By Gundhramns Hammer
May 13, 2013
Banks are not good or bad. What makes banks either bad or good is the people behind them. And as a general rule banks do behave like giant grinding mills to squeeze the blood out of people. Why? Because people who own banks are usually blood suckers.
These vampires do not share their earnings and successes with anyone except with other owners and share holders, people who already have too much money and are interested only in making more money. That is their only goal in life. It is the sickness that has gotten a hold of most people in this capitalist system that is bursting at its seams.
But when things go wrong, these vampires have a way of keeping themselves afloat and rarely go back down to the hole because they share the same bed with money mates from public institutions.
In times of need, banks use these alliances like long arms of a money making octopus and manage to wrap the tentacles around the public´s necks with chirurgical precision and as a result they seldom lose. Banks flip the bill to the tax payers and depositors.
The system has been set up so that if a poor person steals a chicken he goes to jail but if a rich man does the same thing he can get away with it. If a poor person gives a hen or a cow to the mayor or governor the donor could be charge with bribery but if a rich man makes a 100.000 euros donation to the same authority this is call a "gift"or "contribution".
Huge quantities of money can give a person so much power that he can use this same power as a cloaking device so that if a rich man sticks his hands in shit he can make them invisible to the eyes and noses of the public.
People who have a lot of money invested in banks seldom stink. People admire and envy their might. But sometimes the wealth smells of shit and gets too strong and bothers the public´s nose. The putrid waft makes the public sick and it revolts. And frauds and illegal money grabbing done by banks stink of shit.
The Bank of Credit and Commerce International (BCCI) scandal was the biggest fraud of the twentieth century, according to the press. The depositors lost 11 billions USD. And that is a lot of cows! And lots of stinky shit as well!
For those of you who are not familiar with BCCI scandal, here is a very good summary (including the links to the Sandstorm report) done by the Association for Accountancy and Business Affairs (AABA):
Bank of Credit and Commerce International Scandal (BCCI). UK Government Forced to Publish the Sandstorm Report
May 13, 2013
Source: Plaid Klaus |
Banks are not good or bad. What makes banks either bad or good is the people behind them. And as a general rule banks do behave like giant grinding mills to squeeze the blood out of people. Why? Because people who own banks are usually blood suckers.
These vampires do not share their earnings and successes with anyone except with other owners and share holders, people who already have too much money and are interested only in making more money. That is their only goal in life. It is the sickness that has gotten a hold of most people in this capitalist system that is bursting at its seams.
But when things go wrong, these vampires have a way of keeping themselves afloat and rarely go back down to the hole because they share the same bed with money mates from public institutions.
In times of need, banks use these alliances like long arms of a money making octopus and manage to wrap the tentacles around the public´s necks with chirurgical precision and as a result they seldom lose. Banks flip the bill to the tax payers and depositors.
The system has been set up so that if a poor person steals a chicken he goes to jail but if a rich man does the same thing he can get away with it. If a poor person gives a hen or a cow to the mayor or governor the donor could be charge with bribery but if a rich man makes a 100.000 euros donation to the same authority this is call a "gift"or "contribution".
Huge quantities of money can give a person so much power that he can use this same power as a cloaking device so that if a rich man sticks his hands in shit he can make them invisible to the eyes and noses of the public.
People who have a lot of money invested in banks seldom stink. People admire and envy their might. But sometimes the wealth smells of shit and gets too strong and bothers the public´s nose. The putrid waft makes the public sick and it revolts. And frauds and illegal money grabbing done by banks stink of shit.
The Bank of Credit and Commerce International (BCCI) scandal was the biggest fraud of the twentieth century, according to the press. The depositors lost 11 billions USD. And that is a lot of cows! And lots of stinky shit as well!
For those of you who are not familiar with BCCI scandal, here is a very good summary (including the links to the Sandstorm report) done by the Association for Accountancy and Business Affairs (AABA):
Bank of Credit and Commerce International Scandal (BCCI). UK Government Forced to Publish the Sandstorm Report
Source: Association for Accountancy and Business Affairs (AABA)
View original
After a five-year legal battle the UK government has finally released most of
the Sandstorm Report on 7 September 2011. According to the Bank of England this
report was the basis for the closure of BCCI in July 1991. The report was
prepared by Price Waterhouse (BCCI auditors) for the Bank of England though it
was never finalized. BCCI
was the biggest banking fraud of the twentieth century. Some 1.4 million
depositors lost $11bn. Unlike many other large corporate frauds and banking
scandals the UK government did not appoint inspectors to prepare a report. No
parliamentary committee has ever been given sight of the Sandstorm Report. UK
legislators pass laws without knowledge of the facts or opportunity to
interrogate wrongdoers.
The UK
government was ordered to release the information to Prem Sikka by the unanimous
decision of three judges ( click
here for court judgment)
.
This is the
first time that the UK government has been forced to release hitherto secret
information about a banking collapse. It is the first time that it has been
forced to name wrongdoers and those implicated in the scandal. the government
could not hide behind the Data Protection Act and claim that it has to protect
the identity of the culprits
Prem
Sikka had first requested the information in March 2006 and after refusal by the
UK Treasury and the Information Commissioner he pursued the matter through the
courts. Throughout the case, he represented himself, incurred his own costs and
did not have the benefit of any legal advisers. The government used taxpayers'
resources in a futile attempt to conceal identity of many people, including
convicted criminals.
Ever since 1991, most of the Sandstorm Report has
been publicly available in the US though it has been considered to be a state
secret in the UK. This censored version was obtained by AABA and made publicly
available in UK in 1999 (click here). With the
digitization of the US Congress Library archives the same is now available
worldwide (click
here). The missing information is shown either as a blank or a dark
rectangle.
Prem Sikka's
request was for the missing information. It primarily concealed the names of
the wrongdoers and those implicated in the scandal. The background to the issues
and the public interest arguments for publication of the missing information are
contained in an affidavit filed with the court by Prem Sikka and is available
here. The document shows that the UK government has erected a wall of
secrecy around the BCCI frauds.
The Report
To see the information that was concealed you need to compare the censored version with that ordered by the court. We have already done this and have highlighted the differences in the flies listed below. These are shown in a red box. This has made the files large. To make the download manageable we have divided the files into two parts. To download it you will need Acrobat 10 or similar. Both files are large so please allow some time for download. Depending on the speed of your computer and internet connection it might take 10-15 minutes.
Also see CONFIDENTIAL SCHEDULE 2
SECTION 40 ENTRIES IN SANDSTORM REPORT TO BE DISCLOSED. This disclosure was
ordered by the court and it provides background to some of the individuals named
in the Sandstorm Report (see below). Please note that this document was prepared
by the UK Treasury
Please note that the report is written in code. "Sandstorm" is the code for BCCI. There are also other entities identified by code - for example "Fork" and "Tumbleweed" - but their identity is concealed. "Fork" is/was an overseas bank and directly implicated in the BCCI frauds.
In opposing the release of the missing parts of the Sandstorm Report the UK Treasury claimed that its release would somehow "prejudice UK's relationship with with one or more other states". In other words relationship with corrupt rulers had to take precedence over the people's right to know and call governments to account. The government's arguments were defeated.
Please note that the report is written in code. "Sandstorm" is the code for BCCI. There are also other entities identified by code - for example "Fork" and "Tumbleweed" - but their identity is concealed. "Fork" is/was an overseas bank and directly implicated in the BCCI frauds.
In opposing the release of the missing parts of the Sandstorm Report the UK Treasury claimed that its release would somehow "prejudice UK's relationship with with one or more other states". In other words relationship with corrupt rulers had to take precedence over the people's right to know and call governments to account. The government's arguments were defeated.
The Names
Three judges criticised the UK government and said:
"We were surprised to see that the Treasury sought to
extend the protection of the data protection principles to information about
some individuals who exercised ultimate control over the whole of BCCI’s
operations and were the architects of a group-wide programme of fraud and
concealment, not to mention the creation of a culture that led others with
positions of responsibility within the bank to follow their
lead"
(paragraph 42 of the judgement ).
Paragraph 47 of the judgement said that
"the
individuals named in the Sandstorm Report were not ordinary customers, but had
become involved in the many complex and frequently incestuous transactions that
enabled the BCCI management and a number of organisations and individuals close
to it to commit or conceal fraud. Those frauds led to severe financial hardship
for many of the “ordinary” customers and we have explained in Confidential
Schedule 2, by reference to each individual, why we consider that there is a
legitimate interest in disclosing their involvement and that this will not cause
unfairness or unwarranted intrusion into their privacy"
The
UK government has clearly been engaged in a massive cover-up. and used
taxpayers' monies to fight the case and continue with its cover-up. Just look at
the names of the individuals and organizations - these include well known
domestic and foreign banks from home and abroad, rulers from Middle-East,
business advisers and sundry. Some of the people have already been convicted of
criminal activity but even 20 years later the UK government was protecting their
identity. Even worse, the UK government has been protecting individuals who
died long ago. For example, BCCI founder Agha Hasan Abedi died in 1995 but his
name was being concealed. Some
individuals have a colourful past and possible links with leading US
politicians and Islamist fundamentalists. Sheikh Khalid bin Mahfouz, a
billionaire Saudi banker paid $225 million to settle charges of bank fraud in
1993 and died
in August 2009, but his name was still being shielded by the UK Treasury.
Some of the
names concealed by the UK government include:
Sheikh
Khalifa, son of Sheikh Zayed bin
Sultan al Nahayan, the ruler of Abu Dhabi
Sheik Hamad bin
Mohammed al-Sharqi, the Emir of Fujaira
Wabel
Pharoan, prominent Saudi businessman and financier
Ghaith
Pharaon, one time, the
No. 2 Saudi investor in the United States
Sheikh Khalid bin
Mahfouz, Saudi businessman and financier and head of the largest
commercial bank in Saudi Arabia
Mahfouz
FamilyFaisal Fulaij, former institution-affiliated party of Credit and Commerce American Holdings, N.V., formerly the parent bank holding company over the First American banking organization.
Prince Turki
The Ruling family of Abu Dhabi gets a few mentions
The Crown
Prince of Abu Dhabi is mentioned
Agha Hasan Abedi. BCCI
founder
Sheikh
Kamal Adham, Director of both BCCI. and First American (also head of Saudi
Arabian intelligence)
S.M. Akbar,
BCCI Grand Cayman, helped Swaleh Naqvi
Ziauddin
Akbar, BCCI Treasury official,
M
Azmatullah, BCCI accounts officer for major customer accounts, helped Swaleh
Naqvi
Zafar
Iqbal, BCCI chief executive, Head of Treasury and General Manager of Grand
Cayman to 1986.
Imran
Imam, accounts officer for an entiry identified as WXYZ and Dr.
Pharaon.
H.M. Kazmi,
BCCI officer
Abdul Raouf
Khalil, a shareholder in both BCCI. and First American
Swaleh
Naqvi, BCCI executive and deputy to Abedi
Ajmand Naqvi,
accounts officer for an entiry identified as Tumbleweed, helped Swaleh
Naqvi
N
Habib-Ullah, helped Swaleh Naqvi
J.
Khan, Accounts officer for Adham and Jawhary, left the bank before 1991,
received $0.3 million; helped Swaleh Naqvi
D.
Rizvi, BCCI executive responsible for relationship with the Virano Group -
left BCCI in 1990, helped Swaleh Naqvi
H
Sheikh, accounts officer of Gulf Group util 1988; paid $1.7 mllion by Swaleh
Naqvi
A.
Abbas, General Manager of Baharian until 1990 helped Swaleh Naqvi
Bashir Tahir,
General Manager BCC Emirates
Qazar Raza,
Joint Executive for Asia/Middle East, formerley General Manager for
NBO
A Chaudhary,
General Manager Europe
B. Chowdry,
General Manager, UK Region
MM Haque,
Executive for UK Region
S. Doha,
Manager IBU UK Region (later with Al Rahi in London)
T Jamil,
General Manager Hong Kong
S. Siddiki,
Central Executive
H. Motta,
Legal Department, UK RegionJawahry
Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (ADIA)
Al-Rahji Bankng and Investment Corporation
Robert
Altman, US lawyer, acquitted of UAA charges but settled a civil lawsuit with
US Feds
Arab Livestock Company ALSCO)
BCP
Bear
Steans
BurfordCAPCOM, brokers used by BCCI Treasury
Brenchase
Limited, a subsiairy of Capcom, a
company subsequenlty controlled by Z Akbar.
Capital
Commodity Dealers (Capcom)
Clark Clifford, US lawyer
and Presidential adviserDubai Islamic Bank
Gulf Investment Real Estate Co.
ATB (a UK bank)
Credit
Suisse
Dubai
Crescent
FIIL
French
American
Gokal
Brothers
Habib Bank
Government of
Cameroon
Independence
Bank Inc
Maram Trading
Co.
National Bank
of Georgia
Qatar Islamic
BankRazat Associates Inc.
Refco
Royal Bank of
Scotland, Singapore
Saudi Arabian
Fertiliser Company (SAFCO)
Saudi Cairo
BankSaudi National Commercial Bank (SNCB)
Security
Pacific
State Bank of
India (SBI)
Rudolf
Wolff
Crescent
ShorafaStock
The
Offshore, or Secrecy Jurisdictions Links
The words
"Grand Cayman" were purged throughout the document (for example, see para 1.25,
4.3, 7.13). The name of a Turks and Caicos company (para 7.17), North American
Finance and Investment, was also withheld. The name of Arab Livestock Company
(ALSCO) and its location in Bahrain (for example, see para 7.24) and Saudi
National Commerce Bank operating from Bahrain (para 6.27, 8.7, 8.12) was also
withheld. The word "Bahrain" was withheld in para 1.25. The name of Royal Bank
of Scotland, Singapore (para 3.5) was withheld.
Some Issues
- The UK government did not withdraw ambassadors. The UK government did not seek extradition of the culprits, shut down foreign embassies, demand trade sanctions or regime change. It just covered up the names of wrongdoers and kept parliament and the people in the dark. How can anyone trust the Bank of England or the Treasury to tell the truth about the current banking crash?
- The release of the information has considerable relevance to the current banking crisis. The UK government can now be forced to publish reports. They can be forced to publish the names of the wrongdoers.
- The UK government secrecy meant that many financial institutions were unable to make appropriate assessments of risk. Under the UK (and many other countries) law, financial institutions are required to apply the "Know Your Customer" (or KYC) tests. Since the UK government shielded the names of many wrongdoers it did not enable the institutions to assess the risks. It would be recalled that BCCI indulged in money laundering. Many of the parties associated with BCCI are still active in the business world today.
- The Sandstorm Report prepared by BCCI auditors Price Waterhouse documents a catalogue of fraud which had been taking place over a long period of time. Yet auditors continued to give a clean bill of health to BCCI. All audit reports were unqualified.
- BCCI had all the paraphernalia associated with contemporary corporate governance: audit committees, non-executive directors, mission statements, internal auditors, external auditors, vision statements and corporate social responsibility statements. Yet no one spoke up. There was no independent investigation into the governance of BCCI. The investigation and lessons may have generated a debate about better banking regulation and governance, but that was not to be. We only speculate on how the current banking crisis might have been checked if the UK government was not so keen on cover-up.
Source link:
http://visar.csustan.edu/aaba/BCCISandstormRelease.html
Check this out too:
Check this out too:
COURT DECISION - UK (SANDSTORM REPORT)
http://www.informationtribunal.gov.uk/DBFiles/Decision/i544/20110909%20Decision%20and%20Conf%20Sch%202.pdf
THE BCCCI AFFAIR
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