2007年5月21日月曜日

米銀行がマネーロンダリング?ロシア税関が2兆円賠償請求

 ロシア関税当局はこのほど、米国のニューヨーク銀行がマネーロンダリング(資金洗浄)に関与し、ロシアに膨大な損害を与えた疑いがあるとして、同行を相手に220億ドル(約2兆6200億円)もの巨額損害賠償を求める訴訟をモスクワ仲介裁判所に起こした。関税当局側によると、同行は、故エリツィン前大統領時代の1996~99年にかけ「違法な形」で税金を支払わずにロシアに巨額資金を送金した。(モスクワ 内藤泰朗)
http://www.sankei.co.jp/kokusai/world/070520/wld070520001.htm

でも実態はもっと複雑なようですね・・・(w

The Case of the Long Gone Cash
// Suit for $22.5 billion filed against Bank of New York

The Federal Customs Service announced yesterday that a suit has been filed in a Moscow arbitration court against the American Bank of New York for 579.096 billion rubles ($22.5 billion). Using the Russian law office of Smal and Partners and the American Podhurst Orseck, the FCS practically wants to continue the case against BoNY closed in November 2005 by an American court. The disclosure of the names of the individuals and companies that used the services of BoNY 1996-1999 may result from the suit. They include some of the most important Russian financial structures today.
Maxim Smal of Smal and Partners told Kommersant yesterday that a suit was filed by him against BoNY and its Moscow office to recover direct and indirect losses by the FCS in the amount of 579.096 billion rubles ($22.5 billion). He said that the suit was connected with BoNY's involvement in a scheme to legalize shadow imports to Russia between 1996 and 1999. Smal explained that he did not have a contract with the FCS, but was employed by the Florida firm Podhurst Orseck. The FCS is a client of that firm. The FCS confirmed that the suit had been filed, but declines to comment on its contents. The arbitration court in Moscow would not confirm that information, even unofficially.

According to information provided by FCS lawyers, the customs service is demanding compensation for losses caused by the reduction of customs duties by “a group of Russian individuals and companies” on the “gray” import of goods to Russia between 1996 and 1999. BoNY's role in the scheme was to guarantee the payment of the suppliers of the goods in the United States. A court found in 2006 that BoNY employees were guilty of laundering $7 billion. The press reported that BoNY senior vice president Natalia Kagalovskaya and her husband Konstantin Kagalovsky, a former employee of MENATEP Bank, part of the ROSPROM-YUKOS Group, were involved in the case, although their names were not mentioned in court.

Podhurst Orsek partner Steven Marks confirmed for Kommersant in Moscow that his firm, along with Maxim Smal and other Russian lawyers, had prepared the suit. Marks said that he had been working on it for more than a year. When asked why the suit was filed against BoNY and not against the legal entities that had violated customs and currency law, Marks replied that many of the Russian banks are already bankrupt and that “none of it would have been possible without BoNY.” Smal said that the suit was based on material uncovered by the investigation of the U.S. prosecutor's office in its case against BoNY. “After the closing of the case in the U.S., the American lawyers of the FCS contacted Russian lawyers to receive a decision of a Russian court that should be implemented in the U.S.,” Smal explained when asked why the case was being filed in Russia. The Arbitration Procedure Code allows suit to be filed in the location where a company has an office, but only in the case that when “the suit against the legal entity arises from the activity of its office.” Smal and Marks claim that their suit is related to BoNY activity in the U.S., not to that of its Moscow office.

The lawyers declined to give the details of the schemes by which customs payments were reduced, saying that the FCS were still carrying out its investigation. The schemes are likely to be traditional: the use of offshore companies and unscrupulous banks. Smal said that the Depositary Clearing Bank (whose license was withdrawn in 1999) and Flamingo Bank (removed from the state register in 2005) are mentioned in documents from the investigation. Dollar accounts always went through a correspondent bank in the U.S., which may have been BoNY.

BoNY representatives in New York and London declined to comment on the case. Kevin Heine, BoNY vice president for corporate communications in New York, told Kommersant that “none of our staff, either in Moscow or in New York, has seen the FCS suit.” He said the bank was waiting for information from Moscow before taking any action. The bank did issue a statement yesterday evening, however. Besides denying the accusations, the bank states that it was contacted by lawyers claiming to represent the FCS who offered to settle the case out of court for “a tiny fraction of the amount now claimed.” That is practically blackmail.

The FCS suit is a greater threat to the stability of the financial system of Russia than the U.S. It may lead to the freezing of all BoNY accounts and assets, which are mainly the accounts of Russian companies through which about 30 ADR and GDR programs, worth a total of $100 billion, have been launched. “Since nonresidents cannot be the nominal holders of assets under law, the Bank of New York is the legal owner of those securities,” explained Petr Lanskov, head of the PARTAD professional organization.

If BoNY assets are frozen, it will be forced to halt its programs and tell the owners of the securities that it cannot longer carryout operations with them. If the FCS is successful in its suit, it will be difficult for BoNY to win new programs, and the market will likely shift toward its main competitors, Deutsche Bank and JP Morgan. Russian clients are not leaving BoNY yet. Vasily Titov, vice president of Vneshtorgbank, which chose BoNY for its GDR program, told Kommersant yesterday that “In this case, we are certain that out interests will not suffer.”

Another significant risk is the disclosure of the Russian companies and individuals that were involved in money laundering through BoNY in 1996-1999. No names have been revealed yet, but there is reason to think several billionaires and some of Russia's largest companies used the bank's services. In that case, the FCS suit could have far-reaching political consequences. Dmitry Butrin, Mikhail Kvasha, Olga Pleshanova, Maria Razumova, Nailya Asker-zad
http://www.kommersant.com/p766368/money_laundering/

赤い部分が真の狙いじゃまいかと・・・(w

要するに仕掛けてるのはロシアじゃなくて米国サイド。

そしてロシアサイドが慌ててこの2兆円賠償請求の存在を否定。(爆w


FTS Can’t Find Something against BoNY

Lawyers of the Russian Federal Customs Service (FTS) gave a press conference in Moscow on Friday. They had earlier announced filing a lawsuit against the Bank of New York (BoNY) for $22.5 billion. FTS representatives were absent. Moreover, there are no proofs that the lawsuit exists.
FTS lawyers Maxim Smal (Smal & Partners law office) and Steven Marx (Podhurst Orseck company) gave a press conference on Friday in Moscow, but could not clarify the situation around the lawsuit of FTS to BoNY concerning money laundering of Russian exporters’ funds in 1996-1999.

Marx and Smal announced about the lawsuit on May 17. However, they could not show the lawsuit’s copies to journalists on Friday. Moreover, head of FTS legal department Andrei Strukov, who had earlier confirmed the lawsuit’s existence, did not show up at the conference.

The lawyers gave vague answers to most questions. Marx said the lawsuit was filed under the RICO law (the act on corrupted and mafia-affected organizations).

Marx added he is ready to move hearings to the U.S., with BoNY’s agreement. By the way, the court has not confirmed the lawsuit’s filing, as of Friday night. Moreover, BoNY offices in Moscow and New York have not received the lawsuit application either.
www.kommersant.com
http://www.kommersant.com/p766879/lawsuit/

米大手ワコビア銀行 BDAへの送金仲介検討、ロシアは金融機関の関与を否定[05/18]

 米大手ワコビア銀行(本店ノースカロライナ州)は17日、産経新聞に対し、マカオの金融機関バンコ・デルタ・アジア(BDA)で凍結されていた北朝鮮関連資金の送金業務引き受けを検討中であると認めた。

 同行によると、送金業務は国務省の依頼を受けたもので、非営利目的という。

 米財務省は米金融機関にBDAとの取引を禁止しているため、同行では「要請を検討することに同意した。政府側との協議は続いている」と説明、送金を仲介するどうかは決めていないとしている。

 最終的な送金先をめぐっては、ロシアとイタリアとされているが、ロシアのロシュコフ外務次官はRIAノーボスチ通信に対し、ロシアの金融機関の関与を否定した。
http://www.sankei.co.jp/kokusai/usa/070518/usa070518000.htm


北朝鮮資金:米経由の送金難航 法規制、抜け道なく

【ワシントン笠原敏彦】
マカオの銀行「バンコ・デルタ・アジア(BDA)」で凍結を解除された北朝鮮関連資金2500万ドル(約30億円)の送金問題で、米国が検討している米金融機関を通した送金が法的規制から実現の見通しが立っていないことが15日、分かった。米政府高官が毎日新聞に
語った。北朝鮮が米金融機関の関与に固執した場合、核問題をめぐる6カ国協議はさらに停滞する可能性がある。

複数の関係者によると、「一定の条件」で送金を仲介する米国の銀行は既に見つかっている。しかし、米政府高官は「米国の法規制の枠内で送金を仲介させる方法は見つかっていない。北朝鮮が受け入れる解決策をひねり出すのは、極めて困難だ」と述べた。

米財務省は今年3月、BDAを愛国者法(反テロ法)311条の「資金洗浄の主要な懸念先」に確定し、米銀と同行の取引を禁止した。米政府は現在、米銀の仲介を可能にする法規制の「抜け道」を探している模様だが、同法311条は大統領の執行免除権限すら適用されないという。

また、米刑法には「犯罪に絡む1万ドル以上の金融取引への関与を試みる」だけでも処罰の対象とする規定がある。米財務省は北朝鮮資金の一部をドル札偽造などに絡む「違法資金」と判断しているだけに、米銀の仲介を可能にするのは容易でないと見られる。

同問題では、BDAからロシアやイタリアの銀行への送金が試された。しかし、一般的には、北朝鮮が求める米ドルでの国際送金には米国の銀行を通す必要があることなどから、送金は成功していない。

北朝鮮はBDA資金の返還・送金を確認するまで、2月の6カ国協議合意による核放棄に向けた初期段階措置を履行しない方針。履行期限の4月14日からすでに1カ月が過ぎ、事態は手詰まりの様相を強めている。

毎日新聞 2007年5月16日 15時00分
http://www.mainichi-msn.co.jp/today/news/20070516k0000e030075000c.html

【BDA問題】北朝鮮凍結資金の返還合意から2カ月…引き受け先無く暗礁[05/20]

マカオの金融機関バンコ・デルタ・アジア(BDA)で凍結されていた北朝鮮の関連資金の送金問題は、米国と北朝鮮が全面返還で合意してから2カ月たっても決着していない。ヒル米国務次官補(東アジア・太平洋担当)は18日、記者団に「多くの金融機関に接触してきた」と述べ、引受先を探してきたことを明らかにしたが、問題を主導してきた同氏の見通しの甘さへの批判も強まっている。

 ヒル次官補は3月19日、凍結されていた北朝鮮関連資金約2500万ドル(約29億円)を北朝鮮に返還することで米朝が合意したと発表した。

 ところが、米国はこれに先だってBDAが北朝鮮の違法な金融活動に関与したとして、米金融機関に同行との取引を禁止する措置を決定。移送先だった中国銀行は、BDAが米との関係が絶たれたことを慎重に受け止め、受け入れ自体を拒否してしまった。北朝鮮は2月の6カ国協議で合意した核施設の稼働停止よりも、BDA問題が最優先と主張し続けている。

 ヒル次官補は早期解決に期待感を示してきたが、財務省のブラックリストに載ったBDAからの資金受け入れに同意する銀行はなかなか見つからなかった。

 BDAからドル預金を海外に送金する際、間に立って取り次ぎを行うコルレスバンクの役割を果たしたことがあるという米大手銀行ワコビアは、国務省からの依頼を受け、送金業務の受け入れを検討する
方針を表明した。ただ、同行も「監督当局の承認なしには要請に同意しない」として、財務省の同意を求めている。

 財務省はあくまで愛国者法に基づき、BDAと米金融機関の取引を禁じているため、送金業務を認める場合は、特例措置ということになる。「同法には免責条項がなく法律的に難しい」(米政府関係者)との指摘もある。

 責任を直接負うことになる財務省当局者は「要請は国務省主導でやっていること」と慎重だ。

 米政府内には、事態の見通しを誤ったとの声もあり、ボルトン前国連大使は18日付の米紙ウォールストリート・ジャーナルへの寄稿で、BDA問題について「恥ずかしいだけでなく、米国を脅迫しようとする他の政権に対し、危険な先例となる」と強く批判した。

▲ソース:Yahoo!ニュース/産経新聞(日本語)2007/05/20 08:00
北朝鮮凍結資金 返還合意2カ月…引受先なく暗礁
http://headlines.yahoo.co.jp/hl?a=20070520-00000011-san-int


ロシアはともかくイタリアですか・・・

イタリアンマフィアか罰姦でつか?(w

Russian authorities sue Bank of New York for $22.5 billion

前略

Banca Popolare di Milano and its chief executive, Fabrizio Viola, were fined by the French market regulator for insider trading in an investigation of price swings in Galaries Lafayette stock in December 2004.

The lender was fined €950,000, or $1.3 million, for trading while in possession of privileged information, the regulator said on its Web site this week. The Milan-based bank knew about the planned purchase of 10 percent of Galaries Lafayette by Banque Fédérative du Crédit Mutuel when it carried out the transactions, the regulator said. Viola was fined €100,000 for his role in the trades.

Ezio Chiodini, a spokesman for the Italian bank, declined to comment.
http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/05/17/bloomberg/bxbank.php



加藤紘一・山崎拓氏両名の脳内でBDAの資金が目出度く北朝鮮に返還されそうな件について
http://antikimchi.seesaa.net/article/40323200.html

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