08-09-2019, 02:58 PM
BBCI, Mueller, Robert Mazur
There is of course a lot more on the BBCI scandal, including a nice role for “special” cover-up artist Robert S. Mueller III…
Even the mainstream media, including the Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, and New York Times, have criticised the handling of the BCCI scandal by the US Justice Department.
The following government officials have told how the Justice Department disrupted the “investigation”.
Chairman of the Subcommittee Senator Kerry;
Customs undercover officer Robert Mazur;
Mazur’s superior at Customs, Commissioner William von Raab;
New York District Attorney Robert Morgenthau;
Former Senate investigator Jack Blum;
Former US Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, Dexter Lehtinen.
In the 1970's, BBCI officially first opened a branch in the US. There were rumours about BCCI’s involvement in criminal activity practically since its inception.
According to the House Subcommittee on Crime and Criminal Justice, THE Subcommittee, as far back as 1983, federal authorities knew about BCCI’s illegal activities and by the mid-1980's the government had enough information to have put BCCI on the most wanted list.
In 1983, Customs Service had information on illegal smuggling operations by one of BCCI biggest customers - the Jordanian arms merchant Munter Bilbeisi.
In April 1984, former BCCI employee Aziz Rehman was interviewed by the IRS in Miami on transporting large volumes of currency in violation of Federal laws. He provided them with evidence on deposits to a nonexistent BCCI branch in Nassau, Bahamas.
The Government of India provided the IRS with evidence of a money laundering scheme involving BCCI. Because India didn’t have a tax treaty with the US, the allegations weren’t followed up.
In the autumn of 1984, Agha Hasan Abedi was told by the President of BCCI, Abdur Sakhia, that then-Senator Paula Hawkins had told President Zia to be concerned about drug money laundering by a BCCI subsidiary in the Cayman Islands.
In early 1985, the CIA reported to government agencies the Treasury and the Comptroller of the Currency on BCCI's plans in the United States, including its secret ownership of First American. Officially that information wasn’t passed on to anyone else.
Assistant Attorney General Robert Mueller told the Subcommittee that the Justice Department didn’t know about this CIA report.
In 1986 undercover Customs agent Robert Mazur proposed an undercover money laundering operation called Operation C-Chase. Mazur opened a Panamanian account at BCCI because it was the easiest to get.
His undercover operation handled roughly $14 million through BCCI on which BCCI earned banking fees in excess of $250,000. According to Mazur BBCI was more interested in getting large deposits than the fees.
In September 1988, Mazur tape recorded his meeting with Amjad Awan, BCCI's personal banker to Panamanian General Manuel Noriega, in Miami, Florida.
Awan told Mazur that he had been subpoenaed by the Foreign Relations Committee of the US Senate over Noriega's accounts and others in Panama. He also told Mazur about BCCI's secret ownership of First American and National Bank of Georgia through private individuals. He also gave his ideas on the political implications of Clark Clifford's chairmanship of First American.
He explained that BCCI’s lawyer Robert Altman would simply obstruct the Subcommittee's investigation into the connection between Noriega and BCCI.
In October 1988, federal agents arrested several intermediate managers of BBCI. This was coordinated with the authorities in the UK and France, who also made arrests.
The sting operation was taken down. Both Mazur and assistant US Attorney in Tampa Mark Jackowski were unhappy with the handling of the C-Chase investigation.
In the fall of 1989, the Subcommittee sought to depose a Colombian money-launderer, who had used BCCI in Panama. This was halted, so the information never reached the Subcommittee.
To make matters worse, the communication was leaked to the press, imperilling the Colombian’s family and property, so that he refused to cooperate with the US authorities any further.
Jack Blum was investigating drug trafficking in Panama. Blum contacted the Justice Department with startling information about BCCI - "a very senior BCCI officer” had given him evidence on the bank’s criminality.
Blum gave evidence to Customs and IRS agents in Tampa, including conversations with Mark Jackowski. Blum thought that the Justice Department would use the information in its investigation of BBCI. Blum was disappointed that the Justice Department didn’t use the information:
Between March 1988 and October 1991, the Justice Department repeatedly delayed or halted the investigation by the Kerry Subcommittee concerning BCCI, and even made false statements.
The October 1988 indictment had charged BCCI with having a corporate policy of soliciting drug money. Then a plea was made, and prosecutors only blamed some individuals but not the bank (or its high executives). As a result, BCCI stopped its Florida operations and sacrificed a handful of bank employees for scapegoats. The Justice Department essentially stopped investigating BCCI after the plea deal.
Dexter Lehtinen investigated both BBCI and David Paul's dealings in Miami's largest Savings & Loan, CenTrust, in which BCCI held a secret interest of 25% through its nominee, Ghaith Pharaon.
When Lehtinen tried to have subpoenas enforced, the Justice Department simply refused to enforce them. Even after Attorney General Mueller offered to provide assistance to any US Attorney office pursuing a case against BCCI, he still refused to enforce Lehtinen’s subpoenas without any explanation.
On August 22 1991, chief assistant to Assistant Attorney General Mueller, Dennis Saylor, called Lehtinen and "indicated to me that I was directed not to return the indictment”. The next day Lehtinen received a letter from the Assistant Attorney General for the Tax Division Bruton, informing him that he should not move forward.
NY District Attorney Morgenthau requested that the Justice Department provide a witness, to which he got the answer:
(archived here: http://archive.is/8nIoZ)
Robert Mazur helped to bring down the BCCI bank and Pablo Escobar.
In the following 12:44 video, Mazur tells that the BBCI actively helped him to set-up a money laundering scheme. Mazur tells that they could have achieved more if they had kept the operation going for a couple of months more.
He testified every day during the 3 months trial. All of the defendants were convicted for their crimes.
He tells that the banks these days are still doing the same thing, including the HSBC bank.
https://youtu.be/bSCTToUBalE
There is of course a lot more on the BBCI scandal, including a nice role for “special” cover-up artist Robert S. Mueller III…
Even the mainstream media, including the Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, and New York Times, have criticised the handling of the BCCI scandal by the US Justice Department.
The following government officials have told how the Justice Department disrupted the “investigation”.
Chairman of the Subcommittee Senator Kerry;
Customs undercover officer Robert Mazur;
Mazur’s superior at Customs, Commissioner William von Raab;
New York District Attorney Robert Morgenthau;
Former Senate investigator Jack Blum;
Former US Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, Dexter Lehtinen.
In the 1970's, BBCI officially first opened a branch in the US. There were rumours about BCCI’s involvement in criminal activity practically since its inception.
According to the House Subcommittee on Crime and Criminal Justice, THE Subcommittee, as far back as 1983, federal authorities knew about BCCI’s illegal activities and by the mid-1980's the government had enough information to have put BCCI on the most wanted list.
In 1983, Customs Service had information on illegal smuggling operations by one of BCCI biggest customers - the Jordanian arms merchant Munter Bilbeisi.
In April 1984, former BCCI employee Aziz Rehman was interviewed by the IRS in Miami on transporting large volumes of currency in violation of Federal laws. He provided them with evidence on deposits to a nonexistent BCCI branch in Nassau, Bahamas.
The Government of India provided the IRS with evidence of a money laundering scheme involving BCCI. Because India didn’t have a tax treaty with the US, the allegations weren’t followed up.
In the autumn of 1984, Agha Hasan Abedi was told by the President of BCCI, Abdur Sakhia, that then-Senator Paula Hawkins had told President Zia to be concerned about drug money laundering by a BCCI subsidiary in the Cayman Islands.
In early 1985, the CIA reported to government agencies the Treasury and the Comptroller of the Currency on BCCI's plans in the United States, including its secret ownership of First American. Officially that information wasn’t passed on to anyone else.
Assistant Attorney General Robert Mueller told the Subcommittee that the Justice Department didn’t know about this CIA report.
In 1986 undercover Customs agent Robert Mazur proposed an undercover money laundering operation called Operation C-Chase. Mazur opened a Panamanian account at BCCI because it was the easiest to get.
His undercover operation handled roughly $14 million through BCCI on which BCCI earned banking fees in excess of $250,000. According to Mazur BBCI was more interested in getting large deposits than the fees.
In September 1988, Mazur tape recorded his meeting with Amjad Awan, BCCI's personal banker to Panamanian General Manuel Noriega, in Miami, Florida.
Awan told Mazur that he had been subpoenaed by the Foreign Relations Committee of the US Senate over Noriega's accounts and others in Panama. He also told Mazur about BCCI's secret ownership of First American and National Bank of Georgia through private individuals. He also gave his ideas on the political implications of Clark Clifford's chairmanship of First American.
He explained that BCCI’s lawyer Robert Altman would simply obstruct the Subcommittee's investigation into the connection between Noriega and BCCI.
In October 1988, federal agents arrested several intermediate managers of BBCI. This was coordinated with the authorities in the UK and France, who also made arrests.
The sting operation was taken down. Both Mazur and assistant US Attorney in Tampa Mark Jackowski were unhappy with the handling of the C-Chase investigation.
In the fall of 1989, the Subcommittee sought to depose a Colombian money-launderer, who had used BCCI in Panama. This was halted, so the information never reached the Subcommittee.
To make matters worse, the communication was leaked to the press, imperilling the Colombian’s family and property, so that he refused to cooperate with the US authorities any further.
Jack Blum was investigating drug trafficking in Panama. Blum contacted the Justice Department with startling information about BCCI - "a very senior BCCI officer” had given him evidence on the bank’s criminality.
Blum gave evidence to Customs and IRS agents in Tampa, including conversations with Mark Jackowski. Blum thought that the Justice Department would use the information in its investigation of BBCI. Blum was disappointed that the Justice Department didn’t use the information:
Quote:I waited for something to happen and, and what happened was, I started getting calls from the two guys I took to Tampa who said they're [the Justice Department] is not following up. Then, I talked to the agents, and the agents said, well, we're very busy...
No follow-up. And I began to worry that something was very wrong with this case. In -- I now believe it was late May, I decided that I would bring this matter to another jurisdiction, and that was New York...
I talked to Bob Morgenthau and essentially told him what I knew. On the basis of the same evidence essentially, and he ultimately communicated with the same witnesses, he produced the indictment.
Between March 1988 and October 1991, the Justice Department repeatedly delayed or halted the investigation by the Kerry Subcommittee concerning BCCI, and even made false statements.
The October 1988 indictment had charged BCCI with having a corporate policy of soliciting drug money. Then a plea was made, and prosecutors only blamed some individuals but not the bank (or its high executives). As a result, BCCI stopped its Florida operations and sacrificed a handful of bank employees for scapegoats. The Justice Department essentially stopped investigating BCCI after the plea deal.
Dexter Lehtinen investigated both BBCI and David Paul's dealings in Miami's largest Savings & Loan, CenTrust, in which BCCI held a secret interest of 25% through its nominee, Ghaith Pharaon.
When Lehtinen tried to have subpoenas enforced, the Justice Department simply refused to enforce them. Even after Attorney General Mueller offered to provide assistance to any US Attorney office pursuing a case against BCCI, he still refused to enforce Lehtinen’s subpoenas without any explanation.
On August 22 1991, chief assistant to Assistant Attorney General Mueller, Dennis Saylor, called Lehtinen and "indicated to me that I was directed not to return the indictment”. The next day Lehtinen received a letter from the Assistant Attorney General for the Tax Division Bruton, informing him that he should not move forward.
NY District Attorney Morgenthau requested that the Justice Department provide a witness, to which he got the answer:
Quote:They have said that he may be available in a year.Morgenthau also offered to exchange information with the Justice Department, but that they flatly rejected the offer: https://fas.org/irp/congress/1992_rpt/bcci/08just.htm
(archived here: http://archive.is/8nIoZ)
Robert Mazur helped to bring down the BCCI bank and Pablo Escobar.
In the following 12:44 video, Mazur tells that the BBCI actively helped him to set-up a money laundering scheme. Mazur tells that they could have achieved more if they had kept the operation going for a couple of months more.
He testified every day during the 3 months trial. All of the defendants were convicted for their crimes.
He tells that the banks these days are still doing the same thing, including the HSBC bank.
https://youtu.be/bSCTToUBalE
The Order of the Garter rules the world: https://www.lawfulpath.com/forum/viewtop...5549#p5549