In the more than a decade it existed, the Dolphin Trust, later renamed the German Property Group (GPG), created a labyrinthine network of 320 companies. These entities sprawled from Germany to Ireland, Britain, South Korea, France, Russia, Singapore and even to the Cayman Islands. While there were plenty of fees and charges along the way in all of these countries, the bulk of the money being raised by Dolphin/GPG  was destined for Charles Smethurst, a businessman of German-British heritage who presented himself as a brilliant financier. In corporate brochures provided to potential investors, his talents appeared dazzling. He was, it appeared,…

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