Reply #2: It seems Virgin (airway) really loves them too - here is a link from their webiste: [View All]

[1776Forever]

http://www.virgin-atlantic.com/en/gb/whereintheworld/destinationinformation/dubai.jsp

Of course, what Corporate entity wouldn't with that kind of money being thrown around. The Citibank deal sure sweetened that pot!

Peter J. Cooper’s Weblog
November 23, 2008
Citi UAE reassures depositors of government guarantee
Filed under: UAE Stocks, US Dollar — peterjcooper @ 6:09 pm

http://arabianmoney.net/2008/11/23/citi-uae-reassures-depositors-of-government-guarantee/

Citibank UAE today confirmed that all customer deposits at all its branches in the country are guaranteed by the UAE Government in line with the UAE Federal Cabinet’s decision of Oct 13, 2008 which guarantees bank deposits, including deposits with national banks and foreign banks which have significant operations in the UAE.

Mohammed Al-Shroogi, Managing Director for the Middle East and Chief Executive Officer for Citi in the UAE, said: “Citibank N.A, UAE is a branch of Citibank N.A and has been licensed in the United Arab Emirates since 1964. We remain the bank of choice for millions of depositors worldwide, evident in a strong deposit base (approximately $780 billion at the end of the third quarter) diversified across products and regions, with more than two thirds of it outside the U.S. including UAE.”

“Our universal banking business model has been proven to be robust and has certainly won the approval of major investors,” continued Mr. Al-Shroogi. “Over the past 15 months, Citi has added $75 billion in new capital: $50 billion through public and private offerings and $25 billion from the U.S. government’s TARP program. As a result, Citi maintans a very strong capital and liquidity position and a unique global franchise, including a growing Middle Eastern franchise.”

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And then there is this little tidbit:

http://www.teeth.com.pk/blog/2008/05/18/how-citibank-laundered-asif-zardaris-money

How Citibank Laundered Asif Zardari’s Money
Posted by Teeth Maestro
May 18, 2008 | 641 views

I just came across this write up found on Chowk published on November 7th 2007, its definitely worth reading.

In addition to Mr. Shaukat Aziz, current Prime Minister of Pakistan, numerous former Citibankers occupy highly influential positions in the government and the private sector in Pakistan.

Citibank is one of the largest banks, and operates one of the largest private banks in the US and globally. Of the 40 private banks reviewed by the Federal Reserve during its industry wide examination of private banking in the 1990s, only one — Citibank — was reviewed in detail by Federal Reserve examiners three years in a row. It is a private bank that has struggled with a wide range of anti-money laundering issues. Although Citibank, under Shaukat Aziz’s leadership (from May 1997 to October 1999) and his successors’ has done much to tighten controls, it was beset by numerous scandals during the 1990s.

A 1999 US Congress investigation (exact reference given at end) into Citibank, provides a fascinating inside look at how Citibank helped launder the ill-gotten gains of four high profile corrupt figures: Raul Salinas, brother of the former president of Mexico, Carlos Salinas, Asif Ali Zardari, the husband of Benazir Bhutto, former Prime Minister of Pakistan (reproduced below), El Hadj Omar Bongo, the elected president of Gabon since 1967, and Mohammed, Ibrahim, and Abba Sani Abacha, three sons of General Sani Abacha, who was the military leader of Nigeria from 1993 until his death in 1998.

Of the four case histories provided in the Report, the following is a complete excerpt of the Case History for Asif Zardari. The report also provides photocopies of signed documents, banks records, etc. (listed below, at the end).

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It makes you wonder just how many of those "stars" that flocked there for this 20 M party have any idea what is really going on.