DID POLITICAL APPOINTEES IN THE TRUMP JUSTICE DEPARTMENT INTERFERE WITH FCPA PROSECUTIONS OF REPUBLICAN CONTRIBUTORS & TRUMP SUPPORTERS ?

 

 

All during the years of the Trump administrations, rumors continued to circulate about an unofficial "hands-off" policy at the Department of Justice, regarding any investigation or prosecution of prominent contributors to the Republican Party and Donald Trump's fundraising campaigns, especially regarding violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977. During his presidency, Trump placed a number of his supporters in prominent positions at DOJ; some of these jobs were generally taken by career people, (some of whom were clearly professionally unqualified),but Trump made sure that he had his supporters in senior decision-making positions, so that he could exercise control over who was charged, and not charged. 

Given that political contributions are a matter of public record, and readily available on the Internet, career prosecutors or law enforcement could easily ascertain whether an individual whose investigation was being slowed down, or even terminated, was a prominent Trump financial supporter.

We have heard from American law enforcement that they declined to even pursue such investigations, knowing that they would not be able to obtain an indictment from the Trump Department of Justice, due to political appointees at the DOJ, who would squelch any such cases long the moment information became known about their existence.

The FCPA provides for criminal penalties for Americans who pay bribes, or give kickbacks, to obtain or retain business from foreign government officials who have the authority to award what are often lucrative contracts. Individuals who are found guilty of violations face a maximum of twenty years of imprisonment and a $5m fine; corporations can be assessed up to $25m. The United States has long has a zero tolerance for violators of this law, as part of its global anti-corruption posture, and an individual must not be given favored treatment, due to his political contributions.

We call upon the Department of Justice Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR) to open an investigation into the matter, and where the evidence supports a finding of misconduct, take the appropriate  action against the individuals found to be responsible. We call upon the Attorney General to reopen any cases or investigations found to be closed or terminated for purely political, and not evidentiary, reasons, and where not barred by the the Statute of limitations, bring indictments against the violators. Let justice be served with any FCPA cases that were the subject of illegal interference.

MAJOR MEDIA DO THEIR READERS A DISSERVICE BY RECOMMENDING CITIZENSHIP BY INVESTMENT PASSPORT PROGRAMS

 

Mainstream articles appearing recently, in both the Wall Street Journal and Forbes, and discussing options available to affluent readers who might be interested in acquiring a Citizenship by Investment (CBI) passport and citizenship in one of the five East Caribbean States that have recently reduced the cost of their offerings, are not disclosing the negative aspects of purchasing, holding and using a CBI passport. The glossy marketing programs of the international consultancies that offer CBI products do no educate their prospective clients to these potential dangers; they find out later, to their dismay. Since  major media often end up endorsing CBI, without exploring the darker aspects, and risks, of buying them, we are shall now summarize what we believe to be the most important issues:

1. THESE JURISDICTIONS ARE PRESENT OR FORMER TAX HAVENS, WHERE MONEY LAUNDERING OF THE PROCEEDS OF NARCOTICS TRAFFICKING DID, OR STILL DOES, OCCUR. CBI passport buyers rarely consult a qualified independent attorney, to perform due diligence on the jurisdiction where the passport is being issued. Is it not still a known tax haven, and will that fact increase IRS scrutiny of the new passport owner, should he choose to bank ethere ? Is it now, or was it formerly, the depository of drug trafficking profits ? Passport purchasers may be, unwittingly, raising their profile with American and Canadian law enforcement by just acquiring, and using a CBI passport from a high-risk jurisdiction.

2. MANY OF THESE EXPENSIVE CBI PASSPORT PROGRAMS ALLOW THE ISSUER TO REVOKE THE PASSPORT WITHOUT ANY DUE PROCESS, OR LEGAL PROTECTION. Buyers may later find out, to their chagrin, that their prized passport can be revoked at will, without any legal cause or reason, and that this action is not subject to judicial or administrative review of any type. Furthermore, the local courts will most likely not be a suitable venue for redress of your grievances about the matter; as foreign plaintiffs opposing government agencies, your recovery is doubtful, and could even result in your arrest on bogus criminal charges.

3. MANY OF THESE CBI PASSPORTS ARE SOLD TO INTERNATIONAL CAREER CRIMINALS, AND YOUR CBI PASSPORT MAY END UP BEING TARNISHED BY ARRESTS OF OTHERS HOLDING A SIMILAR TRAVEL DOCUMENT, ESPECIALLY IF NEGATIVE MEDIA REPORTS EXPOSE THE PASSPORT AS A TOOL FOR CRIMINAL ACTIVITIES. The legitimate CBI passport holder may suffer from "guilt by association," where the jurisdiction is repeatedly cited in the press as a favorite device of white-collar criminals.

4. CBI PASSPORTS ARE OFTEN EMPLOYED BY INTERNATIONAL SANCTIONS EVADERS, TERRORIST FINANCIERS AND AGENTS OF STATE SUPPORTERS OF TERRORISM. do you really want to be associated with the likes of those classes of CBI passport holders ? Read where many news articles report that the individual arrested was found to be holding multiple CBI passports, all with different names and dates of birth. 

Before even considering purchasing a CBI passport, it is humbly suggested that you retain the services of a qualified attorney, experienced in the Caribbean environment, including its region-specific risks and dangers, especially where CBI passports are involved. Do not dive in feet first without learning about all the dangers you could possibly be exposing yourself to. After due consideration, you most likely will decide to pass on the CBI passport program, because it results in a level of potential risk that most individuals are not willing to assume. Caveat emptor.

AMERICA IGNORES THE CBI REPUBLICS AT ITS PERIL

 

Tunnel Vision by COSIMO

When the Biden Administration came into power on January 20, 2021, many legal observers believed that the long, Trump-ordered drought on major criminal indictments was soon to come to an end. Most though that political appointees at the Trump Department of Justice were slow-walking, and even killing, indictments where there might be Trump supporters, or even government officials, involved, even on the fringes, and soundly quashed any such cases early on.

Now, however, ten months into the tenancy of AG Garland, we are finding that the explosion of new indictments against known major targets did not occur. Is the reason the new Attorney General is cultivating a risk-adverse culture, such as unfortunately exists in a number of other government agencies ? Or is it that only international criminal activities not deemed to be direct threats to National Security are being attended to ? In either case, transnational crime in many sectors is being ignored.

One of the most glaring examples of neglect is the use of laundered US Dollars to fund dodgy Citizenship by Investment (CBI/CIP) passport programs, currently in operation in the East Caribbean states, which include St Kitts & Nevis, Antigua & Barbuda, The Commonwealth of Dominica, and Grenada. The Republic of Malta is the sole EU tax haven in the CBI business. All of these countries are still hawking  passports to international criminals, corrupt PEPs, international sanctions evaders, and agents from states supporting terrorism.

Meanwhile, the US DOJ, claiming that American law enforcement agencies are actively investigating these major targets, sits on its hands whilst these groups grow stronger each week. When will we start seeing those CBI laundromats closed down ? Is the Department of Justice following State Department instructions about not indicting the prime ministers of the CBI countries ? 

Most ( if not all)  of them are deeply involved in corruption, cleaning the Proceeds of Crime through  CBI payments, and even selling diplomatic passports  literally "under the table" to transnational criminals. Alex Nain Saab Moran was an Antiguan "Diplomat;" we wonder how much that cost him. Dozens of major fraudsters and career criminals hide behind purchased diplomatic passports, which give them inspection-free access at international airports of entry in most countries.

Again, the United States ignores the use of US Dollars, by the criminal elite in the CBI countries, which has resulted in the creation of Mafia states. When will America strike back at crime ?