Ep5 | Plausible Deniability

This series contains strong language and violence, it is fiction, resemblance to reality is coincidental, this is barehunt. Previously on barehunt, how many? 100 days since the rupture in British politics that was your election victory? Wow, 100 days. Council for Order, Resilience and Enterprise. So Argentina, United States, Russia, Turkey, Hungary, Indonesia, Britain, Adi said to me, Adi as a QAU Chief of Staff. We just got off top with the Russians, they're looking at second tier sanctions and they would like those removed. C-Stassets, LXA proofs of Russian billionaire. Pagotian ally found dead in January 2024. Proof, London, Bristol, 32, Belgrade Square. Number 32, Belgrade Square, do you? I see a clogged up straighter for moves. This is the unbeat from Shanghai's military direction's program. Hi there. Hello. Actually, that cargo that has pushed the MVs dead past you? So most explosive goes first, isn't it? So what? You go off to Pilgrim. You'll be dead by the time they're tracking down. You'll arrive at that because you died last night. The social data crawler bot has been looking for Belgrade Square mentions and markers. Who is that in the picture? Alex, turn away. On election, outside 32, Belgrade Square, I should head back to my healing box. We raided his flat. His full and flat Alex. Who's Tiberius? Is that an agent? An operative? Alex? The encrypted Tiberius file on his laptop. Fuck! Traffic separation scheme still in works ahead? Uh-huh. Eastbound line. That's the one for us apparently. Confirm that the engine room is aware. Confirm. Course 108 steady. Older there. Right. Report is with UKMTO. Southbound tank crossing. CPA on that? He's not. He's not just stationed. Places of fucking mass. Visibility good? Iranian coast bearing port side. Kesham Island. Check. And I see it. Keep those fish and vessels plotted. Fuck off all the others. Every ship in the world is clogged into this fucking place. Fast contact starboard on plotted busy. Range. Half mile. Small craft. Another on port side. Wonderful. Su. It's ship-right. Emparked. Emparked. Explosion or what? Report. Report now. Cargo pressure. The engine still hot. It's real fucking engine easy. Cargo pressure 9. They are. Check the bridge cameras for any signs of fire. It didn't hit. Literally it didn't hit a thing. No, that was below. That was a mine. Shit. Of course. Fucking Oregon. I'm not talking about the Iranians. Call the global office right now. It's not me seeing it to buy us. It's the school seeing it. Oh, thanks mom. For getting me new shoes. I think it's what you mean to say. Mel. Mel. Hello. Adi as a keyway. Of course you are. Mel Murray. Hey boys. These are my sons, Tobias and Luke. All right. Where'd you get that cup? JD. The one in here. I think so. Was it? Yeah, it was, yeah. I know, you know. Do you actually? Yeah. We went backstage at Glasto with him too. Wow. Wow. Wow. I agree, wow. But we were in a podcast together with him a couple of months ago. You know Define's pod? Yeah, that. Episode be out soon or I could. It's proper sound guy. Sounds good, doesn't it Luke? Listen, I'm just going to speak to your mum real quick. Boring work stuff. Not cool from me on a weekend, I know. It's okay. Do you want to just wait in the… Yeah, yeah, just in that shop. Great. Just two seconds. Luke, just watching Tobias, please. Everything all right? Busy, busy. Yeah, see how you look at it. Just questions. Questions. Yeah. National security questions in a Westfield, in East London. NSC meets on Tuesday. Well, I was going to start with more like, broader life questions. Okay. Are you playing the SIS? Like, stringing this off for a long, for any reason or? Am I playing the secret intelligence service? Yeah. Are you? Sorry, what? You worked your way up. Hit your prime. Got the temporary role. You're not even trying for the permanent. They offered it and nothing. I just can't compute that. Right. These really are personal questions. Do you have kids? No, thank you. Right. Well, both my husband and I have very demanding jobs and our youngest is sort of… Well, it doesn't matter. But… So I've heard that. But James Murray is a history professor. I'm writing that all. My husband is the CEO of England Heritage. Okay. It's called out a demanding job if you want. Yeah. But you. You are acting director of MR6. That ain't a job. Mel. That's an office of state. Yeah. That's the pressure point of our national security. Anything else, Adi? Yeah. Come on then. I'm all yours. Who's Tiberius? Look at you. Thinking. Do you want me to answer or not? I've got this little triumvirate that ain't making a lot of sense to me right now. Okay. Who's that? Sir Pilgrimble, Alex Curnaway. And you? And me? Everyone and it got some suspicious shit going on. And I'm missing a 20 million quid asset. So who's Tiberius? That's a cool name, OSEM. You tell me. Always a good sign when the intelligence chief shrugs. Great. Outstanding effort. Well, I don't know what you're talking about, Adi. And I don't think you do either. Curnaway. Friend of yours. Sir Pilgrim. Friend of his. Who's Tiberius? I am not familiar with Tiberius. Thank you for drawing my attention to it. I can dig. All right. Is that acceptable? Mel, you got a decent record. I spoke to a couple of people by now. Not a bad word, right? Right. You know, you can't fire me, yeah? Someone explained her our country works to you, yeah? I know. I can't fire you. I know that. Okay. Great. Can I get back to shopping with my kids now? But if you need to take an oath and have a fucking camera in your face in a courtroom to tell me the truth, then that's a bad record. But, sorry. You get out my face, please. The fuck is wrong with you? Curnaway's friend. Oh, but it's illegal to be friends with Alex Curnaway under Mary and Brian. There's something up for Bill Grove Square. Playing goes down. Alma gets set up and shady shit starts happening. And now I've got loose hands. Oh, ask your mates in Russia how the plane went down. He's about that in it. Ask them, Addy. He's that same shit. What truth? Yeah, fucking annoying. How stubborn that can be in it. Fucking treacherous bitch. Yeah, fuck off you fucking gym right, Yob. I can't believe she put you in that place. You should be in the fucking apprentice. If that, Addy. If that! I'm all right, love. I'm all right. Uh, shoes. Shoes, shoes, shoes. Come on. Yes. Chancellor for you. Yeah. Sent him in. Prime Minister. Morning, Hugh. Thanks. We just got off the phone with the premier of the Cayman Islands. Ah, prickly customer. We have potentially sensitive financial exposure. On Grand Cayman? A, uh, this corporate entity. Alma. Alma Limited. Registered on Grand Cayman. Director Pilgrim Moore. That director ship ceased a little over a fortnight ago. He discontinued as director. He died. Ah, understood. The premier of our much beloved autonomous overseas territory will not disclose the beneficial owner of Alma. Okay. What does that, what does that mean, you? The beneficial owner. So the legal owner is the name on the paperwork, the nominee director. Pilgrim Moore. Yeah. So then the beneficial owner is the person behind the structure of set company. Ultimately, they control more than a specified percentage of shares. And this person receives the economic benefit of Alma and its holdings. Indeed. Look at this. Alma Limited. Moore is the discontinued director due to the death. He set the company. Okay, he set the company up, he restructured it, and he authorized the installation of a beneficiary owner, was then a rather typical corporate framework. It seems to be owned by Cayman Island's holding company and a discretionary trust. The trustee is island fiduciaries limited. There is equals one private individual unlisted. You can ask. I have asked. Oh, the governor. He's UK appointed unlike the Premier. Yes. He won't supply it. Why not? Prickly Premier said so, but also, I mean, because he doesn't have to hue. What does he? Well, he doesn't know, but if the UK stated that it was a tax issue, no, no, we don't have that kind of time. Tax investigations take months and years. If you couldn't enlighten me on the context of Alma, understanding its operations and finding out the identity of its beneficiary is paramount to a key strategic partnership in our growth plans and our trade plans. And it, I feel, due to the nature of that strategic partner, it is paramount to the national security. Paramount. Paramount. Well, in Prime Minister, the Treasury can only advise in areas of monetary exposure. But if this is national security. Yeah. Yes. This is just a sensitive issue. Thanks you. No problem. You're coming to Budapest, aren't you? Absolutely, Prime Minister. Very exciting meetings arranged with both the US and Russia. Looking forward to it. Yeah. Go on then, go on, girl. Look at that. Quicker than she looks. Yeah. To the untrained eye, it looks like being unemployed made you get a dog. Luna's not mine, she's Sam's. Yes, I know that. I'm just saying to these people glancing at you. It doesn't do much for my Luna divorcee image. When it's been 15 years since your divorce, you saw it being a loner divorcee and become just a loner. Don't remember you speak to me like that, but when I was PM. And you weren't listening closely. Since Eloise died, I've probably had Luna twice a week, I feel bad getting a dog of my own now. I feel like cheating on a dog. Yeah. How's Sam doing? Bad, actually. Yeah. Bad. I wish I could say otherwise. You said he was doing okay. He was, but I think when you lose someone in that way, you run on adrenaline for so long. Yeah. And now that's all kind of drained out of him. Months on from it's all, all he's got is the reality of what he's now faced with. Grace, back at school? Yeah. Best thing, I think. School has been really good, apparently. So, speaking of employment. Not yet. Take the offer away, I know, but they offered to me what last year, August, what have we had since then? B-A-T-T-R-E-S-X, Maduro, Camini, we live in an age of regime decapitation and a fucking whim. And still, it's so good you're going to take the job. And I just think, how can you not see the world has changed? Hmm. I talk about changing the system, rebooting heavy-do things, all I get is blank stairs. So, am I going to take an old post for a new world? No. No, I'm not. I'm just not. You might not make sense to them, but you make sense to me. Hmm. Thanks. Oh, I forgot to say, I had Adi as a keyway approach me the other day. Christ. No thanks. Yeah, and he was asking about Tiberius. Tiberius? Oh, I asked around and couldn't find anything on that. But there is a concerted effort in the agency to look into Pilgrim. Um, not totally surprised by that, to be honest. Why do you say that? Just think he couldn't accept losing. All losing to what? The Brannites? No. Cancer. Hmm. Right. Think he wanted to go down swinging. I don't know. Go on. Are you OK? Not to make this too personal a point, but I'm one of your oldest friends. Yeah. Why don't you tell me about Alma? Why don't you tell me about 32 Belgrave Square? Do you know how this looks, taking the cream off the top of a sanctions bill? That is so-- What? Am I wrong? You're smiling, but they're digging into this, mate. It's not true, Mel. It's not true. Then what is it, Alex, because it's either that or it's something else? Because it's not nothing. It's not bloody nothing. 32 Belgrave Square was owned by Prudsev. Who was killed? Killed by the regime, yes. Which ceased the house before that anyway. But after BA-236 went down, I wanted to exact some kind of something, you know? And with air, SuperSanctions Bill gave me power to do stuff. Our strategic allies didn't back me up, obviously. So I set out hiding assets that I thought might be returned to Russia under the new government. So-- So what? It's tied up in an offshore. That's all. That's all. Looks petty, but I've grand plans in second turn to bloody all of it up. Throw away the key, take the issue off the table. But democracy put a stop to that before I could really get going on a few other properties. I had a few circled on bishops avenue, but yeah, hey, ho. Pilgrim just helped. Said he had nothing to lose. Go off you! You were there, Alex. I was where? On election night. I even spoke to you like 30 minutes before you respotted. Spotted, spotted. It's not funny, Alex. It's not funny. I went to say goodbye. Goodbye. To Pilgrim. He was in there. I've pissed. He wanted one more drink. He didn't die for another three and a half months. I didn't know that. I went away for three weeks after I got kicked out. And I had the foundation thing in Thailand after that. I didn't know when I was coming home. I wanted to say goodbye to my friend. Look, I mean, yeah, totally. How the sneaky old bastard got the keys? I have no idea. No idea. But. you know he got one last win over the Russians with that house what he would have wanted no matter how small go on all right yeah no bloody idea who typarius is but I didn't even know Harry was minister for prisons until she resigned on me and caught me a coward so nerd actually a coward of course stamp duty Debra maybe I'm not the best person to ask I'm doing it it's like the eighth time you're going to shit or get off the parking going watch me no I'm grand came right okay my thing is Beatrice I was paid for a post I did the post it's sun cream I literally posted me putting on the sun cream by the agency's side Lila I completely agree with you right I saw the post the agency's side of it was at the post without the copy the copy was cringe Beatrice the copy was so so bad I can I help hey sorry hold on Beatrice hi hey so um see that boat out there that one no the one like in front of that one the smaller one yeah the smaller one I guess I'm having a my buddies are having a party on my on my boat later and how many people wondering um like probably like 15 on that thing it probably maybe yeah I don't know what like what are my chances here feeling kind of vulnerable what's your name um Chris okay um Chris you're going to need a bigger boat right nice jaws actually saw that when they released yeah this is actually the end of the conversation oh okay okay by hi Beatrice I won't keep you Lila but I'll just say the PR agency gave you a lot of money I think we read in the past oh fine not today then yeah tomorrow I won't be at Run Beach tomorrow where will you be don't know I'll figure it out I actually should go someone else has just arrived another guy yeah but this one doesn't have a boat or a term okay Lila like all nice socks how's that nice bikini do you gift for Lila lifestyle I hope of course you're blocking the sun at the bar please now is this for work hmm oh great you want to have a classified conversation at the bar the public bar come on corporate entity came and registered almer a l m a operating director is dead what's the objective intelligence gathering exercise looking for affiliated parties yeah yeah yeah well that's a total nothing address sure yeah second floor regatta offers park no no way these people have a fucking clue about who's registered there you need where's the stamp of incorporation 14 months ago yes wet ink wet ink not literally but signature what's good about that non-automated is what's good about that it'll be far both CSP I can always tell by the memorandum which one it'll be as well what's the company memorandum here following the restructure and securing of hidden beneficiary how can you tell what CSP on the island filed it because there's only two major CSPs on Grand Cayman one uses British English the other American English and there it is categorized American English that'll be CI Finance what do you want to know yeah Vox all of us for the details of the beneficiary owner of that corporation probably a shell company but we can give it a go can't we what are you doing debacing myself hey baby where's lila are you sure I know I shouldn't have called a two seconds what are you up to what's going on on the beach at the bar wondering what Wesley Haynes doing later I mean he's kind of busy but he can be free sure he can be free I'll make it easy for you I'll come to you you'll come to me at work after hours though god I don't want to see all that boring banking stuff banking is that what you think I do oh my god do you not oh I'm embarrassing stop fucking cranny I'm not at work after hours that sounds good sounds good I'll message running outside cool cool happy thrilled pulled fucking thrilled no bed yeah he sounds it not talking about him your own office balcony must be doing something right must be you never try to cigar you say never you should try here what do I do put it in your mouth no smile it's not too and what you want to do is pull the smoke in but don't inhale it don't swallow it like cigarette smoke you're gonna kind of hold then sigh it back out a cigar is about move it's about being relaxed it's not kind of cigarettey all hunched over got out of a quick sig yeah yeah exactly it's not that it's different don't think it's a vibe it's a vibe he said it try like this mm-hmm oh shit oh shit oh so relaxing I'm sorry that didn't quite work out Jesus you okay yeah I should probably you gonna throw up I don't think so but I would like to wash my mouth out sure sure take your time yeah come on come on beautiful and client list client list I'm limited come on come on pilgrim more nearly got you nearly got you there you are oh hello love thought you're out with Alex oh he's talking with builders or decorators or something all good with the kind of ways yeah yeah we're going to his tonight remember what what's this oh don't you start oh finally you've come to the doctor no it's just research piss off Emperor Tiberius now you're talking what have we learned come on test me look at you you can't wait can you Tiberius was oh Rome's second emperor inherited the machinery of empire from Augustus of course I didn't get the popularity that came with him I'm afraid paranoid about many many things in AD 25 he withdraws from Rome 26 shit AD 26 rules from Capri a deeply deeply suspicious man unsettled restricted all access to himself the more isolated he got the maddery god the maddery god the more obedient his people got the more obedient they got the more powerfully god can see I'm boring you so make up me where the cup of tea reminds me of a certain somebody don't know about you who does the isolated paranoid all powerful maniac Tiberias are Kremlin crackpot. You should see the pictures from Kiev this morning. Disgraceful. And it's all here yeah Laila. Mm-hmm. Shit. Oh you're welcome. I think they expected a big fish. Yeah me too. At least it's a person and not another company. I checked that guy out by the way. Expertial forces right? Right. Turned spy do you think? For Pilgrim Moore. Gay? We could be. Dismissed by the MOD delay last year for sexual assault. Two women came forward. You think it goes deeper than this? I think you could hit a voxel and they go figure that out, Paul. Yeah. Yeah. Thank you Laila good work. Uh-huh. Yep. Yep. These are not just countries. They're civilizations. Those flags there. I love the flags. Look at that. I mean look at us. Look at look at Great Britain and Russia. Turkey. Our friends in Turkey there. They're, I mean look these are the foundations of the modern world. Excuse me. Excuse me. And West. We built the past now. We're building the future and I think that's the only way. Look now. Speech. It's urgent. Eugen. That's what the gentlemen said. Excuse me, Prime Minister. Everything alright? Be real quick. We're going to change with it and to do that. Yep. We have to be open. Thomas McDuff. McDuff. Adrenalis. A station officer we have in Graham Cayman. She was able to access further corporate information on Alma limited. Right. Sorry. Martin. Martin. Your SIS. SIS, Mr. Azakiwa yes. And now Murray didn't want to call and tell me about this. That's, I don't know. I couldn't comment. If we believe this to be fraudulent activity conducted by the late Mr. Moore and the dismissed sergeant McDuff here and not in fact a national security threat, this would need to go to NCA. NCA. Yes, that's right. We're an intelligence gathering body not a law enforcement. Martin. I know that. Of course. NCA would need to build the case and establish their own findings. And Alex Kernerway's information didn't appear in this at all. No? That's right. Sir Pilgrim Moore and Thomas McDuff are the only individuals that have any connection to the entity. Shit. We have a report on McDuff. Send it over. We'll do, Mr. Azakiwa. And sorry. Why are we saying Bachelor pad isn't insult? Yeah, good point James. No, you said you were decorating to make it feel more like a home and less like a box. Yeah, exactly. And you know it's bad. I don't think it bad, Alex. I'd love a place like this. Careful. I would. No clutter. But also you say it's soulless. What? Did I say soulless? Someone said it. Did they not Freudian slip from your husband? No, sorry. Oh, look at this lovely, embroidered little textile wall art. You're not helping me James. Am I not? He's had that. He's had that sense. Unis. University. That is the artistic heart and soul of Alex Kernerway. The one thing he has. What does it say? It is folly to be one. Grandmother. How'd I chip on her shoulder about my want for further education? Smart-ass Kernerway, she called me. She knitted that for me when I left home. I've had it ever since. It's a start, isn't it? Fill me up. I'll go empty the rest now. He's being funny. Looking for the toilet. Yeah, this one out of bounds. Yeah, it's all drained and sealed off until they put the towels back. You use the ensuite. He's renovating his box. Through your bedroom. Yep. He makes his own bed with no wife to even knurking. He has a cleaner, James. We should get one of those. You have one of those. Guess who's taking a job, by the way? Oh. Got to pay for the cleaner somehow. It's not director of his majesty's secret intelligence service, is it? No, but I hear the start candidate is dragging her feet. No, no, no, no. It's the water foundation. Good for you. Good for me. After work in Thailand, there's worse places. Yeah. But yeah, so that will start probably in a couple of months. Ambassador rule? No, president. President. Yeah. You went from prime minister to president. President of all water, yeah. Well done. Cheers. We'll be as London bases, I can be at first. For Simon Grease. Yeah. I'm doing Monday and Friday school pickups in collection now. That's great. Yeah. No abuse at the school gates. Yet. Yeah. What about you? May I join up? I think so. I don't know if I'll do it. No. No, no, don't. I just, I can't be one foot in, one foot out. I've got to be all or nothing. No, I understand. I understand. But sending number 10 to the NCA with their tail between their legs is a nice win to go out on. NCA. On pilgrims little foray. Oh. You bastard. What's up? Don't tell me that toilet sealed up as well. I picked this book of yours up. Damn, you're salivating. Killing Tiberius. I thought, I don't know this one. Turns out, it's a bloody spy thriller. You're as bad as her. Full of hope, it would be some psuitonious pastiche, chronicle of macro smothering Tiberius, a turn it over, can Britain's best soldier kill the Russian president off a goodness sake. All right. I'm only half joking. I can just about stomach lacare. Eldest is trying out. Oh, who's he trying out? Lodlam. Bloody robber. Speaking of, we should get back. Come on. No, because, no, because liquid saying, you didn't feel 100% in leaving him in charge, isn't it? Not fair, so. Mel, just a second. Well, you help Alex with this mess. I just tell the fellow in reception. Yes. Yeah, they'll, they'll get the cab. Lovely. Mel. Mel. Get off me. What did you do? Just listen to me for a second. What the fuck did you do? Is Tiberius the Russian president? Before you even see that. Is it the fucking Russian president? Alex. Could be who knows who knows who fucking knows plausible deniability. The only thing that is plausible here is world war three. Hold on a second. Just get the mouth. Oh, something had to be done. It had to. Says a man with no children. Says a man who do who has no skin in the game anymore. 350 people with skin in the game. Mel. Eloise was to turn her daughter to fucking ashes as well. And for a penny. And for a fucking pound. It can't get back to us. I assure you. You don't know what you're talking about. Yes, I do. You don't. You are a civilian. You had a few briefings, sip the odd coffee with the NSC and you think you can, he think you can execute an operation like this. He's an old man. Exactly. Oh, so you think he'll go quietly? You think I've got nothing to lose? He's got nothing to lose, right? He has to go and he has to go quickly. There would have been more planes. There would have been more territories and poisons. There's the Arctic. There's he's he's on the warpath and he's winning. Then we adapt. That is not what you told me to do. Jesus Christ. That was not the expressed wishes of my intelligence chief. I meant used diplomacy, Alex. Not fucking, not jitter. What is, how does this happen? How does this all go ahead? Is it in this? Possibly. I'm not sure. A spy novel. Like, I'm obviously disappointed and furious, right? But this, from a book, I'm embarrassed for you. Okay, I'm embarrassed for you, Alex. And now I've got to go and do all this. Haven't I? Not possible. I'll carry your weight. What did you say? Alex. What do you know of this operation? Tell me we can roll this back. Tell me this can be undone, Alex. I know nothing. Save them. Nothing can be done. Just folly to be wise. Everything alright? Hmm, yeah. Just some work stuff. Yeah, of course. We have been allies. We have been enemies. We're exploring a new relationship now. I actually couldn't agree more with the Russian president on this. So many in politics can only picture the world as it is. Not how it could be. And I'm honored that the man that leads the proud people of Russia wishes to collaborate with us. Side by side in the new world. It is good. It is exciting. I agree. Thank you. But a substance. Great, perfect. We hit everything we wanted to hit. We had no like Ukraine wasn't mentioned. We obviously there was that discussion about the US as a kind of world leader. That was obviously not. But it was a natural transition. Exactly. To the UK-Russia relationship. I don't just think that plays well in Russia. I think it plays well at home to be honest. Prime Minister. Whatever it is has to wait. I've got that turkey and port export thing. Urgent. Shit. It'll be quick. Really quick. No, we need to walk and talk. I have to be there 10 minutes ago. In here. Has to be. Why? It's secure. Right. Mel? Prime Minister. Did you fly out with us? I did not. Just came in on the 614 I think it was. Ouch. The beneficiary of the holdings of armour limited. The McDuff individual. Yes, I've been informed. Thomas McDuff is known as Duffy. He's Special Forces Prime Minister. Mel, I have, I'm quite pressed for time. We believe with high probability that Duffy is enacting an operation to eliminate a target codenamed Tiberius. And who is Tiberius? The man who you just sat down in discussion with, Prime Minister. Sorry what? The President of Russia. What? What then call it off? Duffy is unreachable. Just under five months ago. On the 21st of October. Duffy, following dismissal by EMOD, took flight QR8 from Heathrow to Doa, connected and then onwards, QR1455 to Lusaka, Zambia. Then did just contact Lusaka. It's likely that he has progressed to the next stage of his operation. In China, where he will carry out the operation. Yeah, Prime Minister. We're already quite late. Of course. Yeah, I'm. Miriam, are you okay? Oh, okay, oh. No, no, I'm all right. Goal war. I'm all right. I'm all right, thank you. Just not even yet. All good, all good. Ready? I can ask them to cancel. No. Okay, um, this way. Yeah. Ni Hao. Ni Hao. Welcome to Beijing. Thank you very much. For work? Yeah. Parrot here. Thank you. One moment. Absolutely. [Music]