Tuesday, November 30, 2021

MALTA USES EU "RIGHT TO BE FORGOTTEN" TO HIDE COURT JUDGMENTS FROM COMPLIANCE OFFICERS AND INVESTIGATORS


 Earlier this year, the Republic of Malta quietly passed the the Online Publication of Court Judgments Conferment of Functions Regulations, 2021 Act. We have attached the complete text of the law above, in English, for the ready reference of the reader; Please read it carefully.

 Going much further than the EU contemplated in its Data Protection legislation, what is commonly known as "The Right to be Forgotten," the Maltese law gives the Director General of the Court Services Agency unfettered and absolute discretion and power to determine whether to remove online records of court judgments from the website or websites where they are stored for public access.

 The DG alone can remove court judgments, for any reason, or no reason at all, denying this information to investigators, compliance officers conducting due diligence inquiries, or the investing public checking an individual or company for evidence of prior fraud, bad debts, or civil judgments for any number of criminal acts which also translate into civil causes of action that result in judgments. This new law has nothing to do with the relevant EU principle of "inaccurate, inadequate, irrelevant, or excessive." It authorizes a government known to be corrupt to conceal legal records of misconduct through deletion of court judgments.

In essence, the DG can hide the dark truth about an individual's prior bad acts from the public at large, and the financial world specifically. Given that the law has, most likely, already been abused through the deletion of court judgments, in exchange for bribes or other illegal consideration, checking Maltese court records will not now give those inquiring a true representation of an individual's business conduct and record. EU-based Compliance officers are now completely on their own when conducting due diligence in Malta through court records.  Official court records have now, by definition, become unreliable sources of information on a target individual. Let those who are searching those records conduct themselves accordingly.


A TEACHABLE MOMENT FOR MALTA ON ADVENT:BOOK OF ISAIAH CHAPTER 1

The prophet Isaiah

Hear me, you heavens! Listen, earth!

    For the Lord has spoken:
“I reared children and brought them up,
    but they have rebelled against me.
The ox knows its master,
    the donkey its owner’s manger,
but Israel does not know,
    my people do not understand.”

Woe to the sinful nation,
    a people whose guilt is great,
a brood of evildoers,
    children given to corruption!
They have forsaken the Lord;
    they have spurned the Holy One of Israel
    and turned their backs on him.

Why should you be beaten anymore?
    Why do you persist in rebellion?
Your whole head is injured,
    your whole heart afflicted.
From the sole of your foot to the top of your head
    there is no soundness—
only wounds and welts
    and open sores,
not cleansed or bandaged
    or soothed with olive oil.

Your country is desolate,
    your cities burned with fire;
your fields are being stripped by foreigners
    right before you,
    laid waste as when overthrown by strangers.
Daughter Zion is left
    like a shelter in a vineyard,
like a hut in a cucumber field,
    like a city under siege.
Unless the Lord Almighty
    had left us some survivors,
we would have become like Sodom,
    we would have been like Gomorrah.

10 Hear the word of the Lord,
    you rulers of Sodom;
listen to the instruction of our God,
    you people of Gomorrah!
11 “The multitude of your sacrifices—
    what are they to me?” says the Lord.
“I have more than enough of burnt offerings,
    of rams and the fat of fattened animals;
I have no pleasure
    in the blood of bulls and lambs and goats.
12 When you come to appear before me,
    who has asked this of you,
    this trampling of my courts?
13 Stop bringing meaningless offerings!
    Your incense is detestable to me.
New Moons, Sabbaths and convocations—
    I cannot bear your worthless assemblies.
14 Your New Moon feasts and your appointed festivals
    I hate with all my being.
They have become a burden to me;
    I am weary of bearing them.
15 When you spread out your hands in prayer,
    I hide my eyes from you;
even when you offer many prayers,
    I am not listening.

Your hands are full of blood!

16 Wash and make yourselves clean.
    Take your evil deeds out of my sight;
    stop doing wrong.
17 Learn to do right; seek justice.
    Defend the oppressed.[a]
Take up the cause of the fatherless;
    plead the case of the widow.

18 “Come now, let us settle the matter,”
    says the Lord.
“Though your sins are like scarlet,
    they shall be as white as snow;
though they are red as crimson,
    they shall be like wool.
19 If you are willing and obedient,
    you will eat the good things of the land;
20 but if you resist and rebel,
    you will be devoured by the sword.”
For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.

21 See how the faithful city
    has become a prostitute!
She once was full of justice;
    righteousness used to dwell in her—
    but now murderers!
22 Your silver has become dross,
    your choice wine is diluted with water.
23 Your rulers are rebels,
    partners with thieves;
they all love bribes
    and chase after gifts.
They do not defend the cause of the fatherless;
    the widow’s case does not come before them.

24 Therefore the Lord, the Lord Almighty,
    the Mighty One of Israel, declares:
“Ah! I will vent my wrath on my foes
    and avenge myself on my enemies.
25 I will turn my hand against you;[b]
    I will thoroughly purge away your dross
    and remove all your impurities.
26 I will restore your leaders as in days of old,
    your rulers as at the beginning.
Afterward you will be called
    the City of Righteousness,
    the Faithful City.”

27 Zion will be delivered with justice,
    her penitent ones with righteousness.
28 But rebels and sinners will both be broken,
    and those who forsake the Lord will perish.

29 “You will be ashamed because of the sacred oaks
    in which you have delighted;
you will be disgraced because of the gardens
    that you have chosen.
30 You will be like an oak with fading leaves,
    like a garden without water.
31 The mighty man will become tinder
    and his work a spark;
both will burn together,
    with no one to quench the fire.”


Valletta Burning by COSIMO
 


Monday, November 29, 2021

EXTRADITION FOR SECOND MARTINELLI BROTHER EXPECTED AFTER HE WAIVED HIS RIGHTS

 

You can expect to see the extradition of former Panamanian President Martinelli's other son, RICARDO ALBERTO MARTINELLI LINARES, in the near future, afs he has signed a waiver of his remaining appellate rights, just as his brother, LUIS ENRIQUE MARTINELLI LINARES, did shortly before he was extradited to the US. Both brothers face massive money laundering charges in connection with the Odebrecht bribery case in which they allegedly received $28m in bribes and kickbacks for their father, who was then the President of the Republic of Panama.

Luis Enrique, who is in Pretrial Confinement in New York (Metropolitan Detention Center - Brooklyn), entered a plea of not guilty, although his counsel advised the Court that he will soon be changing his plea. The brothers' case is pending in the Eastern District of New York. Given the extensive (9 page) objection to bail filed by the US Attorney in  Luis' case, expect that Ricardo Alberto, who also fought extradition, will also end up with a  Permanent Order of Detention, Like Luis, though separated from his brother.

Given the treatment given to Odebrecht in its case, and the difficulties the brothers placed in the path of America's extradition efforts in Guatemala, after fleeing the United States by boat, expect them to be held accountable, to the fullest extent of the law. 


MALTA'S CORRUPT JUSTICE SYSTEM IS TRYING TO MUZZLE THE FREE PRESS

 

This week's court decree in the Republic of Malta, by Madam Justice Edwina Grima, reminding the media that they are prohibited from publishing documents exhibited in judicial proceedings against Yorgen Fenech, upon pain of Contempt of Court, an offence punishable by imprisonment, represents an unconscionable attempt to muzzle the free press. The Justice made the ruling after Fenech's complained that their publication affected his private life, and that of his family.

 This goes against various rulings in the European Court of Justice (ECJ) concerning this issue, holding that journalists publishing sealed court documents and evidence filed are not breaking the law, as they have a sacred right to inform their readers of the news, and that they also have the right to protect their sources.

In the last two to three years, this blog has been in direct contact with various trusted sources inside Malta, as well as whistleblowers and expats. We are firm believers of the Freedom of the Press. Once our sources acquire the sealed documents from the Yorgen Fenech case, we will be publishing everything, uncensored, exclusively for our American and international audience. Our Maltese readers are at their own free will to read these posts.

Our readers know very well that we publish what is in the public interest, without fear from powerful forces, often being the only media that is unafraid to do so. For example, we were the only publication to expose EZL's sordid affair with an Opposition MP, and commented upon both the possible corrupt consequences, and the immoral example it set for public officials at large.


                                                     Undue Influence by COSIMO


Any individual that wishes to share the YF court documents for publication on this blog may forward them, in confidence, to us at maltacompliance@gmail.com, or through a Chat on WhatsApp at +17862087690. Your identity will be completely protected, with our thanks. We shall publish them.

And ye shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free. John 8:32




COURT ENTERS ORDER PROTECTING SENSITIVE INFORMATION IN SAAB MORAN CASE


 


The Court, after the Government filed its Unopposed Motion for a Protective Order Regulating Disclosure of Discovery and Sensitive Information Contained Therein, entered its order preventing any third parties from having access to the Discovery being furnished to the defence. The exceptions are very narrowly drawn.You are advised to read the text carefully, for its leaves no doubt about the severe restrictions being placed upon the defence counsel regarding the information, which has been labeled sensitive and confidential.

Obviously, the Government does not want the Maduro regime, and the individuals who laundered money abroad for Saab Moran, to identify the other potential Persons of Interest and Targets of the Investigation. It is not know whether there are sealed indictments in the case against other named defendants residing outside the Continental United States.

The order appears below in its entirety.










MALTA'S SPIN ON ITS GREYLISTING IS NOT WORKING ON THE FINANCIAL WORLD

 

 

We note that so-called " lead experts" from Malta have been making the rounds at international financial conferences, attempting to assure everyone in attendance that the Greylisting imposed by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) will be removed in eighteen months. Considering the terms the FATF requires to take that action, and the domestic ramifications that would ensue, don't look for Malta to get off anytime soon.

It's truly a Catch-22: Malta cannot escape Greylisting without a rigorous programme of arrest, trial, conviction and incarceration of its most prolific money launderers, but to do so will, by definition, destroy the utterly corrupt Labour Party, whose senior figures, past and present office holders, are all guilty of the crime, due to their receipt of bribes and kickbacks, which they then laundered into the global financial structure. Muscat, Mizzi, Schembri et al all must face justice, without exception; Bankers abroad know this.

 The public relations blitz, including interviews in the country's press, verging on propaganda, may convince Malta's voters, claiming that Greylisting is having little or no effect on the domestic economy, but are not the solution. They only gloss over the problem. Unless and until the guilty are imprisoned, don't expect the FATF to recognize that needed reform has actually occurred. It's up to Malta's notoriously corrupt law enforcement and regulatory agencies to step up; otherwise, the country will sink further into financial pariah status, and not only will there be capital flight, but a new wave of Maltese emigration will commence.    

Sunday, November 28, 2021

CANADA'S ADDITIONAL SIX MONTH DELAY IN PUBLISHING B.C. MONEY LAUNDERING REPORT IS UNACCEPTABLE

 

A press release from The Commission on Inquiry into Money Laundering in British Columbia  has indicated that the Commission's final report will not be released until May 2022. This is completely unacceptable, given the fact that there has already been a previous extension in the submission of information from its government sources. What's wrong with this picture ? Money laundering  rages out of control in BC. 

Given Canada's poor record on anti-money laundering, and the utter failure of government to rein in BC money laundering in recent years, giving government bureaucrats six months to gather up information and materials represents a delay in exposing  a threat which requires that the information be made public forthwith. The problem is so serious that Canada, whose anti-money laundering record is poor to begin with, stands to be regarded, among international law enforcement, as totally ineffective if it cannot prioritize this report.

 Perhaps the career civil servants need all that extra time to compile and edit their reports, to minimize the clear and present danger facing Canada from money laundering.  Canada is losing the war on money laundering; this delay will deny its people the information they should have had last year. 

  

JEHAD SERWAN MOSTAFA, SENIOR AMERICAN TERRORIST IN AL-SHABAAB : $5m REWARD

 


Saturday, November 27, 2021

ROBERTA METSOLA'S EU PARLIAMENT PRESIDENCY BID : THE CONSEQUENCES

METSOLA: UNLIKE THE VIRGIN (apologies to Madonna)
By Rev. Father David Muscat




_________________________________________

Note to our Readers about this Guest Post: While I do not always agree with our contributors' opinions, I am an advocate of free speech. I admire Ms. Metsola for her stance against financial crime, and fully support her cause, the cleansing of Malta from corruption.

Friday, November 26, 2021

READ HOME OFFICE ANNOUNCEMENT BANNING HAMAS IN THE UNITED KINGDOM, NOT JUST THE "ARMED WING"

Islamist terrorist group Hamas banned in the UK

Government proscribes terrorist group Hamas in its entirety

The Islamist terrorist group Hamas has today become a proscribed terrorist organisation in the UK in its entirety, following Parliament’s approval of an Order which was laid in Parliament on Friday (19 November).

This means that members of Hamas or those who invite support for the group could be jailed for up to 14 years.

The group’s listing has been amended in the list of proscribed organisations to reflect this change.

Thursday, November 25, 2021

LISTEN TO THE MATTHEW CARUANA GALIZIA INTERVIEW ON THE JON MALIA PODCAST FROM MALTA

 




If you want to hear the unvarnished truth about corruption and crime in Malta, I personally recommend you listen to this podcast, which is an extensive interview of Matthew Caruana Galizia, conducted by Jon Mallia. The interview is in English; feel free to ignore the introduction, which is in Maltese.

The link is: here. 

https://youtu.be/1nacXpMkx9o



 

Wednesday, November 24, 2021

LUIS ENRIQUE MARTINELLI LINARES, UNHAPPY WITH THE MAGISTRATE'S DETENTION ORDER, APPEALS

 


The first of former Panamanian President Martinelli's sons to be extradited to the US, LUIS ENRIQUE MARTINELLI LINARES, appealed the Magistrate Judge's pretrial detention order, through his attorney, to US District Judge Raymond Dearie (EDNY). The Court, after having heard from the US Attorney's Office details of how the Martinelli brothers had used bogus diplomatic credentials from the Central American Parliament to travel, entered what the judge called a Permanent Order of Detention; Martinelli shall remain in custody until his trial.

Guatemalan media has reported that Luis' brother, RICARDO MARTINELLI LINARES, has now followed Luis and waived his right to further contest extradition to the United States; he is expected to be flown to New York in the next couple of days.

DETAILS ABOUT REZA ZARRAB SLIP OUT FROM TURKEY

 

Turkish media claims that it has acquired one of the sealed court orders involving the 2018 release on bond of the Turkish-Iranian oil sanctions evader and money launderer REZA ZARRAB. Zarrab was reportedly released on bond on or about July 18, 2018, pursuant to a sealed release order which allegedly required him to post a $5m guaranty, and a $100,00 cash payment to the Clerk of Court. The first release order, which has not been published yet, is authenticated by a subsequent sealed order, which appears above. How the media obtained it we do not know; the docket does not confirm this document.

Zarrab was seen at a Manhattan restaurant during his case, and not in custody, giving rise to rumours that he was cooperating, and had an arrangement, not with US law enforcement, but the intelligence community, as law enforcement protocol does not permit such personal freedom while a defendant is actually in custody. Here we see evidence that he was actually, and extraordinarily, released on bond. No wonder they kept it quiet; the public might find it odd, given the extent of his crimes.

 Zarrab's case has been regarded as the most important Iran oil sanctions case to date; we suspect that the Government, which portrayed him as the biggest sanctions catch, concealed his cooperation whilst he gave up important evidence about other evaders. Transparency is obviously not the rule when it comes to obtaining the cooperation of major offenders. By the way, what has he been doing in New York, all this time, hitting all the restaurants ?   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



HOW MANY FOREIGN CRIMINALS OPERATE OUT OF, OR LIVE IN, THE REPUBLIC OF MALTA ?


 

Two totally unrelated news stories this week have pointedly referred to the fact that foreign organized crime groups, in this specific case, La Cosa Nostra, are operating out of Malta, where  companies whose licenses are revoked can continue their criminal activities with impunity, and that allegedly corrupt European businessmen have relocated their residences to the EU Member nation. 

There are dozen of cases where criminal elements have set themselves up in the other Citizenship by Investment (CBI) jurisdictions, especially in the East Caribbean states, where they not have free reign to engage in racketeering, due to cooperating governments, but we are now seeing this occur in Malta, which maintains the sole remaining EU CBI passport sales scheme,  (though under legal attack by the European Commission) and which shows no effort to discourage foreign crime. Remember, this is a country where the Prime Minister makes regular trips on his yacht to Sicily, for reasons never disclosed to those who voted him into office.

While we certainly do not know how many Italian Mafiosi are hiding amongt their Maltese brethren,  records of the arrival of suspected financial criminals exist in airline passenger manifests. Don't expect the Malta Police to seek that information, through, as the word from Auberge de Castille is to ignore anyone who brings business into Malta, irrespective of its legitimacy, or lack thereof. Welcome to Malta, the new Panama, where literally anything goes.

 

Tuesday, November 23, 2021

SAAB MORAN'S ATTORNEY REQUESTS AN EARLY DECEMBER STATUS HEARING

 

The attorney for Defendant ALEX NAIN SAAB MORAN has filed a motion to a Status Hearing in early December. The points he has raised in his motion:

(1) Noting that the case is currently set for a late December Calendar Call, where trial readiness is discussed, Saab's counsel pointed out that the trial judge that his client's appeal of the adverse ruling on his diplomatic immunity issue is still pending,

(2) Counsel apparently wants to discuss scheduling pre-trial procedure, and the setting on a trial date.

(3) Counsel has specifically mentioned depositions, which can be authorized by the Court under Criminal Rule 15. he may ask for them to be taken, but he must show "exceptional circumstances and in the interests of justice." Given defense counsel's exceptional experience and credentials, you must consider whether he is contemplating pretrial actions that will potentially have an effect on post-trial relief, which he has, in other cases, employed successfully on behalf of other prominent clients. 


Rule 15. Depositions (Dec. 1, 2012)

Primary tabs

(a) When Taken.

(1) In General. A party may move that a prospective witness be deposed in order to preserve testimony for trial. The court may grant the motion because of exceptional circumstances and in the interest of justice. If the court orders the deposition to be taken, it may also require the deponent to produce at the deposition any designated material that is not privileged, including any book, paper, document, record, recording, or data.

(2) Detained Material Witness. A witness who is detained under 18 U.S.C. §3144 may request to be deposed by filing a written motion and giving notice to the parties. The court may then order that the deposition be taken and may discharge the witness after the witness has signed under oath the deposition transcript.



The motion is stated as being without opposition from the US Attorney's Office. Page 1 appears above; Page 2 is below.




Sunday, November 21, 2021

SUSPECT CHARGED IN ASSASSINATION OF CANADA'S ALLEGED MONEY LAUNDERING KINGPIN

 

CAIXUAN QIN and JIAN JUN ZHI

Whilst most people regard money laundering as a low-risk white collar crime, from time to time we see just how dangerous it can be. A suspect has been arrested in Vancouver in the assassination of JIAN JUN ZHU, alleged to have been Canada's most prolific money launderer. RICHARD CHARLES REED, who has prior felony convictions, is accused of killing Jian back in September, whilst he was dining at a Japanese restaurant in Richmond, B.C. Another individual was injured but survived. A motive for the murder has not been made public by the authorities. 

Jian, who reportedly laundered more than CAD$250m a year in criminal proceeds, through the casino industry, is believed to have been the largest laundryman in British Columbia. He cleaned dirty cash by taking money in the PRC from Chinese VIP gamblers unable to move their funds out of China, and providing casino chips or cash in Canada. No money moved through international commerce, using this technique, which is essentially a swap of funds. It has been dubbed the "Vancouver Model" by the press, although it merely adapted a commonly used strategy.

Jian and his wife CAIXUAN QIN,  operated a money service business, SILVER INTERNATIONAL, that Canadian law enforcement has alleged was an illegal, unlicensed underground bank engaged in money laundering.

 

 

Saturday, November 20, 2021

WILL CORRUPT FIFA VICE PRESIDENT JAMES WEBB FINALLY BE SENTENCED IN DECEMBER ?

 

While the other FIFA officials convicted in a major corruption scandal have been paying for their sins by serving their prison sentences, former FIFA VP James Webb has been living comfortably in his Atlanta home, with his professional wife. They are known to have thrown some very nice parties there, for their affluent social circle. It has been six years since Webb entered a guilty plea, but it appears that he has been regarded as such a valuable cooperator that eleven times the Court has postponed his sentence, with the active assistance of the Department of Justice. What's wrong with this picture ? Justice is supposed to be blind.

Mr. Webb, who has enjoyed his freedom, instead of serving a sentence, has also benefited in another way from his cooperator status; he has escaped extradition to his native Cayman Islands, where he faces another major criminal case, due to the unfinished nature of his assistance. How can that in any way be justice ?

Most criminal defendants with long sentences are imprisoned after sentencing, to avoid their flight to avoid serving their time.  If they are lucky enough to assist the DOJ in securing an indictment of another, or in seizing criminal assets, the prosecutor will file a rule 35 Motion for Reduction of Sentence, and the Court then shaves off a portion of their remaining sentence, giving them early release. Mr.Webb, however, is still a free man, six years on. Is he being rewarded for his cooperation, as well as proposed cooperation against even more senior FIFA officers (its President ?), so that he serves no prison time at all ? 

He has obviously negotiated a special arrangement with prosecutors, who are clearly looking for bigger fish to fry. The preferential treatment accorded him by the DOJ should anger the American taxpayer, for the average defendant would have been transported to prison long ago. Unfortunately, most details of favored treatment accorded convicted cooperators are kept from public view, keeping the taxpayer in the dark about the true nature of the case. Only America's criminal defense lawyers know what's really going on behind the scenes, and they have good reason to stay silent; their clients quietly benefit.

If it became common knowledge, regarding how the guilty are rewarded, for assisting in the arrest of most wanted individuals, or the seizure of their criminal profits, there might just be legislation enacted to conduct oversight on this practice, or severely restrict its operation. If you are unaware of how widespread this practice is, get a subscription to PACER, where you can read the actual case filings, and see for yourself . You may be angry, but that could be a beginning of something interesting.



 


FOR ONCE, THE PUNISHMENT FITS THE CRIME: FIFTEEN YEARS FOR DRUG MONEY LAUNDERING

Xizhi Li


We have repeatedly rendered our position on this blog, regarding what we believe to be insufficient Federal prison sentences for money laundering. A District Judge in the Eastern District of Virginia appears to have gotten it right: the Court pronounced a fifteen (15) years sentence for Money laundering Conspiracy, with a $10m Forfeiture Consent Order. Such a sentence is certain to be noticed.

XIZHI LI, reported to be a US citizen originally from China, who formerly resided in Mexico, led a $30m transnational money laundering enterprise that served narcotics trafficking organizations, including the Sinaloa Cartel, and its leader Joaquin "El Chapo"  Guzman. The only way that there will be sufficient deterrence is to impose such sentences that will cause individuals to think twice before engaging in the laundering of large amounts of criminal proceeds. Anything less will not serve to frighten off potential money launderers. Offenders who receive short sentences for money laundering will, after a few years elapse after their release, forget the minor consequences of their prior case, and re-engage with the criminal community, unless their earlier experience is harsh, blunt, and painful.

Remember, the twenty years maximum penalty for money laundering is rarely, if ever, imposed; in my opinion, this is one of the reasons that transnational money laundering has proliferated; the participants do not fear the possible outcome. They are mesmerized by the profits, and lured in to a life of crime with an unhappy ending. We should support long sentences, which may scare more possible laundrymen into staying on the straight and narrow.


Friday, November 19, 2021

READ FINMA RULING ON TWO SWISS BANKS ALLEGEDLY INVOLVED IN VENEZUELAN MONEY LAUNDERING


The Swiss financial regulator known as FINMA has found that two Swiss banks breached their anti-money laundering obligations, regarding Venezuela, and the country's petroleum agency, PdVSA. The ruling appears above.


The two banks are:

BANCA ZARATTINI & CO SA

 


 

CBH COMPAGNIE BANCAIRE  HELVETIQUE SA

 


 

FIRST MARTINELLI BROTHER PLEADS NOT GUILTY IN NEW YORK: HIS LAWYER SAYS HE WILL ENTER A PLEA OF GUILTY

 

Luis Enrique Martinelli Linares, the first of two sons of former Panamanian President Ricardo Martinelli Berrocal to be extradited from Guatemala on money laundering charges in the Odebrecht bribery case, entered a plea f not guilty this week. his counsel stated on the record that he will be changing his plea shortly. He was, of course, denied bond (Pretrial Detention order).

 His brother Ricardo Martinelli Linares reportedly has now also waived in Guatemala, and is expected to also be extradited in the immediate future.

Thursday, November 18, 2021

JURY VERDICT COMES DOWN AGAINST PLAINTIFF IN DEFAMATION CASE IN MIAMI



If you were wondering whatever happened to Steven Slom vs. Kenneth Rijock,  the five year old defamation case in Miami-Dade Circuit Court (state court), the case came on for jury trial this week, to ascertain whether there are any damages for liability. Slom's attorney computed the damages at trial in an amount in excess of $600,000. I asserted that the correct figure was zero dollars.

 The jury verdict for Mr Slom was for One Dollar ($1.00). In truth and in fact, the jury originally came back with a verdict awarding Mr. Slom zero dollars ($0.00), but the Court instructed the jury to deliberate further, and it returned with the one dollar award to Mr. Slom, meaning that he will not recover anything in the case. It is a win for yours truly.   


I have never had a final judgment for damages entered against me in any case involving defamation, libel or slander. Long-time readers know that I wrote many thousands of articles as World-Check's Financial Crime Consultant, as well as articles for Complinet prior to that. This blog, which is more than a decade old, contains several thousand more. Do you see any successful defamation suits citing to those articles ?

 Many individuals who have been the subject of my financial crime articles have alleged that I have lost defamation and libel cases, but this is completely untrue; their feeble efforts at character assassination mark them as the criminals they really are, seeking to kill the messenger to divert attention from their sins and transgressions. Your efforts have failed, gentlemen, and this blog will continue to expose money laundering and financial crime wherever it is found. stay tuned. 


PROFESSOR BAGLEY RECEIVES SIX MONTHS FOR LAUNDERING FOR SAAB MORAN

 



Bruce Bagley, an internationally known expert on Latin American narcotics trafficking, and formerly an esteemed professor at the University of Miami, received a sentence of six months' imprisonment this week, in US District Court in New York (SDNY), fo money laundering. The defendant admitted to moving money into the United States for Alex Nain Saab Moran, now an accused Colombian money launderer himself awaiting trial in Federal court in Miami (SDFL).

The guidelines for Bagley's offense was for several years, and the US Probation Office had suggested a sentence of twelve months, due to his advanced age and ill health. the Judgment and Notice of Commitment appears below. Supervised Release was not imposed, and the Court recommended the nearest Federal medi]asl Center

The defendant's attorney has, in his Sentencing Memorandum, reportedly asserted that his client was told that the laundered money was being funneled through a third party, and ultimately to attorneys who represented Saab during secret meetings he had with the DEA, in Colombia and in Europe, relevant to his cooperation. Whether Saab Moran is cooperating cannot be confirmed.





Wednesday, November 17, 2021

SAAB MORAN CASE SET FOR TRIAL IN JANUARY

 




The US District Judge in Alex Nain Saab Moran's Miami money laundering case has set the cause for trial during the first two weeks of January, 2022. Whether this setting was scheduled as a matter of court procedure, or to confuse those of us looking for evidence confirming that Saab has negotiated his plea bargain with the US Attorney's Office, we cannot say, but we will be closely monitoring the docket.

 




Monday, November 15, 2021

READ THE DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE ANNOUNCEMENT ABOUT LUIS MARTINELLI EXTRADITED TO THE US TO FACE ODEBRECHT MONEY LAUNDERING CHARGES


Panamanian Intermediary Charged with Money Laundering Extradited to the United States From Guatemala

Luis Martinelli Linares Allegedly Facilitated the Payment of Bribes from Odebrecht S.A. for the Benefit of a Panama Government Official

BROOKLYN, NY – Luis Enrique Martinelli Linares (Luis Martinelli Linares) was extradited from Guatemala to the United States today on an indictment filed in federal court in Brooklyn charging him and his brother, Ricardo Alberto Martinelli Linares (Ricardo Martinelli Linares), with money laundering offenses for their roles in a bribery and money laundering scheme involving Odebrecht S.A. (Odebrecht), a Brazil-based global construction conglomerate.  Luis Martinelli Linares is scheduled to be arraigned tomorrow before United States Magistrate Judge Marcia M. Henry.

Breon Peace, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, Kenneth A. Polite Jr., Assistant Attorney General of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, and Michael J. Driscoll, Assistant Director-in-Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office (FBI), announced the extradition.

“The extradition of Luis Martinelli Linares to the Eastern District of New York is a significant first step in holding him accountable for allegedly laundering millions of dollars in bribe payments through bank accounts in New York and elsewhere,” stated United States Attorney Peace.  “Combatting bribery and money laundering by extraditing and prosecuting corrupt foreign actors like Martinelli is a priority of the Department of Justice.”

“The successful extradition of Luis Martinelli Linares demonstrates the department’s commitment to work with our international partners to pursue, capture and extradite those who use the U.S. financial system to further their corrupt schemes and launder illicit funds,” stated AAG Polite. “Thanks to the efforts of our law enforcement partners in Guatemala, Luis Martinelli Linares will be held accountable in the United States for his alleged crimes.”

“Anyone who facilitates bribe payments to government officials contributes to national security risks, whether overtly or inadvertently, and interrupts the free market system of international trade," stated FBI Assistant Director-in-Charge Driscoll. “The FBI will use all available resources to put an end to this type of corrupt behavior.”

On December 21, 2016, Odebrecht pleaded guilty in the Eastern District of New York to a criminal information charging it with conspiracy to violate the anti-bribery provisions of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act for its involvement in the bribery and money laundering scheme. 

The overarching Odebrecht scheme involved the payment of more than $700 million in bribes to government officials, public servants, political parties, and others in Panama and other countries around the world to obtain and retain business for the company.  Luis Martinelli Linares and Ricardo Martinelli Linares allegedly conspired with others to launder approximately $28 million in bribe payments made by and at the direction of Odebrecht to a then high-ranking government official in Panama (Panama Government Official), who was a close relative of the defendants. 

CREDIT: US DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE WEBSITE