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WASHINGTON
Hatch was involved in business deals with Houston entrepreneur Munzer
Hourani, and met several times with Mohammed
Hammoud, a Lebanese businessman connected with the bank, the sources
said.
BCCI is at the center of a worldwide scandal involving alleged drug
money laundering, arms trafficking and support of
terrorists.
Founded by Pakistanis as a Third World bank, BCCI had $ 20 billion in
assets and operated in some 70 countries -- including
the United States -- before it was shut down in July by regulators in
several nations.
Hammoud, a BCCI shareholder, operated as a key front for the outlaw
bank, the sources said.
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NBC News, which reported Tuesday night that Hatch was under scrutiny,
quoted Hourani as saying that Hatch once offered to
help him get money from BCCI.
In a statement Wednesday, Hatch acknowledged he made a phone call in 1990 ""to facilitate the introduction'' of Hourani to BCCI. Hatch also released copies of a letter from a Justice Department official telling Hatch that he is neither a subject or a target of BCCI investigations by the department. Hatch acknowledged that he knew Hammoud and Hourani. But he maintained he did not know that Hammoud was involved with BCCI until he read an article last year. In February 1990, Hatch made a speech on the Senate floor staunchly defending BCCI's plea agreement with the Justice Department in a money-laundering indictment. Hatch confirmed a report that his defense of BCCI, as well as of the Justice Department's handling of a money-laundering case against the bank, had been based on information provided by Altman, a BCCI lawyer. Hatch told NBC he is ""embarrassed'' by his public defense of BCCI last year. He said he did not believe that Altman would lie to him. NBC reported that Hatch's speech was written by BCCI attorneys. Rep. Bill McCollum, R-Fla., said this fall there are indications that Hammoud may have helped finance Hezbollah, a Mideast terrorist group. Hammoud died mysteriously last year in Beirut. Hatch said he invested $ 10,000 in a trust administered by Hourani that had bought a one-room Houston apartment. He said he had disclosed that investment to the Senate Ethics Committee, which never raised concerns about it. Hatch said he and Hourani became friends partly because they are members of the Mormon Church, to which Hourani is a convert. Hourani said the NBC story was ""twisted.'' He also defended Hatch. |
Not for commercial use. Solely to be used for the educational purposes of research and open discussion.
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WASHINGTON
The ongoing investigation raises questions about Hatch's solicitous
behavior Tuesday toward Zo Baird, the corporate lawyer
who was nominated to be Attorney General and has since come under fire
for hiring two illegal aliens and not paying their Social
Security taxes.
Reports of a Justice Department investigation of Hatch followed an
article in Roll Call Monday disclosing Hatch has set up a
legal expense fund to defray expenses in any probes by the Senate Ethics
Committee or law enforcement agencies, and an
earlier story in the New York Post claiming that Hatch is a "target" of
Manhattan District Attorney Robert Morgenthau, who
next month will try Washington lawyer Robert Altman on fraud and bribery
charges involving the Bank of Credit and
Commerce International. Altman, a BCCI lawyer and former member of First
American Bank's board, is a close friend of
Hatch.
BCCI was exposed in 1991 as a worldwide criminal enterprise involved in
bribery, drugs, and illegal arms transactions.
Two ethics experts said in interviews yesterday that the existence of a
Justice probe of Hatch and the Senator's outspoken
support of Baird's nomination raise serious questions about whether
Baird will now have a conflict if she participates in decisions
regarding the Hatch inquiry.
A third expert, however, said Baird's judgment should not be presumed to
have been compromised and dismissed questions
about Hatch's motives as "cynical."
Hatch, who assumed the ranking minority member post on the Judiciary
Committee earlier this month, endorsed Baird last
weekend, and on Tuesday in his opening statement at Baird's confirmation
hearings dismissed questions about Baird's admitted
employment of illegal aliens. His support for Baird has widely been seen
as critical in sustaining the nomination's viability in the
Senate amid public criticism of Baird.
Several high-placed Senate aides expressed surprise and puzzlement at
Hatch's conduct in interviews earlier this week. While
Hatch's friendships in the Senate cross partisan lines, his overall
reputation is that of an aggressive partisan.
In October 1991 Judiciary Committee hearings, Hatch publicly suggested
that some of Anita Hill's sexual harassment allegations
against Supreme Court nominee Clarence Thomas were borrowed from William
Peter Blatty's novel The Exorcist. The claim
was allegedly part of an organized Republican campaign to discredit
Hill, but last weekend Hatch declared himself "so sick of
partisan politics" and said of the Democrat Baird, "I don't want her
smeared."
Hatch's attorneys at the white-collar firm Miller, Cassidy, Larroca &
Lewin have been preparing for a BCCI-related probe of
some sort since at least October, according to one source, who says the
lawyers began at that time to question current and
former Hatch aides who had | contact with BCCI figures or with Hatch
business partner Monzer Hourani. This newspaper first
received unconfirmed reports of an FBI investigation of Hatch last
spring, several months after Hatch voluntarily met with Justice
officials regarding his dealings with BCCI figures.
"I can't see it being a conflict of interest," said Hatch spokesman Paul Smith of the Senator's support for Baird. "Other than that, I just wouldn't want to comment." Among ethics experts interviewed by Roll Call, Charles Lewis, executive director of a Washington-based non-profit watchdog group called the Center for Public Integrity, was most critical of Hatch. Lewis called for the Senator to recuse himself from further consideration of the Baird nomination and said Hatch's potential conflict should be taken up by the Judiciary Committee today when Baird's hearings resume. But Stephen Gillers, a professor at New York University Law School, said the problem is more Baird's than Hatch's. "If he's an ardent supporter of the nomination, it could mean that she should not participate in decisions regarding this investigation," he said. "Not because she could not be objective, but because it would appear that she might be influenced by his support." If Baird asked for his advice, Gillers said, "I would tell her that the perception of fairness requires that she step aside." But Gillers saw no reason for Hatch to recuse himself. "It's a political issue, obviously, for the Senator's constituents to consider, but being under investigation does not disable him from participating as a member of the Judiciary Committee." Added Gillers: "It's an awkward situation, but there's no other solution. You can't make him suspend his work as a Senator while there's an investigation. That would be draconian, I think." Nonetheless, he said of Hatch's role, "His early support for her, to this observer, will make a difference. And I think she should not participate in final decisions regarding the investigation." Gillers and Lewis agreed that at the very least, the question of a possible conflict because of the Justice probe is significant. "That's certainly newsworthy and noteworthy," said Gillers. But Michael Josephson, a Los Angeles-based ethics consultant, said that "to assume the worst is not acceptable" with regard to possible conflicts for Baird or Hatch arising from these circumstances. "It's something that would make me a bit skeptical," he said of the situation, "but I guess I'm just not that cynical yet. I'm not a huge fan of Orrin Hatch's, but it seems to me that it's hard to believe (a Justice investigation) itself would make the difference for him." Josephson cautioned that he was unfamiliar with the details of Hatch's dealings with BCCI and the questions about the Senator's finances. But he added, "We have got to still believe, in the absence of evidence to the contrary, that people will use their public office properly." Yesterday's Post report, citing "sources close to the investigations," said that Justice and Morgenthau are looking into Hatch's dealings with mysterious BCCI shareholder Mohammed Hammoud and his dealings with Lebanese-American businessman Hourani, a Texas developer. Hatch gave a Senate floor speech in February 1990 that was drafted by BCCI attorney Altman and was beneficial to the bank, which had pleaded guilty to money-laundering charges. Shortly thereafter, Hatch called the bank's CEO on behalf of Hourani, who was seeking a loan. Hourani manages a $10,000 investment for Hatch and at one point Hatch sought unsuccessfully to make Hourani the trustee for the investment. Hatch has previously met with Justice officials regarding his dealings with BCCI, and the department early last year said he was not a subject or a target of their BCCI investigation. The Post said yesterday there is "no indication" that Hatch has been informed he is a subject or target of any probe, and Hatch spokesman Paul Smith asserted that the Post article contains "no new news." The newspaper said that Justice officials declined on-the-record comment about the reported investigation, while FBI officials denied the bureau was conducting any Hatch investigation. Government offices were closed yesterday because of the Inauguration. |
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WASHINGTON
Hatch had requested in writing on Aug. 12, 1992, that the committee
investigate his office's contact with representatives of
BCCI -- the bank that was closed down after accusations of money
laundering, racketeering and other criminal activities. The
panel's inquiry began in April.
The committee, which deliberated Friday, said it subpoenaed documents of
eight individuals and entities, and conducted 10
depositions -- including that of Hatch.
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"The committee finds on the basis of available evidence that there is no
credible evidence which provides reason to believe" that
Hatch violated Senate rules or federal law, the statement said.
Hatch said after the decision that he was the victim of a "smear campaign," but commented that he "would never let these kinds of gutter tactics deter me from doing my honest best. . . . " Hatch strongly defended BCCI in a speech on the Senate floor in 1990 and has said he once asked the bank for a loan to a friend. In 1991, Hatch acknowledged that he once called BCCI's chief executive in London to ask him to consider lending money to a Houston developer who is a friend of the three-term senator. The developer, Monzer Hourani, has contributed money to Hatch's campaigns and was involved in a real estate deal with him. BCCI never made the requested loan, Hatch has said. Hatch also has said he met several times with Mohammed Hammoud, a Lebanese businessman who prosecutors say was a front man for BCCI. But Hatch has insisted he did not know Hammoud was linked to the bank. A report released last fall by the Senate Foreign Relations subcommittee on terrorism outlined meetings former Hatch aide Michael Pillsbury had with government officials and BCCI lawyers. It made no mention of Hatch. Pillsbury met with government officials "to find ways to help BCCI achieve a more favorable outcome" in its 1989 money-laundering indictment in Florida, according to the Senate subcommittee report. |
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Bmp.
Wallaby, I'm going to catch some shut-eye, but I assure you I'll be back tomorrow, Lord willing. Thanks again.
Look, the Senate ETHICS Committee said he did nothing wrong. Feel better now!
Hatch, Mccain...wonder how many other repub senators and congressmen were compromised in BCCI dealings?
Robert Altman, the husband of Linda "wonder woman" Carter, and the owner of the supermarket rag monopoly. He's another who "got away with it."
The books that will be written in the year ahead...I can hardly wait for this rotten onion to be peeled back. BCCI, the Clintons, Red Chinese money, Algore's delusions. Just a few chapters. And you thought Ian Fleming had a wild imagination ?
Hatch also pushed Reno to sue Microsoft. Novell is a Microsoft competitor. Novell's offices are in Utah and one of Hatch's biggest contributors. Hatch is a political crony - case closed.
Leave poor Orrin alone.Don't you know he worked as a janitor when he was a young man.He feels"the pain" of the common man.This is just a tale about a plain,compassionate Senator trying to work for the betterment of the American people.I think we should overlook criminal activity because our leaders care and are bi-partisan.
Hatch with BCCI and McCain being a Keating 5 alum. Great ethical standards in the Senate nowadays.
Bump!
Wallaby, do we have to go past the first paragraph? Robert Altman, his FRIEND!
The Lippo Group and BCCI
September 10, 1996
Letter to the Editors:
Lippo Group is one of the largest contributors to the Democratic Party, via one Arief Wiriandinata, eh? According to your editorial "The November Stall", 9/6/96, Wiriandinata is married to the daughter of Hashim Ning, a co-investor of the Lippo Group.
Ah yes, Lippo Group, right? They own Lippo Bank of California. You know Lippo Bank. It's run by James Riady who attended the pre-inaugeral economic summit in Little Rock [representing Lippo Bank, the only foreign company at the affair], the Asian-Pacific Economic conference in Seattle in Nov. 1993 [where he shared a breakfast table with then WH Chief of Staff Mack McLarty], a June 1994 salute to Vice President Al Gore in Washington, and was on hand for Clinton's November 1994 visit to Indonesia.
You know James Riady, right? Mochtar Riady's son, and former President of Worthen Bank of Arkansas. You know Mochtar Riady, right? The right hand man of General Suharto of Indonesia, also a major investor of Lippo Group, and formerly a major shareholder in Worthen Bank. You know Worthen Bank, right? Jackson Stephens of Stephens, Inc. of Little Rock and Riady garnered controlling interest in Worthen 1984, through Lippo Group. Later, Lippo Group and Stephens tried to buy BCCI Hong Kong when it was put on the auction block after the Bank of Credit and Commerce imploded in global scandal.
You know BCCI, right? The bank that illegally entered the American banking system when they secretly bought control of Financial General Bankshares...You know Financial General Bankshares, right? The bank that Stephens tried to takeover on behalf of BCCI principals? In April, 1981 the Federal Reserve was assured by the influential Washingtonians that the Arab backers were merely passive investors, and FBG's takeover was given the green light. Director of that Federal Reserve Board was Jack Ryan.
You know Jack Ryan, right? Ryan ran the RTC without the benefit of Congressional vetting after Roger Altman resigned in shame for giving the White House a series of "heads-ups' regarding the RTC/ Whitewater referrals. [Who exactly was April Breslaw referring to when she told RTC investigator Jean Lewis that higher-ups would like the Whitewater referrals to disappear?] Jack Ryan conveniently "forgot" to include in his public resume that he worked for Arky, Fried, etc. from February 1985 to September 1986. Arky, Fried tied into the S&L scandals of the 1980's. Stephen Arky, the "Arky" of Arky Fried, committed suicide in July 1985. Ryan has declined to be interviewed regarding this period of his life. Curious name that: Arky. That's the same name of the mysterious $53 million account found at BCCI's commodities unit that no one could ever account for. It operated from October 1984 to September 1985.
Which brings us back to BCCI. You know, the bank controlled by Arabs who used D.C. insiders Clark Clifford and Robert Altman as front men? You know, Altman and Clifford, right? They were indicted on the BCCI scandals and represented at various times by the lawyers, Robert Fiske, Robert Bennett, and Jamie Gorelick in BCCI related litigation. You know this trio of Fiske, Bennett and Gorelick, right? Fiske was the first Independent Counsel assigned to investigate Whitewater, and who's only released finding was that Vincent Foster commit suicide in Fort Marcy Park; Bennett is now the Clinton's personal lawyer, and Jamie Gorelick is #2 at the Department of Justice.
Ah, the Department of Justice. Webb Hubbell used to be #3 at the DOJ and was very much involved when they gave BCCI principal Swaleh Naqvi a most gracious "sweetheart" deal.
You recall Nagvi? Not only was he #2 at BCCI, but he was also a defendant with Arkansas' Jackson Stephens in the 1978 lawsuit that resulted from Stephens' first attempt to secretly gain control of FGB for the Arab backers. Systematics was also a defendant. You know Systematics, right? Stephens controlled Systematics at the time. Their defense brief in the BCCI litigation was signed by Hillary Rodham [Clinton] and Webb Hubbell.
You know, Webb Hubbell...the guy who was "employed" by Lippo Group between the time he resigned from the Department of Justice in disgrace and the time he plead guilty to federal charges which landed him in jail for a couple of years.
Which brings us back to Lippo Group. Even though to this day neither the White house nor Commerce departments will release the list of people who went on the infamous junket to Jakarta in 1994 [litigation is in progress], Lippo Group was one of the contract recipients. You know Jakarta, right? That's where Mochtar Riady came from before he suddenly decided to move to Little Rock, Arkansas. That's where Dwight Harlan lives and serves as a "consultant". You know Dwight Harlan, right? Dwight Harlan served as the President of Jim Guy Tucker's Castle Sewer & Water...the utility that Tucker bought in a $1.2 million dollar deal that the Government says was fraudulent. You know Tucker, right? He was found guilty and was supposed to serve 4 years behind bars but got paroled before going to jail, and still faces charges regarding his cable company and dealings in Plantation, Florida. You know Tucker's cable company, right? The one whose former general manager was Dwight Harlan. You remember the indictment, right? Both Jim Guy Tucker and John Haley are defendants. You know John Haley? He's the former husband of Maria Haley. You know Maria Haley? When she served under then Governor Clinton in Arkansas she was in charge of international business development. Now she's a director of the Export-Import Bank. You know Ex-Im Bank, right? They signed the $40 billion of commercial transactions that were negotiated on Clinton's Jakarta trip in 1994.
But this has nothing to do with Bill Clinton.
Just because Jackson Stephens and Worthen Bank saved his career when the Bevill, Bresler scandal broke and Clinton was facing state losses of $52 million which threatened his career; just because Worthen saved his candidacy in 1992 with an "unusual" $3 million line of credit when his campaign was broke; just because Clinton's wife was involved in BCCI litigation, just because so many of the BCCI cast of characters have been appointed by President Clinton to serve him in a myriad of positions; just because the Jim Guy Tucker charges weave in and out of Bill's financial dealings, business partners and close friends; just because Vincent Foster's brother-in-law Beryl Anthony is the lobbyist for the Hong Kong Trade Development Council, where Lippo runs the show, and Foster's sister serves as a high ranking DOJ attorney; just because Webb Hubbell was working for Lippo Group, and in the office next to Michael Cardozo at G. Wm. Miller; just 'cause Cardozo and Hubbell were the guys who "coincidentally" met Foster at the Eastern shore the last weekend of his life; just 'cause Clinton anointed Tucker his successor as Governor of Arkansas, well, heck folks...This has nothing to do with Bill Clinton.
Sincerely,
Missy Kelly
A few comments BCCI By Missy Kelly
Bottom line: IMHO, APPC and GIMCorp are CIA fronts. And Cohen is a CIA boy. And since the CIA is an arm of Flagship, Cohen is a Flagship boy.
First, let's talk about the all these "policy" groups, paricularly these Asian-whatever Policy groups. The use of "Asian Policy" groups as fronts for the CIA is historical. The use of "European Policy what-evers" as CIA fronts goes back to post World War II. There have been, and are, dozens and dozens of them. These CIA backed groups hold "seminars" and "get-togethers" bringing "promising young figures from various countries" together with US business interests. They are funded by the CIA, and staffed by CIA connected persons. Students of the Nugan Hand bank failure know that the majority of thses Asian-Pacific "business Groups" are really fronts for the CIA. For information on European CIA front "Policy Groups" etc. see the Bio of John J. McCloy.
And look at the folks involved in APPC: Scowcroft, Carlucci, Douglas Paal, Franklin Lavin: all formerly connected with US Intelligence. And of course, Mr. Stout. Obviously he too is former Intelligence. When he set up International Reporting and Information Systems [IRIS...cute name, huh? These clowns think they are Soooo cute]] it was touted as a 'kind of private CIA"... which clearly shows he had, at the very least, some kind of "in" with the intelligence business, but in all liklihood is just plain old CIA.
Remember reading about the Hong-Kong Trade Development Council, which Beryl Anthony represents? You know Beryl Anthony. He was the brother-in-law of Vincent Foster. The Riady's hold considerable sway in the Hong-Kong business council. And think about James Riady and his involvement with the Asian Pacific American Public Policy Institute, [PAPPI] and "Leadership Education for Asian Pacfics, Inc." [LATimes 7.18.93]
I've seen it too many times to not state emphatically, that, IMHO, this APPC, which Cohen is intimately involved in, is a CIA front.
[Aside: And I HAVE to add, I recently took another look at the list of particpants in Clinton's little "business get-together' aka "business conference", in LA in December 1992, right after his election. What a FASCINATING list, especially with 4 years of new knowledge under our belt. The only thing I will point out at this time is that the ONLY foreigner invited was James Riady.]
IRIS is precisely the kind of company that Henry Kissinger set up: Kissinger & Associates. At Kissinger & Associates...who was on the BCCI side of the equation against law-enforcement...we found people like Brent Scowcroft, and Lawrence Eagleberger, and Alan Stoga. We mustn't forget Alan Stoga. He was a right hand man to Robert Abboud, who was caught up in not just BCCI, but also the S&L scandal and the BNL scandal. [Kissinger & Associates also ties into BNL...on the wrong side, as you may have quessed.] Oh, and Abboud and Stoga tie into Soviet agent Armand Hammer. Abboud was once head of Occidental Petroleum. There's more, but this is enough for now. There was also Sergio Correa da Costa at Kissinger & Associates. He was BCCI's front man down in Brazil. [And just as reminder, BCCI connects to Hubbell, Hillary, and Lippo-boy CJ Giroir through their work on a brief for Stephen's owned Systematics in BCCI litigation in the late 1970's.]
Kissinger & Associates client list included American Express, Coca-Cola, Anhueser Busch, Heinz, Hunt Oil, Chase Manhattan Bank, AIG [American International Group, headed by Maurice Greenberg, one-time chairman of the NY Federal reserve Bank, and one-time candidate to head the CIA], and Freeport McMoran..you know, with massive business concerns in Indonesia. Henry spent years providing "introductions" between foreign governments and his clients. Not low level meetings for henry and his crowd...they went straight to the top, and got audiences with the Presidents, and top dogs. Kissinger also provided "intelligence briefings" for his clients. Henry spent a lot of time brokering business between his clients and China, and Indonesia.
Scowcroft in an earlier period...the same period of the BCCI takeover of Financial General Bankshares, was an important shareholder in in the now defunct National Bank of Washington [NBW]. Another major shareholder was Saudi Arabian Wafic Said. Robert Abboud was a board member of Said's holding company and and a board member of NBW. Abboud ties to Bin Mafouz, [who ties to George Bush Jr. and BCCI, and Chicago, and David Edwards, and Arkansas, and Clinton, etc..and remember that George Bush Jr. connects to Harken. Harken connects to Alan Quasha, to his dad, who was a lawyer for Nugan Hand in the Philipines. Harken also connects to Jackson Stephens through David Edwards, to Talat Othman [to Carlucci through the NCEE] to Bakhsh, to Mike Ameen, to Kamal Adham and to george Soros, the man behind the marijauna laws in California and Arizona.] [BCCI also connects in many ways to Jeb Bush, in Miami, but that's another story.]
A large chunk of NBW stock was held by Paul Laxalt, whose firm represented BCCI in Florida when it all came tumbling down. Other NBW directors where Tommy-the- torts-Boggs...you know, Cokie Roberts brother. Boggs Law firm, Patton Boggs and Blow, represented Sheik Zayed and BCCI. This is where Ron Brown came from: Patton Boggs and Blow.
Not to mention tie ins from there to one Gerald Stern of the DOJ, who ably assisted in thwarting BCCI prosecution by the DOJ. Stern was once general counsel to Occidental Petroleum. [And Occidental leads us to soviet Armand Hammer, who served on the board of FGB, along with a number of other folks who had ties to the US Intelligence Community. Hammer faciliatated Jackson Stephens initial BCCI-backed takeover attempt of the bank. It also leads us to intimate relationships between Hammer and BCCI Front man Ghaith Paharon, but enough for now.]
Oh, and quess what? BCCI's #2 man, Naqvi, was represented by Manatt, Phelps. You know Manatt, Phelps, right? Mickey Kantor's law firm. Involved rather deeply in the Lippogate story.
So what does NBW have to do with anything? Well, they are noted for a number of reasons. Their board members had a plentitude of connections to BCCI, and attempts to thwart the investigations into BCCI. Also, Clark Clifford, who was head of BCCI's First American Bankshares, was also a board member of NBW before going to FAB. And so many of these NBW associates ended up in Bush's administration. And so many of these same people keep popping up the darndest fashion. Over, and over, and over, and over. In July of 1992, on a night "that could have been dubbed BCCI night", Ron Brown then chair of the DNC, brought together a whole plethora of BCCI funded luminaries, including Jimmy Carter, Jesse Jackson, and John Kerry. But hey, why not? The money flowed from BCCI to George Bush and company just as freely. All the people involved on the political side, both Republicans and Democrats, had connections to BCCI hired "fixers."
Anybody noticing a pattern here?
Should I even add that Henry Kissinger was the main force behind the CIA funded UNITA, an African orgainization? You do recall UNITA, right? In the summer of 1992, former bar-bouncer and democratic "advance man", and later White House security dog, Craig Livingstone got a job with UNITA in Angola, training soldiers. I've always wondered how Craig 1. heard about this job opening, and 2. what qualifications got him hired.
Why is it always the same players always involved in the scandals? What other commonalities, interests do these people have?
What would you think if I were to tell you that most of these folks all belonged to a specific organization? Would you behgin to wonder about this organization? I'll let YOU do the research. See for yourself.
But back to IRIS and Stout...Obviously a CIA boy, IMHO. IRIS failed and Stout started GIMCorp.
GIMCorp makes connections for US businesses who want to expand into ovrerseas markets, and represents companies in negoiations with foreign governments.
Then we find out that Stout, who "helped bankroll the [Asian Pacific Policy Center [APPC]] when it started in 1993", shares offices with GIMCorp. Why, they even share the same phone service! Please. This is a classic CIA operation. Hundreds of times I have seen this in my research. The DEA shares an office with a "company" in Burma...connecting doors, and/or a shared secretary. Nugan Hand's Offices in DC just happen to be at the same address as Brigadier General Erle Cocke's 'business office'...in fact in the same office, at the same phone number, sharing the same receptionist. General Singlaub had an office connected by a common door to Charles Keating of the S&L debacle. BCCI shared the office and secretary and phone system in a plethora of "companies" that claimed they had no connection whatsoever to BCCI. Call "Coral Reinsurance" in the Carribean, and a receptionist answers "American Insurance Group"...you know, AIG, Mo Greenberg, possible head of CIA, and NY Fed Chairman. But we are told they aren't connected. Yadda, yadda, yadda. Yeah, right.
Yes, IMHO, it is abundantly clear that APPC is a CIA front, and GIMCorp is also a CIA operation. And ain't it just grand that Mr. Cohen is intimately tied to both.
What a world. Now we have CIA boy Cohen leading the Department of Defense. But hey, we have an underscretary of the Navy, who served under now-dead "commit suicide in the chest" Admiral Boorda, and for whom Sam Nunn ran interefence during his confirmation process, by the name of Dalton. A former Rand analyst, he also is a former Jackson Stephens employee.
What the heck. Jamie Gorelick, who is leaving the DOJ, was #2 there, even though she had zero, zip, nada, experience in law enforcement. However, she had a wealth of spook experience, serving under John Deutch, as a counsel for the Pentagon [Deutch became head of the CIA, as you know]. She was also a BCCI lawyer, representing Altman and Clifford in litigation; and she, herself, has twice been considered to head the CIA. I have long referred to her as CIA-girl.
Need I add that two other lawyers for CIA connected BCCI were none other than Robert Bennett, now lawyer for the President, and one Robert Fiske? You remember Fiske, right? He "investigated" the death of Vincent Foster. He's the clown who informed us that the laws of gravity had been suspeneded on the day Foster died. Fiske declared that Foster died where he was found on a 45 degree slope but the blood flowed UP his face.
You have to consider what the CIA really is, how it was created, why it was created, and most importantly, who created it. Yes, parts of the CIA do indeed serve to collect important intelligence that this nation needs. But that job had traditionally been done, very nicely thank-you, by other intelligence branches under the Department of Defense. The CIA was created by Eastern Establishment, monied interests. Created by the Wall Street crowd, and originally MANNED by the Wall Street crowd, the CIA was created to give select INDUSTRY the power of the US Government to gather intelligence that would affect the Wall Street crowd's businesses. They also came to serve as a covert army for the multinational business interests. Have a mine in South America that may be nationalized? You can't send in the Marines. Mom in Topeka is not going to give you her son's life to save your "ore". No, send in the covert army; the CIA, to run a covert war against the foreign leaders who threaten PRIVATE BUSINESS interests.
The CIA serves not the NATIONAL security but the security of the multi-nationals.
So here we sit, with a CIA boy at the helm of the DoD. Great. Now we can use the big guns. Now we CAN send in the Marines. Now we can spin to the American people from the pulpit of the Secretary of Defense why we have to do this and that, send our troops hither and yon, because it's "in the interests of the nation", spin, spin, spin. Or conversely, minimize the dangers of certain country's actions, which might alarm Americans, and create a 'fuss" which might interfere with US business interests in that country. What we will be told will not necessarily be in the best inetrests of the american people, but rather, the view that is in the best interests of the multi-nationals.
So, we have Flagship officially at the helm, now. Marionnnette Bill Clinton as President [while Vernon Jordan pulls the strings...anybody see the "Clinton map" in yesterday's WSJ...were you surprised to see Vernon Jordan's house so prominently displayed? LOL!], Cohen as Secretary of Defense, Rubin at Treasury, Albright at State, Lake at CIA, yadda, yadda, yadda... and their minions serving in "under-secretary" positions throughout the cabinet. Johns Hopkins Institute of Advanced Policy Studies rules. Certain "politically-uncorrect-to-name" organizations rule. Oliligopolies-R-Us. Get ready to walk across the "Bridge to the 21st Century."
[anyone who wants to know more should read "Crimes of patriots" by Kwitny; "False profits" by truell and Gurwin; "The Chairman" by Kai Bird; "Inside Job" by Muolo, Fricker and Pizzo; for starters]
And as for Martin Schram: IMHO he fits the perfect profile of a journalist who is also a CIA asset...or 'friendly". The bugger has been exposed. [Sure...I don't have voice mail at Scripps-Howard, so I have to rely on the kindness of strangers...you know, those CIA dudes who pick up my bills...]
Way to go Martin. You are a pip. One of these days I am going to do a search on Mr. Schram, and see what kind of disinformation he's been writing all these years.
[END OF TRANSCRIPT]
Wallaby, what are friends for?
There are still people reading at this Forum that think the CIA are the good guys.
yeah.
Bump !
Third paragraph.
"Hatch was involved in business deals with Houston entrepreneur Munzer Hourani, and met several times with Mohammed Hammoud, a Lebanese businessman connected with the bank, the sources said."
MOHAMMED HAMMOUD: BCCI'S FLEXIBLE FRONT-MAN
Altman and Hammoud
"Documents obtained by the Subcommittee from BCCI's liquidators show that Robert Altman, who was also BCCI's U.S. attorney, held a power of attorney for Hammoud, giving Altman the right to dispose of Hammoud's stock in CCAH at any time as Hammoud's agent. Altman testified he was unaware that he had such a power of attorney and when shown the document by Senator Kerry, he expressed profound shock:
[T]his gives an authority to sell shares, and that is something that to the best of my recollection, I'd never seen before. I do not know how to explain it. I don't know where it came from, but I don't believe it was ever in our files.(23)
Thus, Altman, who sold his stock to Hammoud for three times what Altman paid for the stock, had the ability through the power of attorney also to buy and sell shares of CCAH to and from Hammoud in any case.
Altman testified that he never met Hammoud. This statement seems odd given that Hammoud was in Washington on a number of occasions, and was ostensibly a major shareholder of First American, on whose behalf Altman was running the bank. On the other hand, there was really no reason for Altman to have met Hammoud if Hammoud was the flexible front man that he has been portrayed to have been. It is entirely possible that Hammoud was not even aware of his holdings in First American: the loans were arranged by BCCI; the purchase and sale may have been arranged by Altman using the power of attorney."
Let's ask Hammoud just what the heck is going on here. Ooops. He's dead.
"....According to Pillsbury, Hammoud paid him an advance to coauthor a scholarly text about the Shi'ites and Pillsbury had completed some 200 pages of this book by the time of Hammoud's death.
Do you mean aside from the Agency types that hang around here 'on the payroll'?
Or did you mean normal people?
The only question for the next election is, "Which candidate, if elected, will help us clean out this nest of vipers?" (Clue: not McCain, not Hatch, not W, not Gore, probably not Bradley)
Until the average person begins to realize that it's not about political parties anymore, nothing can be done. Even many here in freeperland haven't quite understood that yet.
"many here in freeperland"
Oy vey.
Let us check the GS rating of some of these 'responders'...er...I mean 'posters'.
It must be all those drugs, plays tricks on the mind.
I know folks won't take the time to go to the following link and read the S&L bailout by taxpayers. But, look at the names very closely. We should post them all in a separate post, but does anyone care? Anyway, Monzer Hourani and Hatch are in there. Take a look for yourself.
Lists of Looted S&L's and Banks
Wallaby, please e-mail this guy who has the link and help him color coordinate and organize his site. Hehe, he needs your help. 8-)
As I know you are aware, this is a loaded post.
You can go 15 different directions and not be wrong.
I remember posting the Clifford death notice, and the venom spilled was astounding. And, probably justified. I'm glad I was not behind him 'in line'.
There are many folks who'll just say "That's water under the bridge, we're ok, now".
What they haven't realized is that crooks don't stop. They just play the game a little different.
In the "here and now" the Baning system as a whole is being used just like the S&L's were. Probably some of the same main players. There's just too much ill-gotten money to handle, it HAS to be moved thru the banks.
That was the purpose, to expose this, of this series of posts ---- Ficticious Banks
Boyd knows.
Yes, I remember reading that. These were good also:
Grand-Daddy Cross Reference of Arkansas Banking/Business & Clinton Administration
Rockefellers: Whitewater Banking, ADFA Bonds, CFR Connections
Ewwww. CFR. Shudder, shudder.
"Ewwww. CFR. Shudder, shudder"
They're just like you and me! They put on their lycra tights and cape the same way we do!
They just have an Aide help them. :-)
"They just play the game a little different"
Now, here's a stocking stuffer. Merry Christmas.
Insight Magazine - E-Zapper Could Break The Bank
<< What the heck. Jamie Gorelick, who is leaving the DOJ, was #2 there, even though she had zero, zip, nada, experience in law enforcement. However, she had a wealth of spook experience, serving under John Deutch, as a counsel for the Pentagon [Deutch became head of the CIA, as you know]. She was also a BCCI lawyer, representing Altman and Clifford in litigation; and she, herself, has twice been considered to head the CIA. I have long referred to her as CIA-girl. >> Thanks for this bit of info -- I have always had a feeling about this chick, yet I had no idea she had been mixed up in BCCI.
Jamie Gorelick was General Counsel at DoD one of the two summers I worked there while I was in law school. She is one cold fish.
When I was leaving after that summer, she promised to help me if I needed help after that. Then, a year or two later, when I needed references for my application for the bar exam, I tried to get in touch with her. I could only reach some colonel that was assisting her (this, by the way, was when she was at DoJ,) and she never answered my calls.
Now why am I not surprised. Saw her give testimony to the Armed Services Committee a couple of times, and man, she just rubbed me wrong. Then I hear of her moving in to DoJ and the flags, whistles, bells ... of course, the fact that she DID go over there, no surprise in that move, really.
Sorry about your experiences ...
Sorry about your experiences.
For me, it was a minor inconvenience. It was easy enough to get other references. I mentioned the incident because I think it says a lot about Ms. Gorelick's character.
Bttt.
Bttt
Bmp.
Hatch is the biggest most worthless RINO in the Senate. I hate him.
"I hate him."
Senate Passes Hate-Crimes Measure
Preaching can lead to hate crimes
California Creates First Hate Crime Database
Reno battles to end all hate crime
" Atty. Gen. Janet Reno is showing she’s dedicated to making it one in every classroom and on every police force in America.
Hate crimes are not inexplicable horrors that spring out of nowhere. They are a direct outgrowth of the intolerance that takes root in very young minds and slowly turns into hatred. To prevent hate crimes, we must prevent hate. It’s that simply and that difficult. We must teach youngsters how to get along, how to play with others who are different."
Janet Reno Says We Need Openness In Government
If the Sheeple don't wake up, this is our future.
"There is absolutely no credible evidence to contradict the Fiske report's conclusion, that Vincent Foster took his own life. And that it happened at Fort Marcy Park."
Orrin Hatch - U.S. Senator
Vince Foster - The Mirage of Suicide and the Reality of Murder
Pretty cool, huh?
BTTT
BTTT
Sen. Orrin Hatch Cuts Deal With Bush For First Vacancy On U.S. Supreme Court
"Bush is said to have penciled in Utah Sen. Orrin Hatch as top man on the list when a vacancy occurs. Hatch is considered an easy confirmation in the Senate, and is expected to maintain a conservative foundation on the court. The deal has been in the works from the very beginning of the campaign, and will result in the appointment of Republican Utah Gov. Mike Leavitt as Hatch's replacement in the Senate. Asked about the potential appointment a source within the Bush organization said "Nothing is cut in stone, but it's clear that certain people are high on the list."
If Bush picks Hatch for the court, I am through with Bush.
Orrin Hatch publicly praised FBI sniper Lon Horiuchi -- who killed Vicki Weaver as she stood in her cabin door holding her baby -- as a "great American hero."
Hatch is a spineless, RINO, worhtless, Janet Reno butt licking, friend of the girl friend killing Ted Kennedy. Hatch should be sent from Washington to jail with his friends.
BTTT
Bump.
Hatch is a snake. Best wishes to Klayman to find out what he can with FOIA.
< Not for commercial use. Solely to be used for the educational purposes of research and open discussion.
|
Each shared a common interest: the date July 5 1991. On that day, ten years ago next week, banking regulators
swooped on the Bank of Credit and Commerce International (BCCI), starting a chain reaction that rippled around
the world.
All these years on, the BCCI saga has yet to reach a conclusion. Accountants and lawyers have managed to scrape
back $ 7 billion (Pounds 4.95 billion) out of the $ 12 billion black hole that lay at the heart of the BCCI fraud. But
the recoveries have come at a price. Worldwide fees in the case have exceeded $ 1 billion; a charge of $ 1 for every
$ 7 recovered. It is a mark-up that would have even the sharpest East End trader drooling in admiration.
Big as it was, the BCCI collapse was just another in a line of corporate disasters. It began in June 1990 with the
collapse into administration of British & Commonwealth, the financial services group taken to dizzy heights by
John Gunn, the financier. Four days later receivers were appointed at Coloroll, the home furnishings group known
for its tasteful line in wallpaper.
August 1990 saw the collapse of Lowndes Queensway, the UK's largest furniture retailer. In September, the
threads began to unravel at Polly Peck, the former fashion house run by Asil Nadir. It was a matter of weeks before
Polly Peck was placed in administration.
December 1990 brought the sudden demise of The Levitt Group, run by the cigar-toting Roger Levitt. The most
spectacular upset of all - Robert Maxwell's disappearance at sea - was not to happen until the following November,
but as 1990 trailed to a close, the British public could be forgiven for feeling a little battle-weary.
And then came BCCI. The bank was created in 1972 by Agha Hasan Abedi, a banker and mystic who claimed to
be on first-name terms with President Carter. Abedi had cultivated links with Arab sheikhs, organising camel races
and hunting trips, and had persuaded them to bankroll him. Bank of America bought into BCCI as a way of buying
access to the Middle East. The bank held a 30 per cent stake at one point, but divested its holding in the late-1970s.
BCCI grew into an enormous operation, with 14,000 employees worldwide. By 1988 it claimed to possess assets
worth $ 20 billion, with 400 branches in 73 countries. But the UK was the linchpin of the organisation. Abedi
made his first inroads in the UK providing banking services to fellow Pakistanis, opening branches in Bradford,
Birmingham and London's Southall.
Later, the net widened to catch rich Middle Eastern visitors to London. BCCI began renting expensive office space
in Mayfair and Knightsbridge, with its initials inscribed in Arabic and Farsi. The bank was also known for its
credit cards which featured signs of the zodiac. By the time it was shut down, BCCI had 25 branches in Britain and
120,000 UK accountholders.
Cynics had long since coined their own variation on the initials BCCI - the Bank of Crooks and Criminals
International. The bank was rumoured to have done business with the Abu Nidal terrorist group. General Manuel
Noriega of Panama, the "old pineapple face" beloved of American cartoonists, held accounts with BCCI in London.
The bank was said to be in hoc to Colombian drug barons and had already admitted charges of money-laundering.
Chris Dickson, who took charge of the subsequent SFO inquiry, recalls: "I can remember a colleague from the
DTI pointing out a branch of BCCI in Oxford Street and saying: 'that's the most bent bank in London'. It stuck in
my mind and came back to haunt me later."
At 1pm on July 5 1991, a Friday, BCCI's worldwide assets were frozen in a co-ordinated action by banking
authorities. The action had been planned for Friday night, once money market transactions had been closed off, but
had to be brought forward because of a little local difficulty.
A court order was required in Luxembourg, but it was the day of the annual Judges' Picnic and 1pm was the latest
they were prepared to grant an order. The result was a tangle of half-completed monetary transactions.
The simultaneous swoop in seven countries came minutes after the Bank of England had obtained a provisional
winding-up order on BCCI in the UK courts. As word spread, depositors began gathering outside BCCI branches,
desperate to withdraw their savings.
|
Within hours, police and accountants had embarked on one of the biggest financial investigations ever undertaken.
A centre of operations was set up in Finsbury Square in the City. Enough papers were gathered in the ensuing
months to cover a football pitch, filling 2,800 bags and 2,614 files. The foundations had to be reinforced to take the
weight.
BCCI was run from offices in Leadenhall Street in the City, but its tentacles reached around the world. It was domiciled in Luxembourg, had an overseas operation in the Cayman Islands and reported to Abu Dhabi, whose ruling sheikh had won control of the bank in 1990 in return for a $ 1billion cash injection. BCCI was more than a little reliant on such handouts. In late 1990, BCCI's auditor, Price Waterhouse, received a tip-off about an "Aladdin's Cave" of 6,000 secret documents at BCCI's offices in Abu Dhabi. Crooked executives had created a "bank within a bank", shuffling assets around to throw watchers off the scent. Names of supposed lenders had been plucked at random from telephone directories. The resulting 1,400 page report from Price Waterhouse convinced the Bank of England to shut BCCI down. For all the excitement, BCCI never attracted the publicity of cases such as Barings and Maxwell. In place of "personalities" such as Nick Leeson or Kevin Maxwell there was a shadowy collection of foreigners. The victims were neither aristocrats nor a vocal group of pensioners, but ordinary working folk and anonymous councils. At least 30 local authorities each had Pounds 1 million or more on deposit with BCCI. An example of the indifference towards BCCI came through in May 1993, when a major meeting of creditors was convened in London. Christopher Morris, of Touche Ross, co-liquidator, hired Wembley Arena, expecting to be turning them away in droves. In the event, only 600 creditors turned up, and the security men outnumbered the journalists. Those present included Keith Vaz, the MP for Leicester East, who campaigned tirelessly through the 1990s to keep BCCI alive as an issue. The case put Vaz on the map - just as recent controversy has effectively wiped him off it. The indifference towards BCCI came through again in the subsequent trials at the Old Bailey. All five BCCI trials ended with guilty verdicts, bringing a rare run of success for the SFO. Dickson says: "We tried to have a single defendant in each trial. This made it more manageable, with a small number of very serious charges, a single defendant and the use of IT to manage the documents. Presentation to the jury is key." The SFO's success went largely unnoticed next to the high-profile acquittals of the Maxwell brothers. But the case had its moments. In July 1994 the SFO received a tip-off that Abbas Gokal, a vital suspect in the fraud, had agreed to leave his bolthole in Pakistan to be interviewed by detectives in New York. The American and British authorities were running separate investigations, and Gokal clearly decided his chances were better in the US. The SFO ran a search and found Gokal booked under a different name on a flight from Karachi to New York. The flight was due to refuel in Frankfurt, and Doug Reeman of the City of London Police flew out to meet it. Chris Dickson recalls: "The German border police sent a signal that all the passengers had to get off because of a security alert. Off they came, but there was no sign of Gokal. A steward said, that's everyone, and Doug said, 'I don't believe it'. The Germans said, 'Go on and look for yourself'. He went up to the First Class compartment and there was Gokal and his wife surrounded by stewards and stewardesses." It was Frankfurt, too, where Nick Leeson was seized while flying home to the UK after the Barings collapse. Gokal's shipping company, Gulf Group, borrowed $ 1.2 billion from BCCI on the back of worthless personal guarantees. By the mid-1980s, Gulf could not continue without BCCI's support; BCCI in turn was owed so much by Gulf that it could not afford to let it collapse. Gokal used his ill-gotten gains to fund a sumptuous lifestyle, flying by private jet, driving Rolls-Royces and owning properties around the world. In 1997, Gokal, then 61, was jailed for 14 years for his part in the fraud. The sentence was increased to 17 years after he failed to pay Pounds 2.9 million under a confiscation order. He is serving his time in Maidstone Prison, where past inmates have included Reggie Kray. The only UK subject among the BCCI defendants was Nazmu Virani, former chairman of Control Securities, the pubs-to-property group. A former Asian Businessman of the Year, he was jailed for 2 1/2 years in 1994 on charges of false accounting and misleading BCCI's auditors over "soft" loans advanced by BCCI. Having served his time, Virani is trying to rebuild his business career. Swaleh Naqvi, BCCI's former chief executive, was tried separately in America. He was jailed in 1994 for 11 years and three months on fraud and racketeering charges, but has been released and is living in Pakistan. Of the rest, Agha Hasan Abedi died in 1995. Various other BCCI suspects remain in exile in Pakistan, which has refused to extradite them. Dickson says: "That was the importance of the Gokal case - to send a message that you 'come out to play' at your peril." The forgotten victims of BCCI include the 1,100 British employees who lost their jobs in the collapse. More than 600 of them remain unemployed. Many of them had mortgages with BCCI. "We feel betrayed," says Quaiser Malik, a former department head at BCCI's offices in Leadenhall Street. "The carcass of BCCI is being eaten up by the solicitors and accountants." |
[
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Private Reply | To 43 | Top | Last ]
I've read certain passages on this matter as I happen across them. A couple have tried to establish the fact that Hatch was hung out to dry on BCCI.
I saw Hatch heaping praise on the new fbi guy the other night during the [gruelling hearings] Senate love-fest. I decided the above noted articles were probably written by Hatch's staff.
"BCCI is at the center of a worldwide scandal involving alleged drug money laundering, arms trafficking and support of terrorists."
Didn't take old Orrin long to grab the microphone this morning.
Washington Whispers
Rumsfeld's scolding directed at Hatch
So whom was Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld targeting when he went on a tirade Wednesday against those who leak classified information? Republican Sen. Orrin Hatch of Utah. Senate, intelligence, and Pentagon sources say that Rumsfeld and other national security officials were outraged that the senator talked with reporters about intercepted secret information about the terror attacks into the Pentagon and World Trade Center. News reports show that Hatch discussed intercepts between associates of chief suspect Osama bin Laden about the attacks. The worry: leaks that that will dry up sources of information about the bin Laden gang, which may retaliate if it can figure out who the source was. A Hatch aide said he was not talking to the press Thursday.
Bump.
I hope this doesn't hurt sales of his new song, "America United."
If we had to out every politician who has been bought by the Islamic lobby, the Capitol building would be half empty. (or is that half full?)
Whoa.
Will have to read through this a few times to get a proper grip on alllll the 'webs'. Maybe the above is WHY there's a need to have the nazi-ish 'ministry of homeland defense'??? One the truth comes out, the poop will hit the fan...and it won't be 'purty'!
53 Posted on 11/27/2001 11:25:33 PST by RedDragonRising
54 Posted on 11/27/2001 12:04:37 PST by Rev. Jane
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