel in Oxford where he had been staying under an assumed name.

The alleged crimes for which he is wanted in the US relate to money taken from a Dutch company, Trafigura, as part of a deal to secure the release of executives under arrest in the Ivory Coast. Instead it was spent on, among other things, a mansion and a gift to his girlfriend, it is alleged.

Continue Reading... Labels: 2010, FBI, Find Madeleine Fund, Fraud, Kevin Halligen, Madeleine McCann, Money Laundering, Oakley Intl, Theresa May, Trafigura

Madeleine 'swindler' on FBI rap

5 November 2010
The Daily Mirror

EXTRADITION

A businessman who allegedly conned the Madeleine McCann fund out of cash is to be extradited to the US on money laundering charges.

Kevin Halligen, 48, is accused by the FBI of a £1.2million wire fraud.

He claims to be a private investigator and had been waiting for an extradition hearing date since his arrest last November.

He is also accused of taking £300,000 from the Find Madeline fund after claiming he could use satellite technology to find the missing girl.

Yesterday Westminster magistrates ordered his extradition. Halligen now has four weeks to appeal.

Earlier this week, Kate McCann revealed the fund to find daughter Madeleine may have to close because of a lack of money.

Continue Reading... Labels: 2010, FBI, Find Madeleine Fund, Fraud, Kevin Halligen, Madeleine McCann, Money Laundering, Theresa May, Trafigura

Maddie 'tec boot

5 November 2010
The Sun

A private eye tracked down by The Sun after he allegedly swindled the Madeleine McCann fund out of £300,000 is to be extradited to America.



The FBI wants to question Dublin-born Kevin Halligen, 48, over separate £1.2million fraud claims. Halligen was paid out of the Find Madeleine fund after promising he could use satellite technology to locate Maddie, who went missing aged three in Portugal in 2007. He was arrested last November after we found him in Oxford.

Halligen has four weeks to appeal against the ruling at City of Westminster Magistrates' Court, London.

Continue Reading... Labels: 2010, FBI, Find Madeleine Fund, Fraud, Kevin Halligen, Madeleine McCann, Money Laundering, Theresa May, Trafigura

Maddy man fraud probe

5 November 2010
Belfast Telegraph

A man whose business helped look for Madeleine McCann and who is wanted in the US over an alleged £1.3m fraud has been told that the Home Secretary will decide whether he will be extradited. Irish national Kevin Halligen (48), who was remanded in custody, is accused by US prosecutors of attempting to defraud a London law firm of $2.1m (£1.32m). His assets were frozen.

Continue Reading... Labels: 2010, FBI, Find Madeleine Fund, Fraud, Kevin Halligen, Madeleine McCann, Money Laundering, Theresa May, Trafigura

Home Secretary to make decision on alleged McCann fraudster

November 04, 2010
CourtNews UK


A private detective who allegedly conned the McCann family out of £300,000 faces an anxious wait after a judge sent his extradition case to the Home Secretary for a final decision.



Security consultant Kevin Halligen, 49, is fighting extradition to the United States over claims he cheated Dutch company Trafigura out of £1.3million by offering to secure the release of their employees from an Ivory Coast jail.

Continue Reading... Labels: 2010, FBI, Find Madeleine Fund, Fraud, Ivory Coast, Kevin Halligen, Madeleine McCann, Money Laundering, Theresa May, Trafigura

Maddie 'investigator' awaits extradition decision

04 November 2010
UTV

An Irishman whose firm helped in the search for missing Madeline McCann is waiting to hear if he's to be extradited to the US for an alleged $2.1m fraud.

Oakley International's Kevin Halligen was employed by Kate and Gerry McCann in 2008 to look for their daughter after she went missing from an apartment in Portugal's Algarve.

The company, which is based in Washington, was paid around £300,000 for its services over a six-month period.

But it later emerged the 48-year-old businessman was wanted in America by prosecutors accusing him of attempting to defraud a London law firm of the equivalent of £1.32m.

They claim money taken from Dutch company Trafigura, as part of a deal to secure the release of executives under arrest in the Ivory Coast, was instead spent on purchases including a mansion and a present for Mr Halligen's girlfriend.

He was arrested on November 24 of last year at an Oxford hotel, where he had been staying under an assumed name, and his assets were frozen.

Following Wednesday's hearing at City of Westminster Magistrates' Court in London, Mr Halligen was remanded in custody to await the decision of Home Secretary Theresa May.

Continue Reading... Labels: 2010, FBI, Find Madeleine Fund, Fraud, Ivory Coast, Kevin Halligen, Madeleine McCann, Money Laundering, Oakley Intl, Theresa May, Trafigura

Businessman awaits Home Secretary's decision on extradition

4 November 2010
Press Association
Paula Fentiman

A businessman whose firm helped look for Madeleine McCann and who is wanted in the US over an alleged £1.3 million fraud was told today that the Home Secretary will decide whether he will be extradited.

The case of Irish national Kevin Halligen, 48, was referred to Theresa May following a hearing at City of Westminster Magistrates' Court in London, a court spokesman said.

Halligen, who was remanded in custody, is accused by prosecutors in America of attempting to defraud a London law firm of 2.1 million dollars (£1.32 million).

His assets were frozen after his arrest on November 24.

Officers acting on a request from US law enforcement agencies detained Halligen after finding him in a hotel in Oxford where he had been staying under an assumed name.

The alleged crimes for which he is wanted in the US relate to money taken from a Dutch company, Trafigura, as part of a deal to secure the release of executives under arrest in the Ivory Coast.

Instead it was spent on, among other things, a mansion and a gift to his girlfriend, it is alleged.

The businessman's firm Oakley International had been employed by Kate and Gerry McCann for around six months in 2008 to look for their missing daughter.

In all, the Washington-based firm was paid around £300,000 for its services by the McCanns.

A Home Office spokesman said the request for Halligen's extradition was issued on November 25 last year by the US government.

The Home Secretary now has two months in which to make a decision.

Halligen has been remanded in custody.

Continue Reading... Labels: 2010, FBI, Find Madeleine Fund, Fraud, Ivory Coast, Kevin Halligen, Madeleine McCann, Money Laundering, Oakley Intl, Theresa May, Trafigura

Maddie 'investigator' awaits extradition decision

04 November 2010
Press Association

An Irishman whose firm helped in the search for missing Madeline McCann is waiting to hear if he's to be extradited to the US for an alleged $2.1m fraud.

Oakley International's Kevin Halligen was employed by Kate and Gerry McCann in 2008 to look for their daughter after she went missing from an apartment in Portugal's Algarve.

The company, which is based in Washington, was paid around £300,000 for its services over a six-month period.

Continue Reading... Labels: 2010, FBI, Find Madeleine Fund, Fraud, Kevin Halligen, Madeleine McCann, Money Laundering, Oakley Intl, Theresa May, Trafigura