Thread by @MsMariaT

Modi Government's Inaction in Graft Case [Firtash] is Counter to UN Treaty, US Justice Department Suggests

thewire.in/business/corru… via @thewire_in

@thewire_in "Why is the Hungarian connect relevant? The mining scandal in Andhra Pradesh goes back to 2006, when Swiss-based Bothli Trade AG...part of the OST Chem Holding grp owned by FIRTASH, entered into a MoU w/the Andhra Pradesh Mineral Dev Corp to set up a titanium proj in the state."

@thewire_in "As per the MoU, a JV was formed in which Bothli Trade AG held 74% stake and the remaining stake was owned by APMDC. Later, a priv ltd company called AP Coastal Sands and Metals Priv Ltd was incorporated. Gajendra Lal, one of the accused in the present case, was the director..."

@thewire_in The...agrmt for the JV was drawn up on 10/9/07...it was agreed...Bothli Trade AG could only transfer its shareholding after..3 yrs...according to Andhra Pradesh govt docs...Bothli Trade AG had already x-ferred its share to Global Energy Mining & Minerals Ltd, a Hungary-based co."

@thewire_in "Bothli TradeAG was taken over by GEMM in 5/07, but this info was...suppressed from APMDC. GEMM, earlier...Euro Trans Gas (ETG), is also owned by Firtash. Hungarian-born Knopp was Firtash’s 2nd-in-charge...in negotiating new gas trading deals w/Kazakhstan/Turkmenistan/Uzbekistan"

@thewire_in "According to GEMM, it holds 92.5% stake in Bothili Trade AG... according to AP gov docs, GEMM had applied to the fin ministry’s Foreign Investment Promo Board for approval for investment in AP Coastal Sands and Metals Pvt Ltd, but this info was not passed on" after greenlighted.

@thewire_in "Money was then transferred from Bothli Trade AG to different companies even after GEMM’s take-over. FIRTASH HAD SEVEN COMPANIES REGISTERED IN HUNGARY, according to the indictment. Most of the financial activities took place in Hungary after the share transfer."

@thewire_in "Including [LISA] Page in Muller’s team is therefore a key decision, as media reports indicate she is familiar with the activities of the Russian mafia in HUNGARY."

@thewire_in "Wiretap scenario

Both Firtash and Andras Knopp have protested to the Chicago court that the indictment does not allege the venue in this district was foreseeable to them. But US prosecutors are confident a wiretap phone call recording will prove the charges."

@thewire_in I'm going to side track here.

Prolly nothing...

@thewire_in In 2014, the Fed Savings Bank of CHICAGO signed an agreement to cooperate w/the NYC firm Douglas Elliman, and in exchange, either Douglas Elliman or its parent company, the Vector Group, invested $2M in [Steve] Calk's bank, according to a 2015 deposition by Howard Lorber..."

@thewire_in "[Lorber]...the Vector Group's CEO. The collabo foundered, however, and was terminated in 2014. In his 2015 deposition, Lorber called Calk difficult to work with and called Calk's account of their collaboration "completely delusional...."

@thewire_in "...Lorber, a longtime friend and ally of TRUMP'S later served w/Calk on the Trump campaign's econ council....Calk had been named to the Trump campaign's econ advisory panel in 8/16 at Manafort's suggestion, several mos after they had begun discussing a poss loan for Manafort."

@thewire_in "...Manafort wrote in an email to his former deputy Rick Gates, then serving on the inauguration committee, that "we need to discuss Steve Calk for Secretary of Army." On 11/30/16 Manafort sent an email to Jared Kushner recommending Calk be named Secretary of the Army..."

@thewire_in "...to which Kushner replied, "On it!" Shortly before Christmas 2016, Manafort added Calk and Calk's son to a list of people to be invited to Trump's inauguration."

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephen_C…

@thewire_in Jumping here now:

"Meet Paul Manafort’s real estate fixer: Brad Zackson is a Fred Trump protégé with a checkered past and an appetite for fanciful deals"

therealdeal.com/2017/08/31/mee…

@thewire_in "At question: a series of mortgages made by the Chicago-based Federal Savings Bank, which is headed by Trump campaign adviser Steve Calk. The loans on 377 Union and two other Manafort-owned properties in the Hamptons and Virginia total $16 million..."

@thewire_in "...nearly a quarter of the bank’s total equity capital. EXPERTS told WNYC earlier this year that THE LOAN TRANSACTIONS RESEMBLED MONEY LAUNDERING. Neighbors have complained that the vacant home is a dilapidated mess."

What if Caulk, was just a front, for someone like, Firtash?

@thewire_in "In the decade since the Drake plan fizzled, [Brad] Zackson, a convicted felon who became a protégé of TRUMP'S FATHER, Fred Trump, has tried to position himself as a master developer whose best projects are yet to come...."

@thewire_in "In 2008, Manafort/Zackson made an unsuccessful run at the Drake Hotel...backed by equity investments from a RU metals billionaire and a Ukranian nat gas mogul who are both now suspected of criminal activity. That deal triggered a federal investigation now being run by Mueller."

@thewire_in Back to Manafort's dilapidated home, that was the possible money laundering op, per experts:

"Sources said that the person handling renovations on Manafort’s behalf was Brad Zackson. Zackson confirmed this."

@thewire_in Back to The Wire (India):

thewire.in/business/corru…

@thewire_in Recall: "Including [LISA] PAGE in Muller’s team is therefore a key decision, as media reports indicate she is familiar with the activities of the Russian mafia in Hungary."

@thewire_in "Both Firtash and Andras Knopp have protested to the Chicago court that the indictment does not allege the venue in this district was foreseeable to them. But US prosecutors are confident a wiretap phone call recording will prove the charges."

@thewire_in "...according to reports, the US is confident the evidence at trial will show that Firtash and Knopp could foresee the venue of the crime would be the Chicago district. The DoJ will introduce a wiretap phone call demonstrating that Firtash was personally advised by Knopp..."

@thewire_in "...that the latter planned to travel to CHICAGO to meet w/Co A (the company that would benefit from the Andhra Pradesh mining project, ID'd by media reports as Boeing Corp) concerning the proj, and will also prove FIRTASH gave advice to KNOPP re what to do during that meeting."

@thewire_in Is Trump really this stupid?

Why yes, I think he is:

"Trump to nominate former Boeing executive Patrick Shanahan as secretary of defense"

nbcnews.com/politics/polit…

@thewire_in Is Trump really this basic?

Why yes, yes he is:

Rememba this "surprise":

"Former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley lands spot on Boeing's board"

cbsnews.com/news/former-un…

@thewire_in "Since the DoJ’s indictment was unsealed, the National Central Bureau-Interpol CBI, the Hyderabad high court and KVP have played a game of political hot potato with scant progress. Indian investigating agencies have YET to register a formal case."

Whut?

@thewire_in USA v. Dmytro Firtash and Andrew Knopp

"('Company A') headquartered in Chicago, Illinois," is BOEING.

assets.documentcloud.org/documents/3901…

"...individuals working with
FIRTASH, and under Firtash’s direction/control, utilized U.S. financial institutions to transfer millions of dollars of bribe money to Indian officials, used the communications infrastructure of the U.S. to direct the ongoing illegal activity,"

"...and traveled to, and held meetings within, the U.S. and elsewhere to advance the illegal activity by, for example, attending meetings in the U.S. w/Company A [BOEING] personnel to negotiate the sale of products to be obtained through the illegal bribery of INDIAN officials."

"...The conspirators also caused personnel from Company A to
commit acts in the United States in aid of the objectives of the conspiracy....

"Beginning in 2006, Firtash oversaw an effort by members of the criminal enterprise...in the State of Andhra Pradesh, India,"

An interesting coincidence.

"Avinash Iragavarapu is a political campaign strategist and was also the Exec Dir of the Arizona Republican Party. He started his political campaign stint in the year 2013 w/the YSR Congress Party [India] and then went on to work for Trump..."

"In 2014, Avinash moved to US where he campaigned for candidate named Doug Ducey. After Doug Ducey became governor, he was hired by the Republican Party as the Political director and quickly rose to the rank of Executive Director."

Could just be a coincidence, mind you. I find it interesting this could NOT VOTE, but ended up in Republican politics.

"This man may be the most important Arizona Republican who can't vote"

azcentral.com/story/news/pol…

Back to India:

"Avinash Iragavarapu, a US-based pollster who closely worked w/US President Trump has now teamed up with Kamal Haasan's Makkal Neethi Maiam"

Donald Trump's former aid Avinash Iragavarapu teams up with Kamal Haasan's Makkal Neethi Maiam

m.dailyhunt.in/news/india/eng…

"In US election, Iragavarapu assisted Trump in Arizona region poll management. In 2014, the IIM Lucknow graduate had worked with YSR Congress leader Jagan Mohan Reddy. Later he was deputed as the executive director of the Arizona Republican Party."

"Avinash Iragavarapu: The Indian who helped Donald Trump win Arizona"

business-standard.com/article/intern…

"His keen interest in politics could not keep him away from it even in the US. Avinash's wife works for Intel in Arizona. He went to join her for HOLIDAYS in 2014, and it was then where it all began."

Hmmm....

"Ducey's campaign made Avinash a part of itself and he used to do a lot of “data work and polling”, primarily identifying the areas where they could spend the money they raised to gain votes."

If you are on "holiday" can you "volunteer" on campaigns.

This sounds weird.

Would it depend on the type of visa?

This is over my paygrade.

Linking back to the Firtash doc, for now. Pick up tomorrow.

US Response to Firtash/Knopp Motion to Dismiss Indictment

assets.documentcloud.org/documents/3901…

*HE could not vote.

Good Lord, this guy. I think I am going to need make a gallery of all the crooks that Trump has stood with 😬😩

So Trump took a photo with Steven Calk in Illinois (the flag behind them)?

Stephen Calk says he met Trump 3-4 times (was CEO of sm Chicago bank), yet he ended up on Trump's presidential economic advisory council:

chicago.cbslocal.com/2016/08/08/chi…