Mbabazi is all of a sudden in the wind!

“in the wind: to disappear, unable to be found” (Urban Dictionary)

He has been the shadow and the loyal subject under the National Resistance Movement and as one of the men has followed President Museveni for decades, until his demise and his lost position of both Secretary General of the NRM-O and the Prime Minister post. Before that he had been a minister and also a long-serving member of the Movement.

Amama Mbabazi went from being the next in line to being an outcast. He tried to become the flag-bearer and presidential candidate in the Movement, but they wouldn’t relieve or give way for anyone else then three decades running president. So he was left out of the party, even as his membership still was there. Still, with that the The Democratic Alliance (TDA) allowed him and Gilbert Bukenya to stand as Presidential Candidates. Mbabazi achieved it with fielding the opposition parties and get Besigye to abandon the Opposition alliance. Therefore there was to major opposition candidates against Museveni. Both of them former allies and close knit in the Movement.

Besigye was the offensive and strong candidate, the man who gained the people and got the crowds that showed his popularity. Mbabazi started strong, but didn’t have the same amounts, but Besigye had been running many times before against Museveni, Mbabazi was a first time against his former boss. Mbabazi got to taste tear-gas, lose his allies, get supporters detained and even getting harassed by the police force for holding preliminary rallies. The reality of the code of conduct that the Movement has had for decades was something now the Mbabazi – Go Forward got to taste.

The sour and bitter taste of getting on the side-line of the Movement, getting their treatment and their recognition, the only attempt of some peaceful transition and smear of democratic behaviour was letting the Election Petition from the Amama Mbabazi legal team getting accepted even as it entered the Constitutional Court close to 30 minutes over the deadline. The rest was well rigged and malnourished to fix Museveni another term. Keep up, business as usual.

Mbabazi has after the election had meetings with the President, with many suggestions and wondering how come. I don’t really pound on that, as he was even pragmatic at the Presidential Debates of still being member of the Movement, while still running as an own flag-bearer in the TDA/Go-Forward outfit. Therefore I had giant issues that he run as an opposition, but still was a member of the ruling party. That doesn’t make sense and doesn’t seem reasonable.

So the NRM member was running on Opposition ticket. Seems foolish right that Norbert Mao and others accepted that request and dignified his approach? But, when darkness has been running for so long, a leaf of hope can resurrect a forest? Well, Amama Mbabazi didn’t run circles around Museveni. He just tangoed and made sure to make a good public figure.

His approach was more use cool designs, try to be a populist politician and hope he took some of the crowds of long-serving opposition. He really didn’t reinvent much or even sell his story strong, because who remember what sort of campaign the Go Gorward Group and allies did run on? I do not remember a single thing of what he did really stand for or what was his grand mission?

 

Mbabazi went underground or silent, nearly a visible character or public figure, as he wants a relief of public dedication behind him. Still, the rumoured visit or meetings with Museveni, proves that Mbabazi really never left, but was more of staged paradigm. You can wonder if he will have the same fate as Bukenya, suddenly be offered a senior position inside the NRM-O?

So that he can be compensated and silenced, not telling stories of old or even scorns the world with the realities of the inner-workings of the Movement. Since he is still paid by the Movement, he will not talk or disobey the President. Even if Museveni did scalp his ambition, and his dream of achieving, the executive position of Uganda. Certainly, the TDA was not built or had the machinery to conquer the movement-based Electoral Commission, neither was the quickly built organization around the Go Forward. Mbabazi wasn’t prepared with party apparatus to counter the Movement. The FDC had 10 years of building a party, Go Forward was months old and not allowed to hold preliminary meetings.

Mbabazi’s attempt was flawed, but dire as the proof of the invalid execution of NRM-O and Museveni who doesn’t care, because he is the only man with a vision. Mbabazi didn’t have his vision, since Mbabazi is Mbabazi and not Museveni. That is simplistic, but still a fact.

Mbabazi as long as he is a NRM-O member, an insider who is partly outcast, because of his wish of higher public office and that he wanted to take his masters place. President Museveni would not accept to lose his place and be succeeded. Succession has never been in the works of the NRM-O or the ruling regime, so that Amama Mbabazi thought he would exchange the current leader was failing from the beginning. The reason behind why Besigye had to start on his own on the outside of the Movement; the same Mbabazi was doing.

So what is up next is in the vision of Mbabazi and if he want to risk his lavish house, as he lost one of his cars as his place in parliament went away after the election. What else of Parliamentary perks he has lost is certainly a few. Other investments or ownership is only known by him and the movement, as Mbabazi wasn’t the most frugal MP. Mbabazi was known for his corrupt and grafting ability while being in power. So his wealth is built on agreements and his close-knitted community while being inside the Movement. Therefore he must know a lot that Museveni doesn’t want out. Therefore as long he is silent, he doesn’t have to fear, but if he would talk or release the intelligence, even if he would drop knowledge on certain older scandals, he could damage the Movement more.

Still, with his membership and dialogue with Museveni. Show’s that Mbabazi even though not official part of the leadership anymore in the ruling regime. Isn’t totally out of the picture or out of the elite, he is just silent relief.

So what do you think Mbabazi is up to and scheming? Is he done as political figure or will he brought into the NRM-O again? Peace.

Opinion: What will the Silent Mbabazi do?

There was once upon a time a lot of fuzz around this one politician, as he even at one point tried to become the Presidential Candidate in the National Resistance Movement, even when Museveni is still breathing; he tried to take over the NRM as a Secretary General and as a Prime Minister in the cabinet under Museveni. With that trying he was deflected and demoted from his positions and Dr. Ruhakana Ruganda, his childhood fried as the PM and Justine Kasule Lumumba as the Secretary General of the NRM.

So he seemed at that point to be lost with scarecrows and dustbins, as one of many men that the Museveni have left astray and left to dwindle. Even as he was demoted and had a ruckus internally in the NRM before the pre-election period of the General Election 2016, which led to his fall.

Now that his PM cars have been taken in, surely his pay has been cut off and other fees and Parliamentary bonuses are gone. While he surely have some money from the embezzlement projects of the past, as he has been on list of the most corrupt Ugandans year after year, it isn’t a secret, it is a fact. And the reason why he hasn’t been taken in or gotten trouble in court was because of his close ties to Museveni and the rest of the elite who also happen to eat of the plate where he was having a bargain.

The last big blow and act of his Presidential Candidacy was the Election Petition in Supreme Court as FDC was blocked with helicopter, besieged and even detained. While Mbabazi where house-arrested, but he had enough lawyers to hire so they; the government couldn’t monitor them all as they we’re busy putting in the hourly pay for the guards at Kasangati. So Mbabazi we’re able through his lawyers to deliver the petition 15 minutes after the deadline time. Even if the affidavit and witnesses disappeared like banana-flies and the nurture of yet another term for Museveni.

Mbabazi was able to collect the smaller parties and certain endorsements early in the campaign, like Otunnu and Mao, but they didn’t have their whole parties behind them, as the Opposition either we’re accommodating Museveni as UPC or parts DP did the same; while the Central leaders like Otunnu and Mao risked their own political capital in the former NRM Cadre. The Democratic Alliance had other smaller parties, but they did not have an impact as they wished to have. Especially when the FDC pulled out and Besigye felt he was the strongest Presidential Candidate besides Museveni, which was true.

With all of that in mind, as he has played his cards and is left on the table, he is not in parliament and will not be a Politician. He might be able to live on interest as he should have been able to fill his coffers in the years in the NRM elite. Still the Go-Forward Organization is either something he plans to build-on or if not, he has to forge new ways to reach the potential he seemed to have out of the gate.

Now he is in a pickle and in a blurred line where he has to decide, is his principals or is his own political life important; does he want to be outsider and opposition? Or does he want to be a loyal NRM cadre under Museveni? If you are in the NRM you have to be loyal to the vision of Museveni and nothing else, something he expect of the whole country, but trust me; he is not only man with a vision in Uganda. If there we’re so there wouldn’t be any businesses and ideas in Uganda, as entrepreneurial as the Ugandans can be; that is cannot true, Mzee.

Let be clear he can now either go the way of Mr. Mahogany, who after joining in the TDA went crawling back with broken heart and kissed the ring of Museveni; while doing so he would get a position on the NRM National Executive Committee as he is a “historical” in some points. If not he have to go the way of Besigye and create a strong opposition party with members and supporters allover. The last part is hard work and takes dedication. As if he does the latter… and if the Museveni would let him come, as I am sure he does, as he forgives, but never gives them the space and opportunity they had in past.

The last piece of political play he did was to offer Besigye lawyers for his sham trial in Moroto now in May, but he did not take the offer for special lawyers for his quick trial in (Nakawa Magistrate Court) Kampala before he was driven back to Luzira. Certainly he still tries to play a role in the Opposition, but does not have a platform or the reach that others who have danced in the wilderness for longer time.

That Mbabazi have hard days ahead as he is not naturally in the headlines, he is not in the NRM Elite, not a direct part of the FDC wrangles with the vote rigging, though surely his numbers we’re duped too. Still, he have been more silent and not made himself an opposition figure. Joseph Mabirizi has done more to take a stance against the whole shenanigans. Mbabazi went to court with his petition and after that been very silent. He tried in waiting period of collecting evidence to travel to Kasangati, but was sent back to his home and house-arrest. Little have been done since, just utter Silence…

The Silent Mbabazi, not the ones in the headlines, not the one with the answers and intelligence of the NRM, and why is he like this, is he worried? Is he unsecure of his future? Does the knowing that he either has to build on rocks and not on already fertile land scare him? He has been used to drive in sponge in the waters of others and drain the gold out of it. Now he can’t as he is alone leader of Go-Forward, and if it is more than a fluke and real organization, he has to invest and start to use loyal supporters and build his party. If not go back on his knees and kiss the ring of Museveni.

What will the silent Mbabazi do? Peace.  

When FIFA’s Blatter commends somebodies development you should look into it; as the President Obiang of Equatorial Guinea has a son in Teodorin who loves the luxurious life in Los Angeles, as the paperwork shows!

“This is the first time I have been to your country but it will definitely not be the last. You have so many development projects going on that I will almost certainly have to come back,” Blatter said” (Embassy of Equatorial Guinea, 2010).

When Sepp Blatter have seen development he have seen some brown-envelopes and adjustments made for the FIFA organizations and the other football bodies that have helped enrichen that organization and not develop the country that FIFA is in. If it was so then the stadiums of Brazil would be used for something else than a Bus-Park. But this here is not about the use of FIFA, but his visit surely gives the prospect of how the society is. As this country I will be focused on have had a tightknit organization built around the Executive and the Party he is running.

“Cabinet Ministers and public servants in Equatorial Guinea are by the law allowed to owe [sic] companies that , in consortium with a foreign company, can bid the government contracts  and should the company be successful, then what percentage of the total cost of the contract the company gets, will depend on the terms negotiated between the parties. But, in any event, it means that a cabinet minister ends up with a sizeable part of the contract price in his bank account” – Teodorin Nguema Obiang Mangue

I will today show a little levels of corruption from the grand-family of the longest staying President on the African Continent per today. This President have just recently won yet another election with over 90% and secured a new term in the country he has run since a coup d’état in 1979. About the way President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasongo, who have filtered the oil-rich monies to himself and family over the years and used government funds on expensive things for himself or his son Teodorin Obiang who at some point even dated the American rapper EVE. But, hey take a look!

“According to the documents from the Justice Department and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Teodorin, who earns a few thousand dollars a month as a minister in his father’s government, transferred about $75 million into U.S. banks between 2005 and 2007, via wire transfers processed by Bank of America, Wachovia, UBS, Union Bank of California and First American Trust” (Global Witness, 2009).

In 2011 this was the official salary of Teodorin Obiang as Ministry of Forestry:

“His official salary today is approximately $6,799 per month, or less than $100,000 per year, according to the official E.G. sources” (United States District Court for the Central District of California, 2011).

This is just the beginning and shows to what extent that Equatorial Guinean President and his son have bought with the government funds. This is money earned through the exporting crude-oil and the dividends from it. The Government gets the earnings with the ELF contracts for instance. So there is money to spend of the President as the oil-money could be used for personal affairs it seems. Not that it is justified and therefore it has even cause controversy in the United States as his son are leaving in Los Angeles.

What spending had Teodorin Obiang done in Los Angeles:

“The Defendants in rem, obtained through the abuse of public office and illegally laundered through the abuse of financial institutions and businesses in the United States, are believed to be currently located within the Central District of California” (…)”The Defendants White Crystal-Covered “Bad Tour” Glove and miscellaneous other Michael Jackson memorabilia” (…)” These items are believed to be located at the defendant real property located on Sweetwater, Mesa Road, California” (…)”The Defendant, 2011 Ferrari is described as followed: One 2011 Ferrari 599 GTO” (…)”The defendant 2011 Ferrari is titled in the name of Teodoro Nguema Obiang and is believed to be located at the Sweetwater property” (…)”The 2004 PSI Report revealed that, from at least 1995 to 2004, the Government of E.G. directed that payments from the oil companies be made into accounts at Riggs National Bank in Washington D.C. According to the PSI Report, aggregate deposits to E.G. Government accounts totaled hundreds of millions dollars at a time and were so large that by 2003, the E.G. portfolio had become the bank’s largest single costumer relationship, with balances and outstanding loans that together approached $700 million. The PSI Report concluded that Riggs Bank “turned a blind eye to evidence (,) suggesting the bank was handling the proceeds of foreign corruption” (…)”In March 2001, Nguema bought a new 2001 Bentley automobile in Beverly Hills, California, paying for it with a personal check for $360,000, drawn on his Riggs Bank account. A few months later, he brought a second 2001 Bentley, from the same dealership in Beverly Hills, for which he paid $57,500 in cash and $228,000 by personal check drawn on the same account. In 2001, at the age of 33, he also bought a $6,5 million house on the Antelo Road in Bel Air” (…)”For example, he spent millions of dollars to buy dozens of sports cars and luxury vehicles. These included, amongst others, 24 cars with a total declared value of $9.68 million that he stored at the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angles until November 2010, when he shipped them, along with $400,000 worth of motorcycles, to France. These cars included a $ 2 million Maserati, two Bugatti Veyron sports cars for which he paid $ 2 million Maserati and $ 1.3 million respectively, eight Ferraris (including the defendant 2011 Ferrari), seven Rolls Royces, five Bentleys, four Mercedes, A Porsche, two Lamborghinis, and an Aston Martin” (United States District Court for the Central District of California, 2011).

Here I have just showed how much monies have been moved to a Bank Accounts over a Period which is in the amount of 700 Million Dollars and can only be seen as grand amount of monies taken from Equatorial Guinea to be used for personal affairs in United States. As we later see the amounts spent on cars and the sophisticated cars and size of the car park that is filled with Bentleys, Ferraris, Aston Martin, Bugatti Veyron, Rolls Roycs and even a Maserati. That shows the level of spending and the ignorant value of the government funds, as spending on a crystal-white Michael Jackson glove together with a house in Bel Air and the one in Sweetwater estate. But this is not it all, sadly the Obiang family spending in the US is staggering.

If you think that Teodoro and Teodorin were done in this time period to spend money in the United States, they did more!

“In June 2005, Nguema purchased two 50-foot, high-performance racing boats in Ft. Myers, Florida, for a total of over $ 2 million” (…)”Between April and June 2006, Nguema’s luxery expenditures included a combined total of $68 million on just two assets; the defendant Malibu mansion, for which the purchase price was $ 30 million, and a Gulfstream G-V private jet, which cost over $38 million” (…)”In a single month in 2004, for example, he spent over $80,000 at Gucci and over $50,000 at Dolce and Gabbana in a shopping spree in the United States” (…)”From June 2010 through June 2011, Nguema spent a total of approximately $3.2 million on various items of Michael Jackson memorabilia, including $275,000 for the defendant “Bad Tour” glove, $80,000 for a pair of crystal-covered socks, $140,000 for a jacket and shirt, and $245,000 for a basketball signed by Michael Jackson and basketball star Michael Jordan” (…)”Nguema created companies in various names, including “Beautiful Vision, Inc” and “Unlimited Horizon Inc.,” and opened bank accounts in the United States in the name of those companies. Nguema also wired transferred funds to bank accounts controlled by intermediaries, who then used the money to pay for his personal expenses, or transferred money from those accounts t accounts in the names of the corporations he formed, and then used the corporate accounts to pay his personal expenses” (United States District Court for the Central District of California, 2011).

How did Teoderin buy the Michael Jackson Memorabilia?

“In August 2010, an intermediary registered Nguema to bid in a live auction of celebrity memorabilia (called the “Legends” auctions) taking place on October 9, 2010, in Macau, China (October 8, 2010, in California). The intermediary advised the auction house by email to “Please make sure that [Nguema’s] name does not appear anywhere, he should be invisible,” and to “please make sure that where a name needs to be, my name is there. This is very important” (…)”The auction house prepared two invoices in the same name of the intermediary, totaling $1,398,062.50, using the address of the Sweetwater property” (…)”When one of Nguema’s assistants received the invoices, she instructed the auction house to revise the invoices to indicate that the purchases were being billed to “Amadeo Oluy, Malabo, Guinea Equatorial-“. These items were shipped to E.G.” (…)”In December 2010, another function of celebrity memorabilia was held by the same auction house, this time in Beverly Hills, California. An intermediary came to the auction on Nguema’s behalf and successfully bid in the defendant white crystal-covered “Bad Tour”glove and other defendant items listen in Attachment A-1, attached hereto. The total cost of these items was $872,125.00” (…)”On January 31, 2011, Nguema caused $872,112.00 to be wire transferred from an account in the name of Eloba Construction, S.A., Equatorial Guinea to an account at American Business Bank in Los Angles in the name of the auction house, Julien Entertainment, to pay for the items purchased at the December 2010 auction. This items was subsequently packed for shipment and delivered to the defendant Sweetwater property” (…)”On March 29, 2011, an employee of the auction house sent her employer a email regarding the invoices for the items purchased on behalf of Nguema, asking,

I assume I need to rewrite the invoices in the same fashion as I’ve done in prior sales? (putting lots on one page, adding catalog page numbers and changing the Buyer’s name” (…)”In June 2011, Nguema again used an intermediary bid on more Michael Jackson memorabilia at another “Music Icons” auction. The intermediary successfully bid on the items costing a total of $379,692.00 sent by “Oluy Amadeo” in Equatorial Guinea to the bank account of the auction house at American Business Bank in Los Angles, California. The items purchased by Nguema at the June 2011” (United States District Court for the Central District of California, 2011).

As you can see the son of President Teodoro Obiang really have a thing for the memorabilia of the late Michael Jackson and have spent a fortune on it. That shows where monies go to. So it is not only the properties, but all from signed posters, gloves, statues and bags; all kind of former fandom equipment and limited editions that are signed by Michael Jackson and used by him in his lifetime.

Here is an letter from CSO’s on the case:  

“Mr. Nguema’s attorneys, Juan P. Morillo and Tomislav Joksimovic, at the time of Clifford Chance US LLP, formally “agreed, and…so advised [their] client, that none of [Mr. Nguema’s] assets in the United States [would] be moved or otherwise made unavailable until…the government has had an opportunity to consider any evidence presented [by Mr. Nguema’s counsel]”.4” (…)”About three weeks later, Mr. Lyons informed Ms. Hudson “that the items of Michael Jackson memorabilia named as defendants in the complaint [were] no longer in the United States.”7 Her October 27, 2011 formal demand that Mr. Nguema return the Michael Jackson memorabilia to Government representatives in the United States went unheeded. Indeed, Mr. Nguema’s contempt for his legal obligations and the commitments made by his representatives were amply illustrated by his decision some time later to flaunt the Michael Jackson memorabilia in a highly publicized exhibition in Equatorial Guinea” (…)”According to the same information received, Mr Roberto Berardi had found out early 2013 about the asset forfeiture action by the United States Department of Justice against the US-based properties that his business partner had purchased by using accounts in Equatorial Guinea banks in the name of Eloba Construccion. Mr Roberto Berardi had subsequently raised the issue with his partner Mr Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mangue. There are reasons to believe that Mr Roberto Berardi could be a very damaging witness in the US investigation and was therefore arrested and imprisoned” (…)”Ensures that Mr. Nguema and/or his family does not, and does not appear to, retain de facto control over disposition of any funds or other benefits that are intended to be, or may be, allocated to the benefit of the victims of the alleged corrupt practices, namely, the people of Equatorial Guinea” (Apdhe, Open Society Justice Initiative, EGJustice and Sherpa, 2014).

This here is the picture of how the Government of Equatorial Guinea is spending their monies on the family of the dictator instead of building infrastructure, health-care and the education. There is viable evidence of fraud and embezzlement as the government funds getting send directly from Equatorial Guinea to American banks used on whatever luxuries that Teodorin Obiang wants or needs in his collections. Either if it is a fancy car or something from Michael Jackson memorabilia. That proves to what extent this family eats the government funds and doesn’t care how it looks. The country is nearly never in the headlines, last real time before the recent elections was because of the African Cup of Nation that was held there and even made Sepp Blatter visit the country from his hectic office days in Switzerland.

You can think about the information and what signal it really sends. What this means for the government of Equatorial Guinea that the President Obiang can stay in power since 1970s and over 30 years. The viable price of that is the embezzlement and the grand-corruption. Together with the made corporations to move the embezzled money from the Nation to other places like Los Angeles, California. Peace.

Reference:

Apdhe, Open Society Justice Initiative, EGJustice and Sherpa – ‘Proposed Settlement in US v. One White Crystal-Covered “Bad Tour” Glove and Other Michael Jackson Memorabilia; Real Property Located on Sweetwater Mesa Road in Malibu, California; One 2011 Ferrari 599 GTO; and US v. One Gulfstream G-V Jet Aircraft Displaying Tail Number VPCES, Its Tools and Appurtenances (collectively, the “Case”)’ (05.08.2014) letter to Eric H. Holder Jr. Attorney General in U.S. Department of Justice.

Embassy of Equatorial Guinea – ‘FIFA PRESIDENT PRAISES DEVELOPMENT IN EQUATORIAL GUINEADURING VISIT’ (08.06.2010)

Global Witness – ‘Secret documents reveal multi-million dollar shopping spree by Africandictator’s son; US authorities fail to act on evidence of corruption’ (17.11.2009)

United States District Court for the Central District of California – United States of America V. One White Crystal-Covered “Bad Tour” Glove and Other Michael Jackson Memorabilia; Real Property Located on Sweetwater Mesa Road in Malibu, California; one 2011 Ferrari 599 GTO – Case of Forfeiture in REM. (13 October 2011).

PLO Lumumba – “We are Co-Authors of our misfortune”

Interesting, right? Enlightenment, right?

Peace!

Recent Corruption cases: ‘There is nothing like a free lunch’!

“There is nothing like a free lunch” – Milton Friedman.

Corruption! A long word I have written about for ages and it doesn’t stop. Milton Friedman is right there isn’t nothing like a free lunch. You can get kickbacks, but it’s still not right because it’s not fair, not just and not the way of dealing as a civil servant or as a business person to get a better life or deal. That is what these corruption cases are about from the Netherland, Singapore, Taiwan, and Montana in U.S.A., also Estonia and Zambia. There is all the different kinds of lunches. An all of them have been eating though one company won’t take the risk so they pull out of a market till the last story where Bishop Mambo in Zambia is telling that there is corruption in the Church. Surely their churches, the church-coffee after service must be sweetened by something stronger then sugar.

In the Netherlands the Dutch Staffing Company Brunel has pulled out its operations in Nigeria because of corruption their Chief Executive Jan Arie Van Barneveld says: “The security risk and bureaucracy make it almost impossible to guarantee the quality of our services and the safety of our workers in Nigeria in the future” (…)”If it is actually impossible to do business without breaking the rules and putting our staff in physical danger, then I’ve had it” (…)”Even if we will notice the difference in our books” (…)”We do business there with big oil and gas companies which are run by local bigwigs. They simply tell our staff that the bill won’t be paid unless a certain person is “facilitated” first. To be clear, that means to be paid” (Dutch, 2015).

In Singapore there was a former engineer who worked at the Changai Airport Group (CAG), the engineer Henry Goh Keng Hwee was sentenced to 15 months in jail on 27. August 2015 to the following counts: “three for corruptly accepting bribes and six for deceiving the Group with fraudulent quotations. Another 19 charges under the Prevention of Corruption Act were taken into consideration in sentencing” (…)”The court heard on Thursday that Goh had accepted bribes totaling S$43,780 from Dennis Kang, a director of Fire-Mech, which was in the business of providing installation, servicing and maintenance works for fire protection systems” (…)”In seeking a sentence of 20 months’ jail and S$43,780 fine, Deputy Public Prosecutor Jiang Ke-Yue submitted that Goh, “motivated by sheer greed”, had abused his position of trust and influence, as his recommendations were relied upon by Management. “This is aggravated by the fact that he had built the bribes into the contract price, effectively earning secret profits from his own employer”, DPP Jiang said” (Chelvan, 2015).

In Taiwan Mr. Huang Ching-Tai the former Keelung City Council speaker is sentenced to 20 years in prison for charges involving bribes, graft, bribery, accepting kickbacks and more. A important part of the ruling was: “The court also found Huang guilty of embezzling public funds from the city council, amounting to NT$91.46 million (US$2.79 million), through falsified receipts and forged accounting item” (Pan, 2015).

In the U.S.A. a former Montana legislator Joel Boniek has been fined for violating the campaign laws. After that and denying it, but at the same time claiming the judges for being frauds saying and calling out Judge Motl: “Motl is a political zealot on a political witch hunt,” Boniek said when reached by telephone on Monday. “Being charged with corruption by the Democrats is like Genghis Khan protesting about somebody’s doing violence” (…)”This is all politics. They don’t like people like me who stand up for freedom and small government. It’s not about justice, it’s about getting Joel Boniek” (Talwani, 2015).

In Tallinn Estonia there is a case from ISS that certain high profile workers at the port of Tallinn might be corrupted: “The Internal Security Service (ISS) have apprehended state-owned Port of Tallinn CEO Ain Kaljurand and board member Allan Kiil” (…) ““The Internal Security Police did inform myself and the ministry early on. I learned about the process shortly after taking office [in April 2015],” economy minister Kristen Michal said. According to Michal, the ministry agreed to guarantee the operation of the company once the ISS moved in. “It is in our best interests that the Port of Tallinn is able to fill and service procurements it has won,” he said, adding that this includes the internal ferry route tender, which the company recently won. It will begin to service domestic ferry routes in a year’s time and is currently in the process of acquiring four new ferries” (Laats, 2015).

The last case I will put the light on is the plea and sad news of corruption from Zambia from the Bishop John Mambo: “It is sad that it (corruption) is happening in churches. How can I sink so low to solicit ungodly things in the house of the Lord? I left the world and went to join the Church so that I can be corrected when I am wrong and the hospital I can go to is the Church. That Church should have people of different kinds, including journalists. The pastor is supposed to be the doctor but when you find that the pastor is sick in the way he is conducting himself, then where do we run to?” (…)”When you go to church and you are being told to do wrong things…If that is happening in the house of the Lord, people will now start going elsewhere. It is also unfortunate that state machinery is being abused by the PF” (…)”If you don’t know the language of mafias, the way they operate, you are dealt with” (…)”I would rather die for what is right than me keeping quiet. Someone told me that I have been bought by The Post but I told him that The Post does not have the money to buy everyone who is speaking out on the wrong things that are going on in the country. The government shouldn’t tell us that we should fear them. no! We should fear God. Let them take my life but that will not be the end because God is the creator of my life. The poor are becoming very poor and the rich are getting filthy rich and have forgotten that they come from Mandevu and Chainda. They think they were born on Independence Avenue” (OpenZambia, 2015).

Afterthought:

The stories tell it explicitly themselves. The only thing that I have pound about for so long is that it’s not a local thing, it’s a global action with effects on society when civil servants take kickbacks, when businessmen take a short cut the society and government loose in the end. The way the court and rule of law has to apply to the offences and the way local business and global trade get hurt by the actions of those who use Corruption as a tool to gain advance in society. Or use it to get rich by working and giving way to business is also stealing money from the state coffers instead of going to the supposed works of the state. That is why I keep pounding on it. As it is necessary to do so! And people like me will continue. To prove that it is everywhere and greed isn’t dying, it’s moving and there are people everywhere who will take the buck, governments and laws might abide, but it’s the ethics and mechanisms of the state should be able stop it. Sometimes seems that we have to continue to shine the light on the dark side to see if the when the dust clears what monsters will arrive from our society. Wish it wasn’t like this, but with the way we trade and conduct business together and a society where governments guides and gives regulations for the activity, the sad part is that certain areas the government can be bought or set by businesses instead of the actual regulation that supposed to be in place.

Peace.

Reference:

Chelvan, Vanessa Paige – ‘Ex-Changi Airport engineer gets 15 months’ jail for corruption’ (27.08.2015) link: http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/ex-changi-airport/2080028.html

DutchNews: ‘Dutch staffing agency Brunel pulls out of Nigeria because of corruption’ (26.08.2015) Link: http://www.dutchnews.nl/news/archives/2015/08/dutch-staffing-agency-brunel-pulls-out-of-nigeria-because-of-corruption/

Laats, J.M. – ‘Authorities detain Port of Tallinn CEO on corruption allegations’ (26.08.2015) link: http://news.err.ee/v/politics/cf7d4f70-5d2b-4716-b07c-8517adbf38cb/authorities-detain-port-of-tallinn-ceo-on-corruption-allegations

OpenZambia – ‘It’s Sad That Corruption Is Happening In Churches – Bishop Mambo’ (29.08.2015) link: http://www.openzambia.com/2015/08/its-sad-that-corruption-is-happening-in-churches-bishop-mambo/

Pan, Jason – ‘Ex-Keelung speaker guilty of corruption, jailed for 20 years’ (30.08.2015 – Page 3) link: http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2015/08/30/2003626536

Talwani, Sanjay – ‘Ex-Montana legislator fined for corruption, calls judges ‘frauds’ (25.08.2015) link: http://www.ktvq.com/story/29875106/ex-montana-legislator-fined-for-corruption-calls-judges-frauds

Pending corruption cases and other sagas

Today I will go through a bunch of corruption cases like I have done before. From the executive of Jotun Mr. Gleditsch who doesn’t see bribes of costumes officers as corruption. A brother like me wonders what he then sees as corrupt behavior. Yara has cases with corruption in Libya and India. The executive Milka of Value Packaging Company in Gurajat in Kutch, the leader is accused and arrested for corruption. In Texas Mr. Witt is in a corruption case because of his former employer Royal Shell Nigeria and the Texan court has cases pending. Former Detroit Major Kilpatrick has 23 counts in his belt by now. In the kingdom of Leshoto a lot of high profile cases against former ministers some are postponed and we’re allowed to ask questions about that behavior!

Odd Gleditsch Jr. who took over the business after his father, the paintmaking business in Sandefjord is quoting for saying this to the Norwegian Brodcasting Company (NRK):

“I would not call it corruption if you pay a costumes officer 50 dollars to move your documents upfront in the pile so that the raw materials get quicker out of the harbor” (Veum, 2014). While Odd doesn’t see anything wrong with that, I do, because if you don’t have guidelines and rules to codes of conduct anywhere then it’s hard to know if you’re either right or wrong, but I have a feeling that Mr. Gleditsch Jr. tried to defend his actions.

Well, four former Yara International AS Executives has been charged with corruption after $8m bribing in Libya and India. Public Prosecuter Marianne Djupesland: “The indictment regards very serious acts of corruption, and the police believe we can prove that these people were involved. But it’s up to the courts to make a decision on their guilt”. The for ones accused of corruption are Thorleif Enger, Tor Holba, Daniel Clauw and Kendrick Taylor Wallace. Mr. Wallace has been accused to paid $5m to a Libyan minister in 2007. This was a deal that was between Yara and Libyan National Oil Corporation, and accepted by Mr. Enger, Mr Holb and Mr. Clauw. The executive of Jørgen Ole Halsestad of Yara now has stated: “For Yara as a company, this has been a very serious case, and the indictments underline its gravity” (Hovland, 2014).

In India Mr. Sunil Rajendra Milka a former partner in the Value Packaging Company has been arrested by the Anti Corruption Bureau (ACB) of Gurajat. He was arrested in the village of Galdapar near Gandihidam in Kutch. He was at the office of the Value Packaging Company when they apprehended him. The case is about misusing the ownership of the company in his wife’s name and also allocation of land (Indian Express, 2014). This case is still to be concluded.

In Texas there is still an ongoing case that has been on since 2007 between former oil-engineer Mr. Robert Witt, his former Employer Royal Shell Nigeria Company for the bribing of Nigerian officials. Mr. Witt has complied to the Texan courts that Royal Shell has tried to destroy his reputation while Shell Senior Managers had paid Nigerian contractors who is working for Nigerian officials (Alike, 2014).

In Detroit former Mayor Kilpatrick has been found guilty on 23 counts of corruption and his contractor Bobby Ferguson found guilty of 9 crimes (Detroit News, 2014).

In Lesotho the former finance minister Timothy Thahane been accused of embezzeling R24m from farming projects. This case has been postponed to the extent that High Court Justice Tseliso Monaphathi commented: “It now seems to be the tradition to postpone these high-profile cases … this should not be tolerated. It affects the reputation of this court and all the courts in this country”. Other high profile cases that have been postponed the former deputy prime ministry Mothetjoa Metsing has been accused of embezzling R50m from road projects. Also former Resources minister Monyane Moleleki made licenses for the diamond industry. He has claimed to be too ill to go to court (Jordan, 2014).

My 2 Cents:

This has to make your mind wonder. If it doesn’t I don’t know how to find cases that makes your mind bubbly. Nevertheless, its international cases from Norway to Lesotho, the thing is that we have to work against on this globe. Because everybody want a quick buck and earn it without doing real work. Or getting an extra meal as a civil servant or percentage as a seller as an employer in a new field for your business. Peace.

Links:

Alike, Ejiofor – ‘Shell Nigeria Case to Set Legal Precedent in US Corruption Cases’ (10.12.2014) Link: http://www.thisdaylive.com/articles/shell-nigeria-case-to-set-legal-precedent-in-us-corruption-cases/196309/

Detroit News – ‘The Detroit City Hall corruption case’ (13.12.2014) Link: http://www.detroitnews.com/article/99999999/METRO/100623001

Indian Expresss – ‘Corruption case against Pradeep Sharma: Value Packaging’s Milak arrested’ (09.12.2014) Link: http://indianexpress.com/article/cities/ahmedabad/corruption-case-against-pradeep-sharma-value-packagings-milak-arrested/#sthash.1V2ZecXX.dpuf

Jordan, Michael J. – ‘Lesotho wrestles with corruption’ (12.12.2014) Link: http://mg.co.za/article/2014-12-11-lesotho-wrestles-with-corruption

Hovland, Kjell Malkenes – ‘Four Former Yara Executives Indicted for Corruption’ (17.01.2014) Link: http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052702303465004579326260218896326

Veum, Erik and Grymer, Torunn – ‘Hadde vi ikke betalt bestikkelser ville vi ikke fått kontraktene’ (13.12.2014) Link: http://www.nrk.no/norge/_-hadde-vi-ikke-betalt-bestikkelser-ville-vi-ikke-fatt-kontraktene-1.12100222