DISTRICT COURT KICKS BACK FRANCISCO ILLARRAMENDI'S PRO SE 2255 PETITION, TO ALLOW HIM TO OBTAIN COUNSEL

The Venezuelan hedge fund operator, Francisco Illarramendi, whose 13-year sentence, for operating a Ponzi scheme was affirmed by the Second Circuit last year, has had his §2255 Petition returned to him, to allow him to request appointment of counsel. the Court, suggesting that the case involved complex issues, has given Illarramendi thirty days, from June 20, to petition for appointment of an attorney to assist him.

It may be a waste of judicial resources; the petition alleges ineffective assistance of counsel, in entering a guilty plea, due to the fact that Illarramendi alleges that he did not have his choice of counsel in his case. In truth and in fact, the defendant went through four defense attorneys, causing his case to be delayed for years, as each new counsel requested additional time to become familiar with what was a very complex case.

The law does not require a defendant to have a specific attorney represent him, only a competent and effective one.

NEWS BLACKOUT IN IRAN REGARDING ARRESTED DOMINICAN "DIPLOMAT" ALIREZA MONFARED

There has been zero press coverage, from Iran, regarding the Iranian "businessman," accused fraudster (and sanctions evader) Alireza Monfared, since he was seized, in the Dominican Republic by Iranian agents, several months ago, and transported to Iran. Monfared allegedly was a partner, with Babak Zanjani, now facing the death penalty, and Reza Zarrab, now facing American justice, but he has not shown up in any Iranian court, nor is there any coverage of his case.

Iran claims the three fraudsters, who moved billions of dollars in internationally-sanctioned Iranian oil, using gold, converted to US Dollars, diverted literally billions of dollars in state profits,  to their own control. Unless Zanjani disgorges this sum, the Government of Iran states that he will be executed. The trio used the Malaysian offshore financial center of Labuan, not only to move the money, but to actually harbor oil tankers carrying Iranian crude.

Monfared, who held both Diplomatic, as well as Citizenship by Investment (CBI) passports from the Commonwealth of Dominica,and used his diplomatic passport to evade arrest in Malaysia, was returned to Iran, via a circuitous ( Santo Domingo-Havanda-Moscow-Tehran) route, giving rise to the suspicion that he was actually a rogue intelligence agent of the Islamic Republic of Iran, which did not want the US to take him into custody, or even interview, hence the unusual, and indirect, travel, due to the classified information that he possessed, about Iran.

 Whether Monfared was collecting any intelligence, while he resided in Dominica, including whether he had any contact with intelligence officers at the local Embassy of the Peoples' Republic of China, which is unusually large, is not known. There is also no information regarding whether his duties included espionage.

Since his arrest, a Malaysian businessman has accused Monfared of failing to discharge substantial obligations incurred there; he is also accused for failing to follow through on his many verbal promises, to bring needed services to Dominica, in exchange for his diplomatic status. It is rumored that he paid corrupt senior government officials in Dominica $3m for his diplomatic passport, which was belatedly cancelled, after his arrest. the disposition of the $3m is not known; it was not received in the national treasury of  Dominica.

The Monfared scandal ignited a firestorm of controversy, over Dominica's issuance of diplomatic passports, to foreign nationals, allegedly for large sums paid covertly. Many of those foreign nationals have since been arrested, in several jurisdictions, and charged with criminal acts.

Dominican diplomatic passport holders arrested worldwide

TREASURY ACTION AGAINST BANK OF DANDONG IS A WARNING ABOUT RISK LEVELS AT ALL CHINESE BANKS

 The US Treasury's Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, filed against the Bank of Dandong, for assisting the DPRK (North Korea) in its illegal weapons programs, and for assisting in sanctions evasion, is a wake-up call for compliance officers who bank customers are conducting transactions with ANY Chinese financial institution. The Treasury Notice states that the Bank is a "financial institution of Primary Money Laundering Concern," which means that it will be denied access to the US financial structure. Readers who wish to review the Notice may access the complete text here.

Dandong is not the only Chinese bank that is assisting North Korea in evading US and global sanctions; it is just the first one named & shamed. There are indications that other Chinese financial institutions will be identified, and most likely, sanctioned in some way. If your bank clients are trading with Chinese companies, especially in manufacturing, where DPRK-made goods have been identified as having "Made in China" labels, the risk levels of your clients unwittingly importing North Korean goods should be examined, and appropriate action taken with the client, where you suspect North Korea is circumventing sanctions, up to and including account closing, and the filing of SARs.

Given the Trump Administration's hard-line attitude towards North Korea, which is completely justified, in my humble opinion, you can expect more sanctions, and you certainly do not want to be banking any American company exposed as a willing participant in the Chinese charade, when its Chinese bank facilitates evasion, through the use of their US correspondent accounts, to repatriate North Korean profits. Pay particular attention to Chinese banks in the north of China; the Bank of Dandong is literally at North Korea's doorstep.

ANTIGUA'S LEROY KING EVADES AMERICAN JUSTICE, ONE MORE TIME

The East Caribbean Supreme Court, in a total departure from the Rule of Law, has now allowed Leroy King, the fugitive former regulator from Antigua, to take an appeal, from a 2012 ruling, ordering his extradition to face justice, in the Stanford International Bank criminal case in Texas. The Court's action, which essentially ignores the 2017 decision, of the High Court, which was, for all intents and purposes, the end of King's ten year dilatory court effort to evade criminal prosecution,
has no basis in law or in fact.

King's purported Constitutional grounds have previously held to be without any legal merit, and the judgment of the East Caribbean Supreme Court, which delays extradition for at least two more years, if not longer, again confirms the continuing presence of political influence in many Caribbean courts, and will translate to increased Country Risk, not just for Antigua & Barbuda, but for the English-speaking countries in the region as a whole. If a country's court system is flawed, and ignores the Rule of Law, you do not want to be investing there, or having your bank clients doing business there, or risking loss by engaging in a financial transaction.

I wonder if those Caribbean Supreme Court Justices are aware of the economic consequences of their extension of protection to Leroy King, on spurious legal grounds ?

CANADA TO REQUIRE VISAS FROM DIPLOMATIC PASSPORT HOLDERS FROM CBI COUNTRIES

 Insiders with connections in Immigration have disclosed that Canada plans on requiring that holders of diplomatic passports, from five countries of the East Caribbean, and two in Europe, that offer Citizenship by Investment programs, to obtain visas, prior to entering Canada. This unusual act is an obvious effort to eliminate any diplomatic passport holders who do not meet the international requirements of the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, because they bought their so-called "diplomatic" status, with cash.

Before you start questioning this upcoming policy, as a violation of international law, let me advise you that genuine diplomats, entering Canada for official reasons, will not be affected, though this means that one claiming to be a diplomat must demonstrate to Canadian authorities:

(1) That he or she is a bona fide representative of Dominica, with a designated diplomatic posting in a specific country, or to an international organization or entity. This means they actually have a real job, not simply a passport.

(2) That he or she has presented credentials to that posting, and been recognized there.

(3) That the individual was entering Canada for a specific, relevant diplomatic purpose, and that this purpose is consistent with normal diplomatic activities.

Additionally, Since foreign nationals, as diplomats of another country are acceptable only under unusual circumstances, unless the "Dominican diplomat" was of Canadian origin, and being posted to Canada, do not expect immigration authorities to accept bogus reasons for nationals of other countries, carrying a Dominican (or other East Caribbean nations) diplomatic passport to be accepted as a bona fide diplomat on assignment to Canada. They have no legal excuse for being in Canada as diplomats.

Therefore, the genuine Dominican diplomats, posted to Canada, are to be freely admitted, without delay. The "unassigned" holders of diplomatic passports, will NOT be allowed into Canada. This should discourage the Iranian, Russian, Chinese, Venezuelan, Cuban, and the other usual suspects, who paid well, to play diplomat, evade Customs,  and commit various and sundry White Collar crimes.  

SPANISH COURT SETS IMPOSSIBLE BAIL CONDITIONS FOR "MATERIAL WITNESSES" IN BOGUS POLITICAL MONEY LAUNDERING CASE

A court in Spain's Canary Islands has set an obscenely high bond, for three "material witnesses," who have been illegally held for 20 months, in a bogus money laundering investigation filed for purely political and mercenary reasons, in a scandal that has exposed major flaws in Spain's criminal justice system. Vladimir Kokorev, a dual Russian-Spanish citizen, his wife & son, have been in custody, as witnesses, in a case where criminal charges have never been filed. Spain's adherence to the Rule of Law has been called into question, and this case has been raised in the European Court of Human Rights, as a major violation.

Ismael Gerli, a Panama attorney who perjured himself when he gave false testimony against Mr. Kokorev, is the sole witness against him, but Gerli is himself under criminal forgery charges in his native Panama, after he reportedly stole real estate from the Kokorevs, after their extradition to Spain, as Material Witnesses. He has been completely discredited, and cannot leave Panama, to testify at any future trial in Spain. How can the Spanish prosecutor justify this massive human rights violation ?

Bond has been set at €2m each, knowing that the Kokorevs cannot pay such an immense amount; they are listed as Material Witnesses, and have not been charged, either in this case, or any others. The bail conditions also require that they surrender their passports, and they are prohibited from leaving Spain. Bail was set at a prohibitive amount intentionally, according to observers familiar with Equatorial Guinea, whose petroleum reserves have long been coveted by Spanish business interests, and they are seeking Kokorev's testimony, against Guinean leaders, to replace them with others, favoring Spain.

If the Kokorevs had been convicted of money laundering, they would have already served the required 1/3 of the maximum sentence for that crime, and been provisionally released. Clearly, Spanish prosecutors are following the instructions of Spanish business interests not the Rule of Law. Nobody has been charged, the "witnesses" human rights have been totally violated, and the judges presiding over this case should be dismissed, and arrested.

PYRAMID/PONZI SCHEMER MURCIA FUNDED PANAMA AMERICA PURCHASE

With all the hoopla surrounding the money laundering charges being thrown around, in the matter of the Editorial Panama America SA (Epasa) scandal, nobody seems to want to discuss the 300 pound elephant in the room: the thrice-convicted Colombian Pyramid & Ponzi schemer, David Eduardo Helmut Murcia Guzmán, and his prominent role in the purchase.

Panama's fugitive ex-president, Ricardo Martinelli, and his close associate, Gabriel "Gabby" Btesh, were the buyers; both Martinelli & Beesh used the newspaper to smear anyone in Panama that they had differences with, or regarded as political or economic rivals. Btesh fled to Israel, where he cannot be extradited to Panama, to face justice for his corruption, and criminal activities. Agents involved in the illegal electronic and video surveillance of over 150 prominent Panamanians, and US officials working in the American Embassy, worked out of a building that Btesh owns.

A substantial amount of the money used to buy Panama America came from Murcia; the balance reportedly was stolen from various Panamanian governmental agency accounts.

MORE CBI BLOWBACK: CANADA INSTITUTES VISA REQUIREMENTS FOR ANTIGUA & BARBUDA

 A government announcement from Antigua today advised that, effective 0530 local time tomorrow, July 27, Antiguans wishing to visit Canada must first obtain a visa. Although Antigua has instituted  a number of reforms and upgrades to its Citizenship by Investment (CBI) program, risk factors for the region's other CBI programs, as a whole, have increased, which may be the reason for this new visa requirement, or de-risking programs instituted by North American financial institutions.

Canadian consultants familiar with the country's negative experiences with CBI passports holders from St Kitts & Nevis, and the Commonwealth of Dominica, may be responsible for the new visa rule, and not any problems or issues involving Antigua. Dominica in particular has been a source of trouble for Canada, specifically Iranians holding Dominican CBI, and/or diplomatic, passports and citizenship*. A number of these individuals have been deported; others are presently being held, in custody, by Canadian immigration authorities. 

Readers who wish further information, from an official source, may obtain it from Canada Immigration News. The Canada Immigration Newsletter, Canada Enforces Visa Requirement on Citizens of Antigua & Barbuda here.
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* More details can be found elsewhere on this blog.

UK BORDER FORCE DETAINS ARRIVING DOMINICA TRAVELER, SAYS HE IS FROM "HIGH RISK" COUNTRY

According to a report filed today, a traveler, with a passport from Dominica, arriving in London last Friday, in transit to the EU, was detained by UK Border Force, questioned at length, and had his bags and computer searched. He was reportedly told that he was traveling from "a high risk country."

This incident confirms that many Western nations are regarding individuals holding passport from Dominica, where foreign nationals may freely obtain Citizenship by Investment (CBI) passports, or even diplomatic passports, are being closely examined. Note that the traveler was only in transit, and not intending to enter the UK, but was still subject to detention, search & questioning at length, indicating the validity of his passport was one of the issues confronting the UK Border Force officers who detained him.

We have been predicting, for some time, that ordinary Dominican citizens would soon find themselves the subject of unwanted attention, at immigration checkpoints abroad, due to the publicity surrounding the possession of Dominicans passports, by career criminals, international sanctions evaders, and organized crime members. It appears that our concerns were justified.

IS DOMINICA HAWKING ILLEGAL DIPLOMATIC PASSPORTS BECAUSE ITS CBI PASSPORTS HAVE SUBSTANTIALLY LESS VALUE THAN OTHERS ?

While most Caribbean commentators have focused upon the fact that corrupt senior government officials in Dominica are illegally selling their diplomatic passports for big bucks (foreigners not authorized by the Geneva Convention of 1961), there is also another another major reason: "ordinary"  Dominican Citizenship by Investment (CBI) passports are valued at a much lower rate than those of the competition, Antigua & Barbuda, and St Kitts & Nevis. It is possible that agents are steering prospective clients away from considering Dominica, in favor of other jurisdictions offering the same product, forcing Dominica to push diplomatic passports, to snare the customer.

One of the leading international agent firms, which attracts CBI prospects on a global basis, and which calculates the value of passports, based upon a number of factors, including how many countries a certain country's passport will get you into, visa-free, lists Dominica as substantially less desirable than both Antigua and St Kitts; It is down on the list near Serbia, if you need a point of reference. You have to believe that they are pushing clients towards SKN and A & B, rather than Dmonica.

Remember, Alireza Monfared ALSO had a CBI Dominica passport, in addition to the diplomatic one. he probably found out, the hard way, that a Dominica CBI passport was not as valuable as he had been led to believe.

Therefore, we ask again, to the Minister of Foreign Affairs: Who are the holders of the 425+ diplomatic passports issued by your office ? Dominica only has a small number of authentic diplomats. How many Iranians, Russians, Chinese, Venezuelans, and Cubans have one ?

ARE YOU BANKING ANY NGOs USED BY TERRORISTS ?

Illegal Hezbollah observation tower, Lebanese-Israeli border

  
A loose confederation of environmental groups, principally those who advocate extensive planting of trees, to improve denuded areas, use the title "Green Without Borders." This non-governmental organization appears to have been co-opted by the designated terrorist organization, Hezbollah, which has placed observation towers within the Lebanese-Israeli frontier zone restricted to UN peacekeepers, and marked them with the NGOs logo and name. Obviously, Hezbollah wants to use any future, wartime destruction of these towers for propaganda purposes. They have conveniently promoted this NGO in Lebanon as a peaceful entity, dedicated to tree restoration in denuded areas of the country.

The real NGO

The Hezbollah-controlled bogus NGO

Terrorists, as well as criminal elements, have been known to unilaterally adopt the identities of NGOs, which are powerless to prevent or suppress such actions, and abuse those non-profit entities, for an illicit purpose. This action serves as a warning to compliance officers to always thoroughly check out the activities of any and all NGO bank clients, especially if they happen to be located, or operate in, high-risk areas or regions, lest you find out one day that your customer's good reputation is being used for a dark purpose.

CANADA DEPORTS IRANIANS HOLDING DOMINICA AND OTHER CBI PASSPORTS, AND DETAINS OTHERS

The Department of Immigration, Citizenship and Refugees Canada has deported to Dominica a number of Iranian nationals, all holding CBI passports from that country; it has also deported additional Iranians, present in Canada, and in possession of CBI passports from other East Caribbean countries, back to the countries that issued their passports.

Other Iranians remain in custody in Canada, also with CBI passports, due to the fact that they were to be deported directly to Iran, and then alleged that they will be subject to political persecution, and possible imprisonment, if returned to their native country. In truth and in fact, several Iranians, under arrest and detention in Canada, face imminent execution if repatriated, since they committed major fraud, and grand theft, in Iran, and are simply criminals, seeking to relocate, and evade justice. How did these individuals obtain CBI citizenship, in Dominica, and elsewhere, given that they were known to be career criminals ?

According to the CBC, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) is conducting a criminal investigation of several international companies that are agents for East Caribbean government entities CBI passports, which are then used to enter Canada. These are the same firms that are prominent in delivering clients to Dominica and St Kitts & Nevis, and who also were involved in vetting their applicants, who turned out to be fraudsters & thieves. Were their criminal backgrounds overlooked, due to the lucrative nature of the CBI business ? 

FORMER ATTORNEY GENERAL OF PANAMA IMPLICATES PRESIDENT VARELA AND JUSTICE JOSE AYU PRADO

Ex-Fiscal Ana Matilde Gómez

 Ana Matilde Gómez, the former Attorney General of Panama has implicated the country's president, Juan Carlos Varela, accusing him of participating in multiple illegal acts, while acting as Vice President, between 2009 and 2014. The ex-Attorney General also named the president of the Supreme Court of Justice of Panama,  José Ayú Prado,  for corrupt acts he allegedly committed, during the period when he was the lead prosecutor in charge of the organized crime division.

Many Panamanians, and North American expats, have voiced their opinion, that President Varela does not want ex-president Ricardo Martinelli to be extradited to Panama, to face justice in the pending cases against him, because Martinelli will then name many current government officials, including Varela, for their involvement in corruption, and other illegal activity. Ms. Gómez reportedly made these accusations on a local television program, in Panama City.

MIAMI JUDGE DEFERS RULING ON EXTRADITION AND BOND FOR FORMER PANAMANIAN PRESIDENT

The efforts of counsel for Ricardo Martinelli, the fugitive ex-president of the Republic of Panama, to obtain bond yesterday, during his pending extradition proceedings, were thwarted when the Court declined to immediately rule on his bond request. A motion to dismiss the extradition was  similarly deferred, though the judge indicated that there would be a ruling next week.

Martinelli faces massive corruption and illegal surveillance charges in his native Panama, which is abuzz with rumors that he is either cooperating with US law enforcement, or intends to cooperate, something which could implicate the country's current president, Juan Carlos Varela,  several members of his cabinet, and a number of judges on the Supreme Court of Justice. Bond is rarely given during extradition proceedings, due to the risk of flight. Martinelli's reported wealth, due to corruption, is not known, but has been estimated to be in the hundreds of millions of dollars.

Martinelli was reportedly taken into custody at a waterfront mansion he allegedly purchased for $8m cash, since he relocated to Miami, ahead of the filing of criminal charges in Panama. He has at least thirteen separate criminal cases filed against him there; One source claims that there are over two hundred independent investigations of criminal conduct pending at this time. 

WIC NEWS HAS BEEN LINKED TO COMPANIES SELLING CARIBBEAN ECONOMIC PASSPORTS

If you read my recent article, Evidence Confirms that Caribbean News Website is cooperating with Dominica's Labour Party and Prime Minister, which showed that a supposedly objective news website has disturbing ties to the corrupt Dominica Labour Party, and Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit, gving rise to allegations of news management, and disinformation, read on.

WIC news, and Caribbean CBI firms, CS Global & Henley, have all had their Internet filings registered by the same company, raising the presumption that this may be little more than a forum to spread pro-CBI agent propaganda for Dominica, paid for by the companies (agents) that receive outrageously high commissions for steering wealthy foreign nationals, from high-risk countries to a CBI citizenship. This is yet another reason to steer clear of the stories being promoted, as there is a definite agenda from the content.

Here is the reported filing information for this new company, which appeared out of nowhere, under suspicious circumstances:  WIC News, Ltd., registered on February 21, 2017 . The company's address, Kemp House, City Road, London EC11V 2NX, means that has no brick-and-mortar location. It is a virtual company, staffed by only individual, Benjamin James Parker, British citizen, age 27,  free-lance journalist & travel writer, and with no permanent fixed UK office location, or land-line.

How is it that a brand-new internet news service, specializing in the Caribbean, has no advertising ? How are the site's bills being paid ? Is it Anthony Astaphan, who is said to be the source of all the slanted Dominica content ?