HSBC whistleblower jailed for five years over biggest leak in banking history
Source: The Guardian
The whistleblower who exposed wrongdoing at HSBCs Swiss private bank has been sentenced to five years in prison by a Swiss court.
Hervé Falciani, a former IT worker, was convicted in his absence for the biggest leak in banking history. He is currently living in France, where he sought refuge from Swiss justice, and did not attend the trial.
The leak of secret bank account details formed the basis of revelations by the Guardian, the BBC, Le Monde and other media outlets which showed that HSBCs Swiss banking arm turned a blind eye to illegal activities of arms dealers and helped wealthy people evade taxes.
...
It was used to prosecute tax evaders including Arlette Ricci, heir to Frances Nina Ricci perfume empire, and to pursue Emilio Botín, the late chairman of Spains Santander bank.
Read more: http://www.theguardian.com/news/2015/nov/27/hsbc-whistleblower-jailed-five-years-herve-falciani
The article says he has both French and Italian nationality, and should be able to resist extradition. Switzerland seems to have stayed on the side of the corrupt rich, however.
newthinking
(3,982 posts)How did we get to this place? In the past we may have tolerated Rich but bad actors but we certainly did not jail dissidents this way and were not so brave as to parade the injustice.
magical thyme
(14,881 posts)But, yeah. How in the world did we end up here?!?! With every level of government bought and paid for?!?!
jalan48
(13,888 posts)99th_Monkey
(19,326 posts)nashville_brook
(20,958 posts)you mean that doesn't work?
billhicks76
(5,082 posts)OnyxCollie
(9,958 posts)http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/feb/10/hillary-clinton-foundation-donors-hsbc-swiss-bank
~snip~
The charitable foundation run by Hillary Clinton and her family has received as much as $81m from wealthy international donors who were clients of HSBCs controversial Swiss bank. Leaked files from HSBCs Swiss banking division reveal the identities of seven donors to the Bill, Hillary and Chelsea Clinton Foundation with accounts in Geneva.
They include Frank Giustra, a Canadian mining magnate and one of the foundations biggest financial backers, and Richard Caring, the British retail magnate who, the banks internal records show, used his tax-free Geneva account to transfer $1m into the New York-based foundation.
~snip~
Caring was legitimately permitted to keep his assets offshore by a hereditary quirk of UK tax law, under which he is registered as non-domiciled, courtesy of his Italian-American father. The HSBC records suggest Carings $1m donation was paid in return for former president Bill Clintons attendance at a lavish costume charity ball organised by Caring in St Petersburg, Russia.
Another Clinton foundation donor who had a HSBC account in the tax haven is Jeffrey Epstein, the hedge fund manager and convicted sex offender who once flew the former president on his private jet for charity events in Africa. The identities of Clinton supporters who banked with HSBC in Geneva are contained in internal bank data leaked by a HSBC computer expert turned whistleblower, Hervé Falciani.
jalan48
(13,888 posts)OnyxCollie
(9,958 posts)wolfie001
(2,270 posts)Every single one of the Clinton's Foundation has to have a lily-white, virgin past. No transgressions ever, because....She's a Democrat! Let's examine each and every donation/donator because......this would never happen/would never be covered by the MSM if it were a repuke.
I will vote for the winner of the Democratic primary but sheez the Clinton attacks from the Dem side are relentless. And also please do tell what Bill Clinton was wearing at the costumed ball..........give me a freakin' break!!!!
OnyxCollie
(9,958 posts)so you can bury your head while you vote.
For your edification:
The foundation is largely an American creation. No doubt the accumulation of vast wealth was one reason for its rise; another-at least in the days when Carnegie, Rockefeller, and others perpetuated their names through their now world famous bequests-was unquestionably a desire of wealthy and successful men to purge their consciences before God and man and to justify the acquisitive society which had enabled them to accumulate enormous riches by leaving a vast proportion of their wealth for the benefit of mankind.6 But in recent years these reasons for the earlier foundations have become less important, and the incorporated foundation or trust has become predominantly a business device, a paramount instrument in the struggle between the demands of the modern Welfare State and the wish of the individual entrepreneur to perpetuate his fortune and his name. The greatest and most influential of the foundations (Ford, Rockefeller, Carnegie) are the creations of individuals or families, but the large foundations of the future will increasingly be the creations of corporations. The desires to give and to perpetuate the name of the individual or corporate donor are undoubtedly still important motivations, but the immense growth in the number and size of foundations in recent years7 suggests that business considerations play an increasing role. By either bequeathing or giving during his lifetime a proportion of his estate to a permanent institution established for officially recognized charitable purposes, the donor, usually the controller of an industrial or business empire,8 achieves a number of purposes.9 In the United States gifts to such organizations are exempt from gift taxes, and bequests to them are deductible for estate tax purposes. The organizations themselves are normally exempt from income tax, property tax, and other taxes. A charitable gift intervivos is an allowable deduction from the taxable income of the donor.10 The absence of the latter privilege in English law may be one reason why incorporated charities are not so widespread in Britain (apart, of course, from the vastly greater capital wealth of United States business). Otherwise, motivations for the establishment of charitable companies are very similar." The arithmetics of these benefits vary from year to year and are, of course, subject to legislative changes. Unless, however, there were to be a fundamental change in legislation in regard to charitable gifts,12 the advantages of transferring both capital and annual income away from the personal estate of a taxpayer in the high income brackets or away from a corporation are very considerable.13 But in the age of the managerial revolution and the Welfare State, a motive at least equal to that of providing a suitable mechanism for philanthropy and a tax free reservoir for an otherwise highly taxable income is the power which the foundation gives to the controller of a business or industry to perpetuate his control.14
Friedmann, W. G. (1957). Corporate power, government by private groups, and the law. Columbia Law Review, 57(2), 155-186.
http://www.clintonfoundation.org/main/our-work/by-initiative/clinton-foundation-in-haiti/about.html
The Clinton Foundation has been actively engaged in Haiti since 2009, focusing on economic diversification, private sector investment and job creation in order to create long-term, sustainable economic development. After the devastating earthquake in 2010, President Clinton formed the Clinton Foundation Haiti Fund and raised $16.4 million from individual donors for immediate earthquake relief efforts. Since 2010, the Clinton Foundation has raised a total of $34 million for Haiti, including relief funds as well as projects focused on restoring Haiti's communities, sustainable development, education and capacity building. In 2012, the Clinton Foundation concentrated on creating sustainable economic growth in the four priority sectors of energy, tourism, agriculture, and apparel/manufacturing, working to bring new investors, develop and support local organizations and businesses, and create access to new markets. The Clinton Foundation also continued working to support government efforts to improve Haitis business environment and supported programs in education and capacity building.
http://www.haiti-liberte.com/archives/volume4-47/Washington%20Backed%20Famous.asp
The U.S. Embassy in Haiti worked closely with factory owners contracted by Levis, Hanes, and Fruit of the Loom to aggressively block a paltry minimum wage increase for Haitian assembly zone workers, the lowest paid in the hemisphere, according to secret State Department cables.
The factory owners refused to pay 62 cents an hour, or $5 per eight-hour day, as a measure unanimously passed by the Haitian parliament in June 2009 would have mandated. Behind the scenes, the factory owners had the vigorous backing of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and the U.S. Embassy, show secret U.S. Embassy cables provided to Haïti Liberté by the transparency-advocacy group WikiLeaks.
The minimum daily wage had been 70 gourdes or $1.75 a day.
The factory owners told the Haitian parliament that they were willing to give workers a mere 9 cents an hour pay increase to 31 cents an hour 100 gourdes daily to make T-shirts, bras and underwear for U.S. clothing giants like Dockers and Nautica.
http://www.democracynow.org/2013/10/17/headlines#10179
A new report by the Worker Rights Consortium has found the majority of workers in Haitis garment industry are being denied nearly a third of the wages they are legally owed due to widespread wage theft. The new evidence builds on an earlier report that found every single one of Haitis export garment factories was illegally shortchanging workers. Workers in Haiti make clothes for U.S. retailers including Gap, Target, Kohls, Levis and Wal-Mart. The report highlighted abuses at the Caracol Industrial Park, a new factory complex heavily subsidized by the U.S. State Department, the Inter-American Development Bank and the Clinton Foundation and touted as a key part of Haitis post-earthquake recovery. The report found that, on average, workers at the complex are paid 34 percent less than the law requires. Haitis minimum wage for garment workers is between 60 and 90 cents an hour. More than three-quarters of workers interviewed for the report said they could not afford three meals a day.
https://www.commondreams.org/headline/2013/10/16-4
Haiti's Caracol Industrial Parkthe U.S. State Department and Clinton Foundation pet project to deliver aid and reconstruction to earthquake-ravaged Haiti in the form of private investmentis systematically stealing its garment workers' wages, paying them 34 percent less than minimum wage set by federal law, a breaking report from the Worker Rights Consortium reveals.
Critics charge that poverty wages illustrate the deep flaws with corporate models of so-called aid. "The failure of the Caracol Industrial Park to comply with minimum wage laws is a stain on the U.S.'s post-earthquake investments in Haiti and calls into question the sustainability and effectiveness of relying on the garment industry to lead Haiti's reconstruction," said Jake Johnston of the Center for Economic and Policy Research in an interview with Common Dreams.
Caracol is just one of five garment factories profiled in this damning report, released publicly on Wednesday, which finds that "the majority of Haitian garment workers are being denied nearly a third of the wages they are legally due as a result of the factories theft of their income." This is due to systematic employer cheating on piece-work and overtime, as well as failure to pay employees for hours worked.
...
Financers included the Inter-American Development Bank, the U.S. State Department, and the Clinton Foundation, who invested a total of $224 million with promises to uphold high labor standards. Its anchor tenant is the Korean S&H Global factory, which sells garments to Walmart, Target, Kohl's, and Old Navy, according to the report.
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10022415607
The Clinton Foundation will give you a sweet deal on a home loan...
http://philanthropynewsdigest.org/news/new-program-launched-to-make-home-mortgages-available-to-haitians
MARCH 24, 2011
The Clinton Bush Haiti Fund has announced the launch of a $47 million program to make home mortgages more widely available in Haiti.
Jointly sponsored by the Clinton Bush Haiti Fund, the Overseas Private Investment Corporation, and the Haiti Reconstruction Fund, the program will provide home mortgages and home-repair loans to low-income Haitians and small businesses affected by last year's earthquake. The Development Innovations Group will manage the program, pending approval by OPIC's board of directors in June after implementation details are finalized.
The program was approved last week by the Interim Haiti Recovery Commission, a group formed in the wake of the January 2010 earthquake to review and approve projects funded by bilateral and multilateral donors, nongovernmental organizations, and the private sector. Funded by Haiti Reconstruction Fund ($10 million), the Clinton Bush Haiti Fund ($3 million), and OPIC ($34 million in debt funding), the program is modeled after similar efforts that have proved successful in other parts of the developing world.
"What Haiti needs today are smart investments that will create economic opportunities and lay the groundwork for long-term, sustainable growth," said Clinton Bush Haiti Fund CEO Gary Edson. "By providing funding for programs such as this, we're making it possible for ordinary Haitians to own their own home as well as their own future success and prosperity."
...problem is, only six homes were built.
http://www.democraticunderground.com/1016124381
https://www.propublica.org/article/how-the-red-cross-raised-half-a-billion-dollars-for-haiti-and-built-6-homes?google_editors_picks=true
-snip-
THE NEIGHBORHOOD OF CAMPECHE sprawls up a steep hillside in Haitis capital city, Port-au-Prince. Goats rustle in trash that goes forever uncollected. Children kick a deflated volleyball in a dusty lot below a wall with a hand-painted logo of the American Red Cross.
In late 2011, the Red Cross launched a multimillion-dollar project to transform the desperately poor area, which was hit hard by the earthquake that struck Haiti the year before. The main focus of the project called LAMIKA, an acronym in Creole for A Better Life in My Neighborhood was building hundreds of permanent homes.
Today, not one home has been built in Campeche. Many residents live in shacks made of rusty sheet metal, without access to drinkable water, electricity or basic sanitation. When it rains, their homes flood and residents bail out mud and water.
The Red Cross received an outpouring of donations after the quake, nearly half a billion dollars.
-snip-
Then there's HSBC Bank:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10026263884
The HSBC scandal continues to grow. Proof of their criminal activities grows each time you turn over another rock. How bad is HSBC?
For those who havent been following, the ICIJ (International Consortium of Investigative Journalists) uncovered and reported on HSBCs enabling of criminal behavior by arms dealers, smugglers, drug lords and the just plain cheap who dont want to pay taxes.
HSBC, headquartered in London, when informed about the global investigation, first insisted that the ICIJ destroy its data.
It was only after the ICIJ refused and people found out what was going on that their chairman Stuart Gulliver issued the apology for HSBCs culpability in tax avoidance.
What is HSBC hiding?
In 2006, the Swiss Branch managed tens of millions of dollars for Saudi Arabian businessmen suspected since 2001 of donating money to Muslim terrorist Osama Bin Laden,
The bank also opened accounts for a crystal meth gang in the US and a drug dealer who was sentenced to seven years in prison
HSBC was aiding clients involved in Drug and Human Trafficking, arms dealing and Arms dealing according to Tages Anzeiger.
"HSBC profited from doing business with arms dealers who channelled mortar bombs to child soldiers in Africa, bag men for Third World dictators, traffickers in blood diamonds
Names include Frantz Merceron, an associate of former Haitian president Jean Claude "Baby Doc" Duvalier, Former Egyptian trade minister Rachid Mohamed Rachid, who fled Cairo during the 2011 uprising, and people officially sanctioned by the United States Government, like Turkish businessman Selim Alguadis.
Currently, there are 10 separate investigations on 4 continents against the bank in nine countries: Asia: India, Europe: Belgium, Switzerland, France and Denmark, North and South America: Mexico, US, Argentina and Brazil (2 separate)
Asia: India. According to the Times of India, the Tax Office is expected launch criminal proceedings against the bank shortly.
The Indian Express reports that 1,195 Indian names are on the list at the tune of over $4bn. The Supreme Court has created a Special Investigative Team.
Several top businessmen on the list include Mukesh Ambani, Anil Ambani, Anand Chand Burman, and Shravan Gupta.
Also on the list are diamond traders, some of whom have left India and moved to other countries.
Also included are prominent politicians including former UPA minister Preneet Kaur, former Congress MP Annu Tandon and family members of former Maharashtra chief minister Narayan Rane.
India is going to pay the whistleblower from HSBC for more information; possibly as much as 10% of whatever they collect
Europe:
France. France appears to be preparing to go to trial. But a separate investigation into HSBC's parent company is ongoing
Denmark. 300 Danes are on the list the amount $370mn in accounts. Benny Engelbrecht the Tax Minister wants to know why, with information available, did his predecessors not act.
Belgium. HSBC faces criminal charges. HSBC initially refused to cooperate until Magistrate Ine Van Wymersch, announced that the investigating judge was issuing arrest warrants for past and current directors. Then HSBC decided they would cooperate.
*** See throw 'em in jail. They roll
***The judge was not identified by name in any article I perused
North America
Mexico: The government is investigating 2,642 names linked to $2.2bn
U.S.: The Justice Department is considering criminal charges against the bank and its clients. 4,183 names 13bn+ dollars
In Brazil 11 accounts held over 110 million dollars and is tied to the state-owned Oil Company, Petrobras
The Brazilian government is also looking into 6600 other undeclared accounts with HSBC's Swiss private bank affiliated in Brazil
In Argentina, the states Tax Office wants 3bn dollars held by 4,000 people in HSBC banks linked to Argentinians and Argentine businesses returned to Argentina. This, after Argentine authorities raided HSBC offices in Buenos Aires and are preparing criminal prosecution.
As of June, 2007, except for the Vatican, there doesnt appear to be any country without a client on the list, though 15 of the countries do not appear to have any client hiding money to avoid taxes. The list of the nulls include Laos, Burkina Faso, Tonga, Swaziland, Trinidad, etc.
There are 23 countries with the number of derelicts in their country in the thousands (UK 8,844; US 4,183; Saudi Arabia 1,504; Lebanon 2,988, Israel 6,554, Canada 1,859, France 9,187...). Their hidings are over 139bn.
on note: Even though they had the information available, the Cameron government gave the former HSBC chair Stephen Green a Tory peerage and appointed him trade minister several months after the government was given information from the French government in May 2010.
sourced through:
http://www.newsobserver.com/2015/02/09/4542851_belgian-judge-threatens-hsbc-directors.html?rh=1
http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/02/09/us-hsbc-belgium-moneylaundering-idUSKBN0LD1HO20150209
http://www.thelocal.dk/20150209/denmark-ignored-information-on-hidden-swiss-fortunes
http://indianexpress.com/article/world/world-others/hsbc-sheltered-murky-cash-linked-to-dictators-arms-dealers/
http://www.thelocal.ch/20150208/hsbc-swiss-bank-helped-terrorists-and-criminals
http://www.theguardian.com/business/2015/feb/22/swiss-account-secret-of-hsbc-chief-stuart-gulliver-revealed
http://www.theguardian.com/news/2015/feb/18/hsbc-swiss-bank-searched-as-officials-launch-money-laundering-inquiry
Bill Clinton met with Colombian President Alvaro Uribe to get donations for his Foundation.
http://colombiareports.com/uribe-meets-with-ex-us-president-bill-clinton/
Bill Clinton, ex-president of the United States and husband of the current U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, met with Colombian president Alvaro Uribe on Wednesday in search of resources for the reconstruction of Haiti.
~snip~
While his wife is on a diplomatic tour of various Latin American countries, ex-president Clinton is using the opportunity to raise money for Haitis reconstruction following the devastating earthquake that happened there in January of this year. The money is being raised through Clintons own charity, the Clinton Foundation.
Clinton will also be taking a look at various projects in Colombia that the Clinton Foundation has helped fund while visiting the country.
Some background on Uribe:
http://colombiareports.com/head-colombias-paramilitaries-former-auc-leader-ex-president-uribe/
Former President Alvaro Uribe was the head of Colombias paramilitary groups, according to a former paramilitary commander and witness in the case against a presidential candidate loyal to the former head of state.
The accusations were made by Pablo Hernan Sierra, alias Alberto Guerrero, former commander of the Cacique Pipinta bloc of the paramilitary group AUC, during an interview with Venezuelan network TeleSur.
He was our commander, claimed Sierra. He never fired a gun; but he led, he contributed, he was our man at the top.
The massacres, the disappearances, the creation of an {AUC} group: he is responsible, said Sierra.
The ex-paramilitary is a key witness in an investigation into Uribes alleged ties with paramilitary groups, especially his role in the formation of an AUC bloc while governor of Antioquia department from 1995-97, and his use of the AUC to win votes in the 2002 Presidential election.
http://colombiasupport.net/2008/06/details-of-testimony-that-involves-uribe-in-a-massacre/
The ex-paramilitary Francisco Enrique Villalba Hernández declared to the Colombian Attorney Generals
office this past February that President Alvaro Uribe and his brother Santiago participated in planning a
massacre in the north of the department of Antioquia, according to a copy of the testimony obtained by
the Nuevo Herald. Part of the confession of Villalba, whose credibility Uribe attacked this week, was
utilized by the Interamerican Human Rights Court (CIDH) to condemn Colombia for that massacre,
which occurred in the village of El Aro in 1997, according to an extensive decision of that tribunal two
years ago. Villalba did not involve the ruler or his brother in his testimony before the CIDH, but his
narrative was part of the proofs that served the tribunal to conclude that in the slaughter of El Aro
agents of the public security forces collaborated with groups of the United Self-defenses of Colombia
(Autodefensas Unidas de ColombiaAUC) to murder in cold blood at least fifteen campesinos in a
defenseless position, taking their goods away from others and generating terror and displacement,
according to the 160-page decision. This same decision cites a testimony to the effect that the
government of the department of Antioquia, at that time led by the currently president, refused to
extend protection to the inhabitants of El Aro, when they learned that the paramilitary attack was
imminent. In the face of this situation, about two months before the occupation, the Community
Action Board (Junta de Acción Comunal) asked the government for protection, which was
not offered, says the decision of the CIDH.
Until now, some of aspects of the declaration of Villalba to the Colombian prosecutors were only known
in an indirect and fragmentary way which where revealed surprisingly by Uribe during a radio interview
this week in order to reject what the ex-paramilitary pointed out. But the Nuevo Herald obtained a
complete copy of the declearation that, in fact, contains repeated testimonies of Villalba that Uribe,
when he was Governor of the department of Antioquia, hobnobbed with the highest leaders of the AUC
and gave them carte blanche to carry out the massacre. {Alvaro Uribe told us} that what had to be
done, that we would do it, declared Villalba in describing a meting in which AUC leaders, military
personnel and the brothers Alvaro and Santiago Uribe. Villalbas 19-page declaration describes, using
names and details a close relationship of complicity and camaraderie between military and police
authorities with the heads of the death squads.
http://colombiareports.co/wiretapping-scandal-increasingly-reveals-political-persecution-under-uribe/
As Colombias Supreme Court investigates illegal spying by the countrys former intelligence agency, an increasing amount of details are revealed about the alleged political persecution of leftist opponents of former President Alvaro Uribe.
A former director of Colombian intelligence agency DAS, Jorge Noguera, is currently on trial for various charges surrounding the wiretapping scandal that has already seen multiple convictions of Uribes former chief of staff and a second intelligence chief.
Colombias now-defunct intelligence agency, the DAS, did not report to anyone but the president and had been spying on the Supreme Court, journalists, human rights defenders and politicians in a scandal that was uncovered in 2008.
This is what Hillary Clinton had to say about Uribe (hat tip to karynnj).
This is a trip I have looked forward to making for quite some time, and it is a real pleasure to see how far Colombia has come and how much Colombia is contributing not only to its own people but to those who face similar struggles beyond your borders. So thank you for your hospitality, thank you for the very comprehensive discussion that we have had together today, and for the opportunity to reaffirm the friendship and strong partnership between the United States and Colombia.
In the last decade, Colombia has confronted immense challenges. And by any fair measure, Colombia has made great progress. That is thanks to the leadership of your government and to the resilience and dedication of the Colombian people. And even with continuing challenges in your own struggle, Colombia is playing a positive and increasingly important regional role, whether it be on promoting clean energy or on relief and recovery efforts in Haiti. The United States has been proud to stand with Colombia, and we will continue to stand with you in the future.
President Uribe and I discussed Colombias continuing efforts in the fight against drug trafficking and organized crime. And I expressed the commitment of the Obama Administration to continuing to partner with Colombia as it works to consolidate the security gains of recent years.
We also discussed Colombias efforts to enhance human rights, the strides made, the challenges that remain, the ongoing need for vigilance and commitment. And I also want to publicly express our admiration for President Uribe providing a remarkable example of strong democratic leadership in respecting the constitutional courts decision regarding another term.
Colombia is such a valued partner and a leader that we look forward to expanding and deepening our partnership. Colombia has helped to lead the way as an active member of the Energy and Climate Partnership of the Americas. Just a few examples that we look to and encourage others to do so as well: developing cutting-edge mass transit systems, exploiting the potential of biofuels, becoming a leader in the use of ethanol, spearheading an initiative to help build the infrastructure for long-distance electrical transmissions from Panama, through the Andean states, to Chile.
Colombia has also worked hard to address the historic lack of opportunity for many of its people, and in doing so has provided important models for other countries in our hemisphere. Recently, the United States and Colombia concluded the first steering committee meeting for our action plan on racial and ethnic equality, which will work to improve access to education, employment, and other opportunities for Afro-Colombian and indigenous communities.
We signed a new science and technology agreement today that will facilitate the exchange of ideas and technology to help both our countries compete in the global economy. All these and many other efforts speak to the enduring bonds of friendship and the stronger partnership for the future that we have, not just between our governments but between our peoples.
Mr. President, I speak for President Obama and myself when I say that you, personally, have been an essential partner to the United States. And because of your commitment to building strong democratic institutions here in Colombia and to nurturing the bonds of friendship between our two countries, you leave a legacy of great progress that will be viewed in historic terms. I know, though, as you said yourself in your remarks here today, you realize how much more is yet to be done.
This morning, I met with the two remaining presidential candidates. This is a choice for the Colombian people to make, but I have to say that the first round of voting was a testament to the vibrancy and strength of Colombias democracy. And the United States will work closely and constructively with whomever the Colombian people choose in this second round.
So thank you once again, Mr. President. And youre right; we had a wonderful dinner last night here in Bogota among friends, some Colombian, some American. And we talked about how remarkable it was that such a common event could take place. And as I drove here to the presidential palace and had the chance to look out the window at this absolutely magnificent city, my heart was filled with the hope that I know fills the hearts of so many Colombians, that what has been accomplished will only go from strength to strength. We will stand with the people of Colombia to make that so.
Thank you so much, Mr. President. (Applause.)
Alvaro Uribe is now on the Board of Directors for Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/print/2012-09-04/news-corp-nominates-chao-uribe-to-board-as-directors-step-down.html
News Corp. (NWSA), the media company run by billionaire Rupert Murdoch, nominated ex-Colombian President Alvaro Uribe and former U.S. Secretary of Labor Elaine Chao as directors, bolstering the boards government experience.
Uribe and Chao will replace Andrew Knight and John Thornton, who plan to step down as directors following the annual meeting, News Corp. said today in a statement.
The changes presage a broader shakeup in News Corp.s organization over the next year. Murdoch announced a plan in June to break up News Corp.s publishing and entertainment divisions into separate companies. Murdoch will remain chairman of both businesses and CEO of the entertainment division.
Chao served as labor secretary under President George W. Bush from 2001 to 2009. After that, she became a distinguished fellow of the Heritage Foundation in Washington. The Harvard-educated Uribe was president of Colombia from 2002 to 2010 and more recently served on an advisory council for JPMorgan Chase & Co. (JPM), News Corp. said.
The connection between News Corp and contributions to the Clinton's continues, this time to Hillary's campaign:
Of course, there's Hillary's friend, Rupert.
[IMG][/IMG]
Then there's Tom Perkins.
SFBG
http://www.sfbg.com/PDFs/politics/newscorpchart1009
[URL=.html][IMG][/IMG][/URL]
Thomas Perkins, a News Corp. director, is a Silicon Valley venture capitalist. He is a founding partner of Kleiner, Perkins, Caufield & Byers, an investment firm with stakes in Genentech, Google, Sun Microsystems, Netscape, Amazon, and others. He was previously an executive at Hewlett Packard. Perkins was the fifth husband of romance novelist Danielle Steel. He owned the 287-foot Maltese Falcon -- the largest and most expensive private sailboat ever built. A partner at Perkins firm, John Gage, also serves as a director of the Markle Foundation, a private nonprofit that provides recommendations for using technology to enhance the federal governments intelligence-sharing abilities, according to a policy paper published by the foundation. Stanley Shuman, another News Corp. director, is listed as a managing director at the Markle Foundation.
[IMG][/IMG]
wolfie001
(2,270 posts)From Factcheck.org
.........the fact that most of the Clinton Foundations charitable work is performed in-house. One independent philanthropy watchdog did an analysis of Clinton Foundation funding and concluded that about 89 percent of its funding went to charity.
Simply put, despite its name, the Clinton Foundation is not a private foundation which typically acts as a pass-through for private donations to other charitable organizations. Rather, it is a public charity. It conducts most of its charitable activities directly.
Asked for some examples of the work it performs itself, the Clinton Foundation listed these:
◾Clinton Development Initiative staff in Africa train rural farmers and help them get access to seeds, equipment and markets for their crops.
◾Clinton Climate Initiative staff help governments in Africa and the Caribbean region with reforestation efforts, and in island nations to help develop renewable energy projects.
◾Staff at the Clinton Health Access Initiative, an independent, affiliated entity, work in dozens of nations to lower the cost of HIV/AIDS medicine, scale up pediatric AIDS treatment and promote treatment of diarrhea through life-saving Zinc/ORS treatment.
◾Clinton Health Matters staff work with local governments and businesses in the United States to develop wellness and physical activity plans.
We should go after her because she shook hands with Uribe and Murdoch? Oh really? Certainly, Colombia's internal bloodshed are due to the Clintons, am I right? That's easier than putting the blame where it belongs: The Repukes and Ronnie Raygun!!!
OnyxCollie
(9,958 posts)Thanks for the in-depth analysis.
wolfie001
(2,270 posts)You know, there's a meme or two for that. But thanks anyway.
OnyxCollie
(9,958 posts)You know, the whole "informed voter" type thing.
But, as is common among the neophytes on this board, political philosophy is only meme-deep.
GO BLUE TEAM!
rhett o rick
(55,981 posts)of the OP?
wolfie001
(2,270 posts)Of course!!!
Octafish
(55,745 posts)Rich get richer through Buy Partisanship.
Bank Crimes Pay
by Andrew Gavin Marshall
CounterPunch, Nov. 27, 2015
On Nov. 13, the United Kingdoms Serious Fraud Office (SFO) announced it was charging 10 individual bankers, working for two separate banks, Deutsche Bank and Barclays, with fraud over their rigging of the Euribor rates. The latest announcement shines the spotlight once again on the scandals and criminal behavior that have come to define the world of global banking.
To date, only a handful of the worlds largest banks have been repeatedly investigated, charged, fined or settled in relation to a succession of large financial scams, starting with mortgage fraud and the Libor scandal in 2012, the Euribor scandal and the Forex (foreign exchange) rate rigging. At the heart of these scandals, which involve the manipulation of interest rates on trillions of dollars in transactions, lie a handful of banks that collectively form a cartel in control of global financial markets and the source of worldwide economic and financial crises.
Banks such as HSBC, JPMorgan Chase, Barclays, Bank of America, Citigroup, Deutsche Bank, Royal Bank of Scotland and UBS anchor the global financial power we have come to recognize as fraud. The two, after all, are not mutually exclusive. In more explicit terms, this cartel of banks functions as a type of global financial Mafia, manipulating markets and defrauding investors, consumers and countries while demanding their pound of flesh in the form of interest payments. The banks force nations to impose austerity measures and structural reforms under the threat of cutting off funding; meanwhile they launder drug money for other cartels and organized crime syndicates.
Call them the global Mafiocracy.
In May, six major global banks were fined nearly $6 billion for manipulation of the foreign exchange market, which handles over $5 trillion in daily transactions. Four of the six banks pleaded guilty to charges of conspiring to manipulate the price of U.S. dollars and euros exchanged. Those banks were Citigroup, JPMorgan Chase, Barclays and Royal Bank of Scotland, while two additional banks, UBS and Bank of America, were fined but did not plead guilty to the specific charges. Forex traders at Citigroup, JPMorgan Chase and other banks conspired to manipulate currency prices through chat room groups they established, where they arrogantly used names like The Mafia and The Cartel.
CONTINUED...
http://www.counterpunch.org/2015/11/27/bank-crimes-pay
Combine criminal banks with a wall-to-wall surveillance state run by secret government warmongers, and that's not just a problem for democracy, it's our perpetual crisis.
Major Hogwash
(17,656 posts)They say.
rhett o rick
(55,981 posts)I have to guess they don't like posts that diss Wall Street and bankers. I have to assume they are ok with this story.
KansDem
(28,498 posts)From 2012--
Breuer this week signed off on a settlement deal with the British banking giant HSBC that is the ultimate insult to every ordinary person who's ever had his life altered by a narcotics charge. Despite the fact that HSBC admitted to laundering billions of dollars for Colombian and Mexican drug cartels (among others) and violating a host of important banking laws (from the Bank Secrecy Act to the Trading With the Enemy Act), Breuer and his Justice Department elected not to pursue criminal prosecutions of the bank, opting instead for a "record" financial settlement of $1.9 billion, which as one analyst noted is about five weeks of income for the bank.
--more--
Rolling Stone
The rich pay a (small) fine and the poor go to jail
rhett o rick
(55,981 posts)d_legendary1
(2,586 posts)Its a pain in the ass to be the good guy when the government is going to bat for the bad guy.
Xolodno
(6,401 posts)Even if you are protected, good luck on getting another job. Most companies will not higher someone who has "whistle blower" on the Resume. And even if you make a law stating that such discrimination is wrong....good luck in trying to prove it. Hence why people working at one company see the writing on the wall and bail out rather than act in the interests of the company, employee's, shareholders, etc.
Go to another company, dump your employee stock purchases, roll over the 401(k), etc.
d_legendary1
(2,586 posts)And while you're at it put some CEOs in jail.
tclambert
(11,087 posts)Suppose this guy got a million dollar reward for blowing the whistle. Suppose a few other successful whistleblowers got a million dollars for exposing wrongdoing. It doesn't need to include every single whistleblower, just a few winners to encourage more contestants. Governments and corporations would live in fear of people seeking to win the lottery by ratting out their malfeasance. Hell, they might even try to avoid doing evil.
I'm sure the rich and powerful would try to push back because they don't like it when someone exposes their evildoings. Encouraging whistleblowing is one way we, the people, can fight their power.
d_legendary1
(2,586 posts)for everyone. It keeps companies honest and the person who is essentially toxic waste thanks to their good deed won't be missing any meals. Now to find some legislators who don't work for GS.
Enthusiast
(50,983 posts)SoapBox
(18,791 posts)Mustellus
(328 posts).. have long been on the bad side of any moral banking laws.
Google the attempts to reclaim the treasures looted by the Nazis in WW2, and deposited in Swiss banks.
The gold ingots believed to be teeth fillings....
Along with one or two other countries, the Swiss enable dictators across the world to safely bank their loot, and then to live lives of luxury if they find a country of refuge.
Festivito
(13,452 posts)Jack Rabbit
(45,984 posts)He can stand to Mr. Snowden's right while we give him his.
Martak Sarno
(77 posts)This may surprise a few people.
On youtube;
Nazi Gold - Secrets of War
bvar22
(39,909 posts)Crystalite
(164 posts)...wtf?
LS_Editor
(893 posts)houston16revival
(953 posts)Laundering is enabled by bank secrecy
Hitler's banker used it
magical thyme
(14,881 posts)That said, outrageous. The corrupt 1% shall be protected, no matter what.
hootinholler
(26,449 posts)Can be convicted.
Fairgo
(1,571 posts)There is a World War afoot. Commerce has become the battle field. Campaigns are plotted in the board rooms of industry. The theatres of economic warfare are mapped in trade agreements. Multi-national corporations and complicit vichy governments around the world are the new axis powers. Goebbels? Every channel on your cable TV and radio. We are Gulliver, unconscious on the beach, as the 1%, lilliputian in their physical capacity, enslave us with a thousand silver threads.
snot
(10,538 posts)Go, Muriel V.!
Octafish
(55,745 posts)...honest people are in trouble.