AMERICA TAKES OFF THE GLOVES FOR A CORRUPT FOREIGN NATIONAL LEADER; ROBERT ABELA AND JOSEPH MUSCAT PLEASE TAKE NOTE

 

Malta's Bright Future by COSIMO

The leaders of the world's offshore jurisdictions, where transnational money laundering, and the facilitation of global narcotics trafficking are not only permitted, they are encouraged, have long felt immune to threats of indictment from the American Department of Justice. After all, it has been thirty and forty years, respectively. since Panama's General Manuel Noriega, and the Turks & Caicos Chief Minister Norman Saunders, were charged with narcotics and money laundering offenses. The prevailing sentiment amongst them has been that the United States, to foster international cooperation, has chosen to keep its hands off foreign corrupt national leaders. 

However, this week's events have demonstrated that the recent American national focus on corruption, resulting in the arrest of British Virgin Islands Premier Andrew Fahie, on narcotics trafficking and money laundering charges, indicates that foreign leaders no longer can feel safe when they facilitate drug trafficking and financial crime. Fahie, and another senior BVI official, the Port Director, were arrested in Miami. Another defendant, also from the BVI, was arrested in St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands. The defendants have a hearing on Pretrial Detention next Wednesday, where bond will most likely be denied. 

 The British Government has already moved to dissolve the BVI government, suspend the Constitution for two years, and place Governor John Rankin, a British diplomat, in control during that time. Apparently, the UK is now on the same page regarding official corruption. The BVI will probably be returned to UK rule.

Corrupt foreign national leaders, who generally believe their attorneys when they are incorrectly advised that they have diplomatic immunity from foreign prosecution, should govern themselves accordingly, especially Malta Prime Minister Robert Abela, and his mentor, former PM Joseph Muscat, who have  bragged to their PL associates that they will never be charged in the United States, due to their political status. They might want to ask Norman Saunders what his experience was like in an American prison, when he served his sentence here, for his crimes. General Noriega served 20 years in Miami, then spent time in French and Panamanian prisons, before his death in a hospital in 2017. It was certainly not the ending to his life that he anticipated, as the dictator of Panama.

Last Glimmer of Hope Dashed Forever  by COSIMO

We doubt that Abela and Muscat are sleeping very soundly tonight.