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NOTE FOR DOMINICA READERS

I will be live on Q95 in Dominica at 9:00 AM today.

DOMINICA CONTINUES TO SELL CBI PASSPORTS TO CAREER CRIMINALS, FRAUDSTERS AND THIEVES

 Apparently the global scandal that arose when Dominica's  totally corrupt Prime Minister, Roosevelt Skerrit, traveled to the UK to sell a CBI passport to Nigeria's fugitive Oil Minister, ALISON DIEZANI-MADUEKE, for a reputed USD$2.2m in cash, continues. Now, Skerrit, who knows no shame when it comes to taking cash from fugitives, is at it again.  

It appears that his corrupt regime, which rules the Commonwealth of Dominica with an iron hand ( with Communist Chinese support), has again sold CBI passports to known criminals who are fugitives from Nigerian justice. MUYIWA FOLORUNSHO and GLORIA IGBERAESE, two Nigerian fraudsters named "Bonnie and Clyde, " and who conducted a massive investment fraud in their country.

 

They are wanted on an INTERPOL warrant, issued by the Nigeria Police Force. Victims have reportedly lost 1bn Naira, or USD$2.4m. They were known fugitives when Dominica issued their passports, confirming that there are no due diligence inquiries made of applicants in Dominica, so long as they have plenty of stolen money to pay for it. 

 Given that the European Union, as a matter of policy, holds that CBI passports violate basic principles of nationality, and have ordered Malta, the sole EU country still selling them, to cease and desist, it's only a matter of time until CBI passports issued by the five East Caribbean States will not be acceptable for entry there, and into the UK. At that point, Dominica's ability to sell passports to criminals may soon come to an end. We certainly hope that Europe shuts the door on the use of these facilitators of transnational white collar crime sooner rather than later, and charges Skerrit and his crew with the crimes that they deserve.

WE NAME A CLOSE ASSOCIATE OF YF WHOSE IDENTITY IS PROTECTED BY COURT ORDER IN MALTA

 

                                         Dizzy and Out of Control  By COSIMO

WARNING: THE CONTENTS OF THIS ARTICLE IS STRICTLY FOR READERS RESIDING OUTSIDE OF THE REPUBLIC OF MALTA. IF YOU ARE ACCESSING THIS BLOG FROM WITHIN MALTA, STOP HERE, OR RISK VIOLATING A COURT ORDER.

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The identity of the individual whose name was pointedly redacted from articles detailing the "personal relationship" between Maltese MP ROSIANNE CUTAJAR and Yorgen Fenech, in connection with Cutajar's strong objections to a Council of Europe inquiry into the assassination of Daphne Caruana Galizia deserves to be disclosed, for our Malta expats residing outside the Republic. The global public abroad deserves to be informed of all the players in the corruption investigation.

The person whose identity was ordered suppressed is DIANE IZZO, CEO of Dizz Group,  described as a "well-known businesswoman," and whose numerous text messages with Fenech, in connection with Cutajar's efforts to derail a C of E report requiring a public inquiry into the Daphne assassination, confirmed their close links, which were improper, given her status as a Politically Exposed person (PEP), as an associate of Michelle and Joseph Muscat, as well as her diplomat husband.

 

Malta's open secret, which local media has declined to report on: all of her luxury fashion shops are almost always empty, and yet ... there are sky-high sales. Given her relationship with Fenech, whether their finances intersect remains an open question. We will be following all developments in the investigation as they unfold; stay tuned.

 

FORMER MALTESE MINISTER, LINKED TO MULTIPLE INVESTIGATIONS, REMAINS OUTSIDE THE COUNTRY

                                                 Flat on His Back  by COSIMO  

Christian Cardona, the former MP and Maltese Minister for the Economy, Investment and Small Business, appears to have permanently moved his offices to Dubai, UAE, and shows no signs that he intends to return to his native Malta. Cardona, who has been linked to several ongoing criminal investigations, both in Malta and abroad, may have deliberately placed himself outside the jurisdiction of Maltese justice, due to the lack of any extradition treaty with those jurisdictions most likely to indict him, meaning Malta and the United States.

Cardona, an experienced attorney in Malta, is not known to be admitted to the practice of law in Dubai, and many are wondering precisely what type business is being conducted in his new UAE offices. He does not speak Arabic, according to reliable sources, and we are unable to find recent Facebook or Instagram entries about the offices, nor can we find a new Internet page describing the services provided. What's he doing there ?

We have previously reported upon his doing business with Joseph Muscat in Dubai; he is known to hold bank accounts there. What is also a puzzle is that he has left his Ukrainian wife and children in Malta.

 

It may be that the current reform climate among the people of Malta, including a groundswell of opinion favoring moving forward with the Daphne Caruana Galizia assassination investigation, has caused him to permanently leave Malta, to avoid a possible arrest. In any event, we shall make the appropriate inquiries to answer some these questions, and report back to our readers in the near future.

 

 

DEATH OF INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALIST BARRY RANDALL, WHO WENT TO MONTENEGRO ON A TIP FROM DAPHNE, REMAINS UNSOLVED AND FORGOTTEN

 The Daphne murder is not the only lethal Maltese crime committed against a journalist. The murder of the British investigative journalist Barry Randall, believed to have died after exposure to  lethal Polonium, on a trip to Montenegro, remains unsolved. Randall, whose website specialized in reporting on corruption, was reportedly acting upon a tip supplied by Daphne Caruana Galizia, before she was assassinated by a car bomb in Malta.

Randall, who refused to disclose any details of his mysterious trip to Montenegro to associates and friends, is known to have been consulting with Daphne. In fact, some of his queries resulted in a threat letter sent to him by the known Chinese agent, Shiv Shankaran Nair. We previously published that letter on this blog.

Additionally, the subsequent arrest and detention of a known Maltese Mafia figure, who entered the country carrying Polonium, a rare and expensive way to kill a victim, supports the theory that Mr. Randall was targeted because of the subject matter he was apparently investigating, corruption surrounding the Montenegro Wind Farm project. According to his associates, he literally disappeared from view whilst inside Montenegro, only to magically reappear at Heathrow Airport in London. His health following his return to the United States, where he was based, was peculiar and troubling.

There is a pending investigation into his death, in the UK, but we are unable to learn of its status, and whether any progress has been achieved. It is also noteworthy that the Maltese media, elements of which have been accused of self-censoring any stories that reflect negatively upon the ruling Labour Party, have failed to mention the Randall case. 

We trust that Malta's recent public demands for the truth about the Muscat government will ultimately result in justice being served for Barry Randall.

RECIPIENTS OF MASSIVE DOCUMENT LEAK ASSERT THAT EVIDENCE CONFIRMS THAT QATAR IS CONTINUING TO PROVIDE FINANCIAL SUPPORT TO HEZBOLLAH

 

 A massive document leak from government files in the State of Qatar reportedly confirms that Qatar is continuing to provide financial support to the Lebanese terrorist group Hezbollah. The document leak, which we are calling the Qatar Papers, involves 3900 documents that confirm corrupt payments to foreign leaders, and to organizations, in connection with the FIFA scandal, as well as other documents which have not been identified. Parties in Europe, as well as the Middle East,  have been named, and appear in the documents.

Some of the Qatar documents incriminate senior government officials, including members of its intelligence and national security community. Individuals who have reviewed the original documents in Arabic, as well as accurate translations, have stated that this is, in their opinion, the biggest leak since Bradley Manning and Edward Snowden. Distribution thus far has been limited to government and law enforcement agencies, but public release will occur in the near future, according to our sources.

 

What effect the disclosure of Qatar's financing of Hezbollah will have with its diplomatic relations with the European Union and the United States is not known, but adverse reactions are expected. When additional information, and documentary evidence, can be released, we shall publish it forthwith. 

 

PROGRAM NOTE FOR MALTA READERS

 

Less than one-tenth of one per cent of our Malta readers have contributed to this blog over the last eighteen months. If you are one of the 99.9% who has not supported our operation, but has benefited each day from our exclusive content, please take a moment and make a Donation. This Blog has presented Malta material that you can find nowhere else.

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SHOULD MALTA FAIL TO IMPLEMENT FATF REFORMS, US TREASURY WILL IMPOSE CRIPPLING SANCTIONS

                               30 Seconds over Malta; the Financial Bombers are Coming 

The promises Malta's Prime Minister, Robert Abela, has made to the voters about removal of the FATF Greylisting, had better be implemented, and soon, or the United States, one of three countries  behind the action, will most likely impose OFAC sanctions that will not only cripple and isolate the local economy, it will result in shortages that have not been seen since the dark days of the Second World War.

The US Treasury has a powerful weapon in its toolkit, its office of Foreign Assets Control, or OFAC. That agency's sanctions, which make it illegal for American companies or individuals to have any financial intercourse with sanctioned entities or parties, cordon off those named, effectively barring them from the American financial structure, and blocking any international trade. Inasmuch as Malta imports literally everything, this is a massive problem. The US has a long history of resorting to OFAC sanctions when choosing aggressive means of enforcing its foreign policy, which is highly effective. Look at Iran, for example. Its economy is presently seriously incapacitated.

In the financial sector, should OFAC sanction any of Malta's major banks, such as BANK OF VALLETTA, APS BANK, NOVUM BANK, MERKANTI BANK, IZOLA BANK, FIMBANK, FERRATUM BANK or BNF BANK, those entities, denied access to their clients' most important import and expot market, would lose their competitiveness and would likely fail.  EU banks may also, as the direct consequence of the sanctions, decline to do business with them, for fear they would become unwitting sanctions evaders of Maltese bank clients.

Imports of critical medicines would be affected due to the inability to pay for them.  Should any entities in the aviation sector be named, obtaining parts, and aircraft leasing, would abruptly cease. The shipping industry could also be crippled by OFAC designation. Malta's computer chip, currency manufacturing, Gaming, and other prominent industries, unable to properly bank their cash flow, would also potentially suffer fatal injuries.

Malta simply must now enforce its money laundering and  corruption laws, even though it will gut the ruling Labour Party, hit the Malta Mafia hard, and drive away the organized financial crime that has made a home there. Most observers believe Malta will to reform on its own. Only time will tell, but otherwise, the Maltese should begin to stockpile imports in their financial fallout shelter, for the economic bombers are coming.

 

YET ANOTHER MIAMI-BASED VENEZUELAN MONEY LAUNDERER IS INDICTED

 

 

 

NAMAN WAKIL, a Syrian-born Venezuelan national who is a Permanent Resident of the United States, has been charged in a major money laundering case, involving grossly inflated contracts to deliver food to PDVSA and CASA,* two Venezuelan government agencies, whose employees are deeply involved in corruption.

The charges:

1. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act  (FCPA) Conspiracy.

2. Conspiracy to Commit Money Laundering.

3. International Promotional Money Laundering.

4. Engaging in Transactions involving Criminally-Derived Property.

 Wakil, who faces a potential 80 years in prison, and who has been described in media as a kleptocrat, paid bribes of $5.9m to the brother-in-law of Venzuelan Minister of Food General  Carlos Osorio, and others involved n PDVSA joint ventures. He allegedly grossed $30m, according to a press release from the US Department of Justice.

He reportedly owns ten properties in Miami-Dade County, a yacht and an airplane . Wakil, along with a number of the individuals involved in the scheme, banked at COMPAGNIE BANCAIRE HELVETIQUE SA (CBH). He is in Federal custody; a hearing on Pre-Trial Detention has been scheduled.

                                                   Example of the Defendant's signature

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*Corporacion de Abastecimiento y Services Agricola (the state-controlled food agency).

CANCEL THE UNAUTHORIZED ELECTROGAS CONTRACT AND SACK YOUR INEPT PRIME MINISTER

 

 

 Nobody seems to want to raise the issue, so we at the Blog will shout it out loud:  CANCEL THE ELECTROGAS CONTRACT AS IT WAS NOT AUTHORIZED BY PARLIAMENT. Any first-year law student knows that any major agreement that a country enters into must have the approval of its people, which occurs through their elected leaders. This means that an agreement intended to run for eighteen years and which will literally cost billions of Euros to consumers must be passed by Parliament.  This is not in dispute.

Of course, this is Malta, where corruption infects every bloody transaction; Labour Party leaders, as well as Azeri organized crime  elements, and their PEP allies, in both Azerbaijan as well as Malta, stood to makes an obscene amount of money through bribes & kickbacks in the deal, so  Parliament is bypassed.

Malta's honest lawyers should take a close look at the jurisdiction of the Constitutional Court, and if they are satisfied that there is a jurisdictional basis, file an action requesting that the Court find the contract void as a matter of law, and declaring it of no further force and effect. It will never survive judicial scrutiny.

While we are on the subject, the country's poor excuse for a competent Attorney General VICTORIA BUTTIGIEG, who actually had the temerity to render an opinion that the country could properly enter into the agreement without the required Parliamentary approval and consent, should be sacked forthwith for both corruption, and legal malpractice. She obviously is a toady for the Labour Party, whose officials received bribes to push the contract through. Kick her out the door, Malta, sooner, rather than later. 

Why is this Blog the only media calling for the cancellation of the Electrogas Agreement ? Wake up Malta, before you becomes so isolated due to your corruption, and you  end up like Libya under Ghaddafi, a  global pariah.

JOSEPH MUSCAT RETURNS TO MALTA, WITH A HEAVILY ARMED SECURITY ENTOURAGE

                             Can they Protect Him when It Hits the Fan ?  by COSIMO
 

Malta's fallen former Prime Minister, Joseph Muscat, returned home on an Alitalia flight from Rome, shielded by a massive number of armed bodyguards detailed to protect him. He was accompanied by his wife Michelle, and one of his daughters. He was seen leaving MLA in two black cars, with his security entourage. We are unable to confirm whether the bodyguards were MSS, but its is assumed to be so.This means the people of Malta are paying for security of a private citizen.

Muscat reportedly lives in abject fear of an attack by Azeri assassins, on behalf of his organized crime partners who fear his potential testimony. While Maltese media has declined to discuss the eight-hundred pound gorilla in the room, the public know that the Azeris scammed JM, who in turn scammed Malta. with gas purchased from SOCAR, which it had bought it from Shell, resulting in costs of double the prevailing market rate. 

 This 18-year Electrogas contract will bring the Azeris, and the Maltese & Azeri PEPs, over €1bn in profits, all at the cost of the Maltese consumer. JMs testimony could implicate powerful people in Azerbaijan, hence his fears of assassination, in the best tradition of how disagreements are settled in Malta by its own hometown Mafia. 

The proverbial chickens are now coming home to roost, amid a clamour amongt the Maltese people for accountability, and Muscat senses that he is a loose end that must be attended to, so the truth does not come out. We intend to have our sources monitor his activities, and shall report back to our readers regularly. 

We do recommend, however, that our Maltese readers avoid any situation where Muscat, or his wife Michelle are present, for your personal safety cannot be assured. as Muscat surely has a bull's eye target on his back.

SIX MONTHS AFTER THE NEW ADMINISTRATION TOOK OFFICE, WHERE ARE ALL THOSE FOREIGN CORRUPT PRACTICES ACT INDICTMENTS ?

 

 Unofficial inquiries regarding the progress of major FCPA investigations during the Trump Administration were often met with promises that those indictments would come soon after a new Attorney General took office. It was said that any efforts to move forward against companies, many of whose leaders were active Trump financial contributors, would be interdicted at the highest level, by the successor administration.

Recent revelations, regarding such an action over at EDNY, on a pending investigation, would tend to support that proposition. In that case the senior official involved in nixing an indictment was reportedly promoted by then-AG Barr.

 It has now been six and one-half months since the new administration came into office, but we are still not seeing what should surely have been cases presented to a Grand Jury, and Indictments as a result, but this has not occurred. Given that the new AG instituted a policy to not discharge AUSAs who blindly followed questionable orders from Main Justice, originating from Trump political appointees, a number of those individual remain on the job. we are particularly interested in FCPA cases at SDNY that remain pending for no evidentiary reason.

While justice as DOJ is supposed to be politically blind, there are many conservatives among assistant US Attorneys, though they are required to disregard their personal politics on the job. While we are aware of specific cases, disclosing the identities of targets would alert their attorneys to seek out favorable settlements, and potentially avoid any prison time whatsoever, so we are not naming them at this time.

A  darker reason for slow-walking, or even freezing, any indictments of Trump allies could be that some actually believe that the former President could return to office after the next Presidential Election, and the prosecutors fear believe that they, like in the EDNY case, will be rewarded for their "loyalty." We sincerely hope that this is not true.

Perhaps the Attorney General might want to send this issue over to the Office of Public Integrity (OPI), to determine if our theory is correct, and if so, to what extent it exists.

EUROPEAN COMMISSION REJECTS CITIZENSHIP BY INVESTMENT PROGRAMMES, SAYS THEY UNDERMINE THE FUNDAMENTALS OF CITIZENSHIP

 

 

 The European Commission is implementing policies designed to regulate residency consultancies. It is noteworthy that these policies expressly exclude consultancies involved with Citizenship by Investment (CBI) programmes, because it holds that such programmes are essentially illegitimate.

In discussing the Regulations it intends to implement and enforce, the EC Policy Statement was clear:

"this regulation should NOT apply to investor citizenship schemes, which result in the acquisition of nationality in exchange for such investments, as such schemes must be considered as undermining the fundamental status of [European] Union citizenship  and sincere cooperation among Member states " {enphasis supplied}.

This puts Malta, the sole holdout among EU Member States selling CBI passports, on actual notice that the European Commission rejects CBI altogether.Cyprus has terminated its programme, after misconduct was uncovered by the media; we hope and trust that Malta's leaders are wise enough to follow suit.

WILL THE "CARIBBEAN SPRING" RESULT IN PRISON SENTENCES FOR ITS FALLEN DICTATORS ?

 

 As Bob Dylan once said "You don't  have to be a weatherman to see which way the wind is blowing." Winds of Change are indeed blowing the Caribbean, especially in those five small East Caribbean States that have sold their souls to the Citizenship by Investment programme, and end up with autocratic leaders who stifle democracy and free & fair elections.

From St Kitts in the north, to Grenada in the south, the five "CBI republics" in the East Caribbean are restless, their people want change, and want the lucrative profits from CBI to filter down to them and not be held by dictatorial prime ministers, and their CBI consultancy allies.

We have seen the beginnings of the movement already in Saint Lucia, where a corrupt government  was turned out in favour of honest leaders. Who will be next, Dominica, Antigua & Barbuda, or Grenada  ? When freedom comes to those island nations, will the former corrupt leaders be promptly tried, convicted an imprisoned ? That's the question of the day. We trust that justice will be done. All of them reportedly have hidden many millions of dollars in Swiss banks, and elsewhere.  Find that treasure, West Indians, and use it to create a sustainable economy. And imprison your former corrupt leaders; it will persuade others to avoid their dark path.