TROUBLE IN PARADISE: MICHELLE MUSCAT, FEARING THE LONG ARM OF JUSTICE, SPLITS FROM HER HUSBAND

 

                               Joseph and Michelle leave the Garden of Eden by COSIMO
 

A source inside Malta's Labour Party has reported that MICHELE MUSCAT, the wife of disgraced former Prime Minister Joseph Muscat, has split from her husband, and moved out of the family home. Mrs. Muscat, said to be on the verge of hysteria at the prospect of prison time for money laundering, is known to fear the long arm of American justice.

The basis for the marital crisis is well known. Friends of Michell Muscat have asserted that she hates her husband for involving her in a complicated system of laundering  his bribes and kickbacks, as well as cleaning his share of the profits of Malta's many criminal operations, which he received, similar to that of Mafia Dons, as he ordered. Their marriage, known to be purely for political reasons, is more of a business arrangement than a romantic relationship.

We have previously detailed Mrs. Muscat's involvement in laundering the proceeds of crime through luxury fashion houses; she has also been linked to a number of other laundering schemes, and is one of Malta's most prominent targets of investigations conduced by foreign law enforcement agencies.

Joseph Muscat is said to be extremely depressed as the result of his marital strife. He remains out of the public eye, in truth and in fact shut in at home, awaiting his dark future.

JUDGE IMPLICTED IN MASSIVE SAINT LUCIA LAND FRAUD SCANDAL WAS FROM DOMINICA; WAS THERE SIMILAR FRAUD PERPETRATED THERE ALSO ?

 

                                                          Judge Albert Matthew   
 

If you have been reading our series on the land fraud scandal we are investigating in Saint Lucia, be advised that Justice, (then Judge), ALBERT MATTHEW, was a native of the Commonwealth of Dominica. Because of the seriousness of the allegations against the late jurist, investigators are reaching out to their confidential sources inside Dominica, to determine whether the St. Lucia land theft type of criminal activity has been perpetrated against Dominica landowners.

We have a report that Judge Matthew was a close friend of Dominica Prime Minister ROOSEVELT SKERRIT, and we have advised the investigators to inquire as to whether Skerrit, or any member of his extended family, acquired title to real property through inheritance from, or through,  a non-relative. Was any real estate acquired by the Skerrit family from a Dominica family who were deceased. or living abroad ? That was the method employed in St. Lucia, where land records were changed, forged or fabricated.

 

 

PM Skerrit is known to have very extensive real estate holdings in Dominica, which cannot be explained by his small annual salary and assets. While most outside observers believe that he purchased the properties with the Proceeds of Crime ( bribes, payments for diplomatic passports, money laundering), it is possible he, or his family members, were involved in land fraud similar to that now being exposed in Saint Lucia. We shall continue to investigate Judge Matthew's role; stay tuned.

WHY MALTA'S RULERS FEAR ALI SADR HASHEMI NEJAD MORE THAN THE UK AND USA

 

             Haunted by Daphne's Ghost, Dr. Muscat falls into Hellfire below by COSIMO

Four long years ago, Iranian-owned and controlled- Pilatus Bank imploded; the European Central Bank pulled its license, and the bank's primary mission, laundering the Proceeds of Crime from Venezuela, Iran, Azerbaijan, Russia and God knows who else, was publicly exposed. The bank was a supreme embarrassment to Malta, and to a lesser extent, the European Union, which had fast-tracked the license, with Maltese Government urging.

Now, four years later, notwithstanding that the Magistrate's Report recommended charging the Officers and Directors of the Bank with money laundering,and the Police Commissioner's promise to file them within 30 days, absolutely nothing has been done. the Maltese and foreign nationals who were Directors still reside in Malta,and are free to continue their dark deeds with impunity.

 

The tepid excuse unofficially offered by Government officials is that they are waiting for the US Federal case filed by the Bank, which is a request to make Discovery from the former Competent Person, to be dismissed. This is just one more Government trick to run out the Statute of Limitations on any possible criminal charges, for if Sadr was to cooperate in a Malta criminal case. he might implicate disgraced PM Joseph Muscat, PM Robert Abela, and several others who pushed the bank application, in exchange for bribes and other illegal compensation. Sadr would force Malta to name all the dirty players, and Malta's Labour Party, without its "Champagne Socialist" corrupt leaders, might disintegrate.

Therefore, since Malta's leaders still doubt that United States and the United Kingdom will actually do anything to bring them down, they play the dilatory legal game, praying that they can get away with it. How wrong they are.

VICTIMS OF FRAUDULENT FORECLOSURES BROUGHT BY FAY SERVICING IDENTIFY THE ATTORNEYS WHO FILED THOSE CASES

 

                                       Edward Fay, the reputed owner of Fay Servicing LLC

If you follow this blog, you have seen a number of articles regarding Fay Servicing LLC, the Chicago-based mortgage servicing firm alleged by victims to have brought numerous illegal and fraudulent mortgage foreclosure actions during the COVID-19 Pandemic, most of which reportedly resulted in the loss of their homes, due to what victims say were material misrepresentations of fact, and illegal conduct. We have posted links to some of those stories at the end of this article, for your further reading.

The victims have identified two attorneys who have filed a large number of these foreclosure actions, which they assert were either filed when the underlying mortgages were not in default, or were filed after  fraudulent and illegal actions were committed by Fay Servicing, or its agents and representatives. Many of the victims were Senior Citizens without any education or experience in legal matters, and who were allegedly manipulated, misdirected, and lied to by Fay Servicing, which sought to illegally deprive them of their homes. It has been reported that there are a number of investigations into alleged misconduct by law enforcement and regulatory authorities in several states. Some observers have dubbed the company a "Foreclosure Mill. " operating to acquire real estate through litigation initiated for illegal purposes.  Additionally, COVID-19 Relief funds may have been used to support the salaries and overhead of staff members and attorneys who brought these allegedly illegal actions, which is a violation of the law and provides severe penalties.

We are identifying these attorneys as a public service, without making any representations as to their conduct in filing and bringing these mortgage foreclosures. If your residence was foreclosed during the COVID-19 Pandemic, and one or more of these lawyers was involved, you are advised to secure the professional services of a competent attorney to protect your interests, and to make the appropriate inquiries with Federal, state and local authorities, with special attention to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB). and to violations of the Federal Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, and Fla. Stat. §559.

                                                                Arnold Graff, Esq.

ARNOLD L GRAFF, State Bar of California License 269170,WRIGHT, FINLAY & ZAK, 4665 MacArthur Court, Suite 20, Newport Beach, California 92660.

                                                            Kristina Pelletier, Esq.

KRISTINA M.PELLETIER,  State Bar of California License 279533. WRIGHT, FINLAY & ZAK,  4665 MacArthur Court, Suite 20, Newport Beach, California 92660.

You may also need this information: FAY SERVICING LLC, 939 West North Avenue, Suite 680, Chicago, Illinois 60642.  

For Further Reading:

Deceptive Mortgage Servicing Company Fay Servicing exploits and cheats borrowers  

See also Meyer v. Fay Servicing. LLC, 385 F.Supp. 3d 1235 (M.D. Fla.2019); Alexander v. Fay Servicing, Case No.18-252 (D.N.H.).

 

COMPLIANCE OFFICERS: DO NOT RELY UPON ESTABLISHMENT MEDIA IN CORRUPT JURISDICTIONS

 

 The commercial-off-the-shelf databases of high risk persons and entities rely extensively upon articles and feature stories by the world's major media, as they are generally thought to be accurate, the information verified and confirmed, and trustworthy for due diligence purposes. That is usually true for the most part, but compliance officers should not trust media, no matter how establishment they appear to be, if located in jurisdictions where corruption reigns.

Allow me to explain why: leaders in countries with rampant, systemic corruption, often exert substantial influence upon local media, even those with long histories of accuracy. Their purpose is to minimize, or even eliminate, any stories that expose official corruption, and paint the regime in an unfavourable light, which might prove disastrous at election time. Therefore, corrupt leaders, through their officials who place lucrative official notices and adverts in media, thus supporting their operation, pressure editors to ignore, or kill, negative stories. That revenue might make the difference between making a profit, and being forced to close due to income generated that is insufficient to keep the newspaper open and running. Some jurisdictions give cooperating media additional opportunities, such as television exposure on captive state-controlled media, as an additional incentive.

Other methods in common use, which illustrate why you simply cannot rely upon local newspapers and online news resources in countries where corruption rules:

(1) The regime promises, and delivers, imports interviews with government officials, only so long as the news source plays ball with them.

(2) The regime threatens to revoke licenses and permits necessary to the daily operation of the newspaper, unless it publishes what amounts to propaganda, press releases disguised as news stories. 

(3) The owners of the newspaper or news website may actually be members of the ruling party, and have a stake in the future of the regime in power. Therefore, all the news it prints about government action is shown as positive, and critical stories are killed in the newsroom.

(4) Local politicians may actually ghostwrite articles, which appear under the bylines of the newspaper's journalists; That is news management on a grand scale, deceiving the reader.

While the countries of the East Caribbean are among the worst offenders it has been my pleasure to label is having untrustworthy press resources, any country with rampant corruption, such as Malta, also has mainstream press that twists the truth to keep its regime in power, and cover up bad news.

When conducting due diligence, or enhanced due diligence, inquiries, first ascertain whether the jurisdiction has a high level of corruption. If so, avoid relying upon the facts in the articles in local media for truth, even if that material is contained in your customary research material, as it is definitely not accurate or authoritative, for compliance purposes.

THE MYSTERY SURROUNDING MATTHIAS KRULL'S SEALED FILES GETS EVEN KNOTTIER

 

 If you have been closely watching developments in the case of Swiss banker & convicted money launderer Matthias Krull, you know that a court ruling in the casewas ordered sealed for one year. Considering that Krull is believed to have important information about the money launderers in his Miami Federal case, and in a yet unfiled case in SDNY, involving money launderers operating in the Republic of Malta, any Grand Jury testimony,,(which is sealed by law) he has given, could affect both cases.

 When it was recently unsealed, the year having run, we learned that the defendant received an extraordinary 65% reduction upon his ten year prison sentence. Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 35(b) allows a defendant's sentence to be reduced for "Substantial Assistance" in the indictment of others, or government acquisition of important assets. Most sentence reductions granted do not exceed fifty per cent.

At the same time of the unsealing of the sentence reduction order from 2020, the Court also sealed yet another document, which now has an additional year before it can be opened by the press and public.What could it be this time ? There is an obscure provision in Rule 35(b) that allows the Court to take a second bite out of Krull's sentence. This section is seldom used, as assistant US Attorneys want defendants to serve a substantial portion of their sentence, and shaving off most of someone's sentence may send the wrong message to the public.

What is in that sealed order with the strange one year measured expiration date ? Most sealed documents in a criminal case are so designated to conceal the identities of other potential defendants not yet named, or other information that the Government cannot release. Is Matthias Krull going to receive a reduction of the balance of his sentence, allowing him to walk out a free man ? Is this possible reduction contingent on Krull testifying in court in a future case ? There is no information available, but the Miami money laundering defendants, as well as the targets in Malta, should be concerned. Krull may be the golden goose for the US Attorney's Office, the person who will be a key witness in their cases, resulting in their convictions. 

MUSCAT BATTENS DOWN THE HATCHES, GOES UNDERGROUND

 

 

                          The Schembri throws the Muscat into the Abyss by COSIMO
 

If you were wondering where Malta's defrocked Prime Minister, Joseph Muscat, is hanging out these days, we regret to inform you that the formerly very public ex-public figure has literally locked himself in at home. He has, however, made sure that certain, what are referred to by estate agents as "improvements," have been made to his personal abode. This information comes directly from an individual very close to Mr. Muscat, who disclosed the details to our source, in an unguarded moment.            

First of all, Muscat has two armed security agents on duty, as a protective detail, around the clock. That is the same complement  he had when PM. Are the people of Malta paying for it, we wonder ? We understand he is being driven around in a sedan similar to that which he used whilst Prime Minister. Again, who is footing the bill for this private citizen ?

Second, there are a multitude of CCTV cameras, focused upon both interior, as well as exterior, to monitor the residence. Here's a hint: the cameras are NOT there to keep journalists out.  

Third, there is a door-within-a-door. This means that a blastproof, entryproof and bulletproof reinforced door, located inside the front door. This arrangement serves to delay any intruder, to give defenders time to respond. It also sets up a "Kill Zone," where invaders have no cover or concealment, which reduces their chances of survival.   

We gather that Brother Muscat is expecting an attempt to snatch him, and spirit him overseas, to make a court appearance in a faraway land. Really, are you contemplating the Special Air Service, or Delta Force, Joseph ? You can be so dramatic deep down, you know something untoward is headed straight for you. Last chance for Confession. 

MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING IN MALTA; WHAT DID YOU EXPECT, ANYWAY ?

 

                                        Prince Muscat, "My Kingdom for a Horse"   by COSIMO
 

 Informed sources within Malta have advised that, notwithstanding the expanding scope of the present Times of Malta corruption case, no Member of Parliament will go to prison as the result, and the massive money laundering which is choreographed by Malta's senior leaders will continue. Our source, whose information has been independently confirmed by two others knowledgeable in internal Maltese politics, meaning the Labour Party, notes that while minor players may end up with sentences of incarceration, the corrupt justice system will give higher-ups a pass. 

 At the same time, you can expect to see another investigation appearing in the major media, part of which is unabashedly pro-Labour, and that this new matter will serve to sufficiently distract Maltese voters until the anticipated Summer elections, when they will be again be asked to return Labour to power, based primarily upon economic promises for the future. No significant action will be taken against the corruption and money laundering which is orchestrated from the cabinet level.

Quite frankly, the only viable solution is indictment of officials, coming from overseas jurisdictions, which is imminently expected, and which is keeping senior present and former government officials up at night. They do not fear charges originating in Malta, which can be managed, or made to go away, but those from outside, which would result in substantial prison time, and loss of criminally-acquired assets, scare them.

MALTA'S WHISTLEBLOWER PREDICTS THAT SOME DEFENDANTS WILL COOPERATE

                          Muscat, Schembri and Cini on their Ship of Fools  by COSIMO
 

 

Now that Malta's  major media has reported that his former Chief of Staff has thrown Joseph Muscat literally under the bus, asserting that not only did he know about the criminal activity, but he authorized it, we can expect to see some of the principal defendants in the Times of Malta case will be cooperating. Some of these individual are looking at possible lengthy prison terms, and Malta's prison facilities are not known for being either comfortable or safe. Unsolved deaths in Malta's correctional facilities must surely be on the minds of the defendants.

That's the opinion of Malta's famous Whistleblower, Maria Efimova, who has made this prediction: " I think Brian Tonna or Karl Cini will talk soon." She's not wrong. The pressure to cooperate, and thereby insure a shorter prison sentence, must be intense right now. Cini, who was publicly upset during his arrest, may be the first to flip.

The pendulum, after three years of steadfast and stubborn refusal to assist in any criminal investigation being conducted in Malta, has definitely swung back towards justice, but we haven't seen any convictions yet. As Maria stated, " Many games are now being played in Malta. Let's hope our team will win."

On the issue of Egrant, though she said "Muscat tries so hard to avoid the Egrant inquiry reopening, " referring to his bland public statement, in which he limited his comments to the "official" ruling that his wife, Michele was not the beneficiary, she stated that she is determined  to "protect the evidence," until justice is served, and will decline to make any statements to affect the outcome, " I don't want to say something that later may let him walk free." 

Is the Times of Malta case the game-changer regarding the reopening of Egrant ? Only time will tell, but rest assured we will be closely watching how quickly Egrant is revisited, and who takes a fall as the result.

ANTIGUA: IT WILL TAKE SEVEN YEARS TO STRIP INDIA'S MOST WANTED CRIMINAL OF THE CBI CITIZENSHIP WE SOLD HIM

 

 

The fugitive Indian diamond merchant, MEHUL CHOKSI, who is his country's Most Wanted, and who has taken refuge in Antigua, using his prized Antiguan CBI passport to defeat extradition, will be able to delay justice for many years, according to a government expert. Antigua's archaic legal system, which allows multiple, duplicitous appeals, and a final appeal to a UK court, will allow Choksi to remain free until at least 2127. How is this Due Process, by any definition of the term ?

For those who find the extraordinary delays unbelievable, the 7-year timeline was confirmed this week by Lionel Hurst, the Chief of Staff to Antigua's Prime Minister, Gaston Browne. He bluntly explained that Choksi has already availed himself of the initial appellate rights which he is entitled to. Antigua cancelled his Antigua CBI citizenship & passport in 2020.

In plain English, this means if you are doing business with an individual who holds an Antigua CBI passport, and you are a victim of his crimes, your country's government will not be able to extradite him for a very, very long time. Should Antigua abolish its CBI-CIP Citizenship by Investment passport sales scheme ? Why don't you ask the European Union, which has ordered its members to close down their CBI programmes, or suffer the consequences.

ALEXANDER KORSHUNOV, WANTED IN U.S. FOR ATTEMPTED THEFT OF AVIATION TECHNOLOGY

 

COURT ORDER DEMONSTRATES THAT U.S. PILATUS BANK DISCOVERY CASE IS STILL ACTIVE

 

Though we had concerns regarding whether In Re Pilatus Bank,  a request by bank counsel to conduct Discovery in the United States, had been dismissed, due to counsel's inability to effective service of process within a specific time set by the Court, it now appears that it remains active.

In an informative Procedural Order, the Court detailed the extensions of time that Pilatus' counsel has received in the past, with opposition consent, ending up with Pilatus opposing Respondent Lawrence Connell's request for additional time to respond. The Court then curtly ordered Pilatus to respond to Connell's motion for extension of time within 48 hours. Is the Court displeased with Pilatus' tactics ? We shall see as the case unfolds.

BRIGHT WEEK DEBACLE: THE MOST DANGEROUS MAN IN MALTA IS RELEASED ON BOND

                                                    Snakes at Sunset by COSIMO
 

 

Keith Schembri, the former Chief of Staff to Malta's disgraced ex-Prime Minister, has been released on bond, although he faces multiple serious financial crime charges, including money laundering. Many legal observers regard Schembri as the most dangerous man in Malta, due to his intimate relationship with the Maltese Mafia, his involvement in the Daphne assassination, and his decade of corrupt activity conducted on behalf of Joseph Muscat, for whom he committed unknown number of financial crimes, and  who specifically authorized crimes of violence.

Given that Schembri is a verified Danger to the Community, and a Flight Risk, due to his personal wealth and cousin the notorious Ryan Schembri , with whom he could join up with in Dubai, his release, based upon any combination of collateral and other factors, was improper, a violation of the Rule of Law, and deserves an inquiry as to whether there was any corruption involved in the ruling.

The response of the legal community, both within Malta as well as abroad, has been vocal. We want to know whether Joseph Muscat or Malta's current PM Robert Abela played any part in his release on bond. If he flees the jurisdiction for Sicily or parts unknown, which will not be difficult given his background and  criminal associates, Malta will have but one more legal black eye to show the European Union, and the Holy Doors will remain closed.

COMPLIANCE OFFICERS - IN THE CROSSHAIRS: THE FIVE MONEY LAUNDERING EAST CARIBBEAN CBI STATES

 

 

Donald Trump may not know where the Caribbean is, but the new Biden Administration most certainly does. Attention is now being focused upon the five East Caribbean States that sell Citizenship by Investment (CBI) passports, all of which are infected with money laundering, financial crime and corruption, which directly affect US citizens, financial institutions and businesses.

If you weren't paying attention in Geography class:

(1) ANTIGUA AND BARBUDA:  Neither the Stanford International bank Ponzi scheme, or the decade it took to extradite Antigua's banking regulator, LEROY KING, have been forgotten. Mehul Choksi, India's Most Wanted white-collar criminal has been given sanctuary there. Corruption in local government is rampant, and the offenders are rarely punished, although some lose their government jobs. The Colombian money launderer, ALEX NAIN SAAB MORAN used its offshore and one local bank to move dirty Venezuelan money in transit.

(2) THE FEDERATION OF SAINT CHRISTOPHER (KITTS) & NEVIS: The country's CBI passport programme has featured many of the world's most notorious transnational white-collar criminals. ALI SADR HASHEMI NEJAD and his family hold SKN passports, and do many Asian mega-criminals.

(3) THE COMMONWEALTH OF DOMINICA: PM ROOSEVELT SKERRITs dodgy diplomatic passport sales have given super-criminals, such as Iran's ALI REZA MONFARED, the ability to bypass Customs at international airports of entry, and smuggle the proceeds of crime wherever they want. Skerrit's vote-buying practices allow him to remain in office for two decades. Chinese use of its huge embassy for regional intelligence-gathering and espionage remains a problem. A dictatorship claiming to be a democracy.

(4) SAINT LUCIA: Sales of CBI passports to criminals and high-risk individuals continue. Recent exposure of extensive land fraud (PETER LEROY JOHN) has elevated the island's negative profile among compliance officers. 

(5) GRENADA: Massive Russian investment, of dubious origin, has dominated the island's CBI-centric economy. CBI Frauds, such as the Grenada Sustainable Aquacuture (GSA) Programme, which was a $18m theft perpetrated by the Iraqi national (with a Swedish passport) SOREN DAWODY, are never punished by local law enforcement.

 If you are a compliance officer at a North American or European Union bank, you should immediately raise your Country Risk assessments regarding these jurisdictions, and avoid any exposure to money laundering by conducting enhanced due diligence investigations on ALL clients and wire transfers to or from. Expect increased US law enforcement attention to all five of the East Caribbean states with CBI products in 2021.

 

 

 

LABOUR'S PORN STARS; WHERE WILL THEY SPEND THIS CHRISTMAS ?

 

 

                                            Checkmate by COSIMO

 Come December 25, where will all these prominent leaders be ? How many will be cooling their heels inside a Federal Pretrial Detention Center in America, as their flight risk status automatically with most certainly disqualify them for bond. They will probably be poring over their respective indictments, trying t absorb their attorneys' advice to swiftly make a decision on entering a plea, to save themselves from the consequences of their 20-year maximum exposure in the Money Laundering Control Act of 1986.

Their families most likely will not be visiting them, upon the advice of counsel, lest their spouses and significant others be exposed to possible interrogation, and even arrest, on conspiracy to commit money laundering charges, for the spouses enjoyed the fruit of their partners' illicit labours. Their holiday season will be a bleak one.

Additionally, there is the well-founded fear that certain of their partners in crime will decide to cooperate, to avoid a very long prison term, or worse, may have already rolled over, and given evidence or testimony that will seal their fate. The uncertainty and stress will be substantial; it is certainly not the way they have previously spent the holiday season, spending lavishly, traveling abroad, and lining the pockets of their subordinates with the proceeds of their joint criminal endeavors.

W e are wondering what these individuals are thinking now, at at night, in the privacy of their lavish homes, before sleep. That is, if they can sleep. Romans 6:23.