A look at one of the 100s of major global investigations to explain what is happening. This doesn't focus on the peons & scapegoats, it looks at the big picture of how global politics have been rigged for 50 years to profit the extractive industries.
#ButNothingsHappening
#ButNothingsHappening
It is about rigging war, peace, sanctions & regime changes to ensure that big oil & mining interests can continue to profit while corrupt dictators are propped up with proceeds buying off politicians & foreign policy experts across the West.
Organized crime on a global scale!
Organized crime on a global scale!
The 1973 OPEC oil embargo, disrupted the global economy to the point that it was easy to make a case that securing additional oil supplies was a national security imperative. Creating an unholy alliance between intel agencies, arms dealers, oil companies, & shady middle men.
It also created a corrupt underground economy that was used to buy & sell political support, rig elections, engineer regime changes & protect others.
But most importantly it weaponized corruption to protect all of those involved from accountability.
But most importantly it weaponized corruption to protect all of those involved from accountability.
There are different factions & players, often competing with each other to get cuts of this corruption. Usually by rigging foreign policy, oil & mineral deals, prosecutions & arms deals to help their friends gain market share.
Let's start with Isabela Dos Santos, whose assets are being seized because they are the fruits of corruption from her father's Presidency of the country of Angola. She is the richest woman in Africa, an oligarch by every definition.
icij.org/investigations…
icij.org/investigations…
A judge has ordered a billion dollars in assets belonging to dos Santos to be seized with the intention of returning it to impoverished Angola, whose people bled & starved for 30 years to feed global corruption networks. 
Her father Eduardo Dos Santos was leader of one faction (MPLA) in Angola and served as President of the country for decades while corruption ran rampant. They 'won' a multi-generational civil war propped up by outside forces from 1975-2004. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angolan_C…
From 1975-1992, the conflict in Angola was a proxy war in the Cold War with the communist MPLA supported by the USSR & Cuba and their rivals UNITA supported by the US & others.
The end of the Cold War changed everything though...
The end of the Cold War changed everything though...
Taking away the ideological reasons for the conflict in Angola, allowed for the predominance of economic concerns. The GHW Bush Admin continued to support UNITA, who had been a US ally against commies since 1975. But efforts to bring peace continued with neither side budging.
This is where it gets interesting, who were lobbying to UNITA & their leader Jonas Savimbi in Washington?
If you guessed Paul Manafort & Roger Stone, you would be correct!
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angolan_C…
If you guessed Paul Manafort & Roger Stone, you would be correct!
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angolan_C…
This was part of a long battle over support for UNITA, with Democrats & oil companies blocking aid to UNITA because the MPLA controlled the parts of Angola where oil was prevalent. So Dos Santos' control of the MPLA after 1979 brought their support for the communist regime.
The Bush Admin, Portugal & Russia tried to bring peace to Angola & a power sharing deal along with elections were tentatively hashed out.
Things were moving toward peace & democracy, but it may never have been accomplished.
Things were moving toward peace & democracy, but it may never have been accomplished.
Then the Clinton Administration took over in 1993. They chose to switch sides & back the MPLA & President Dos Santos at the urging of oil companies & the Congressional Black Caucus because UNITA occupied an oil production region. heritage.org/node/21091/pri…
Peace accords shattered, stability destroyed, but the oil would flow and the anti-communist forces would suffer. Who was violating the arms embargo to back the MPLA, Spain, where retire King Juan Carlos has recently been placed under investigation for other corrupt arms deals.
You can read more about Emeritus King Juan Carlos here...
His own son, the current King of Spain, just announced he won't inherit any of this dirty money from his father.
His own son, the current King of Spain, just announced he won't inherit any of this dirty money from his father.
Spanish government owned defense companies are very much under the microscope for corruption, bribes & kickbacks on arms deals.
I need to take a break, there is much more to this scandal, this is only the appetizer!
Wait until we get to Hillary Clinton, Marc Rich, Frank Guistra, Venezuela, most of the big oil companies and so many of the other common themes in the #ButNothingsHappening cases!
Wait until we get to Hillary Clinton, Marc Rich, Frank Guistra, Venezuela, most of the big oil companies and so many of the other common themes in the #ButNothingsHappening cases!
This 2012 article by @ICIJorg gives a good primer on Angolan corruption.
The world's institutions turn a blind eye as long as the oil & the bribes keep flowing through off-shore shell companies. KPMG did an inadequate audit of Angola at the request of IMF.
icij.org/investigations…
The world's institutions turn a blind eye as long as the oil & the bribes keep flowing through off-shore shell companies. KPMG did an inadequate audit of Angola at the request of IMF.
icij.org/investigations…
This fraud was enabled for decades by banks & big oil producers while law enforcement looked the other way. Money laundered through havens around the world, all ignored because it was national security to keep the oil flowing & provided lots of off the radar cash to buy friends.
Banks such as UBS in Switzerland, Lloyds in Jersey, and many others enabled these issues for decades until the FBI & DOJ started flipping them in 2012-2014.
One of the cases to spawn from these banks handing over the #receipts is known as the Carwash scandal, in 2014 FBI/DOJ handed over evidence of Odebrecht corruption in contracts in Brazil & other nations. Including Dos Santos' oil company Sonangol.
Odebrecht has lead to criminal charges in more than a dozen nations including 20+ Presidents & Prime Ministers from Latin America.
It even connects to Bob Kelley who as general counsel for the Flynn Intelligence Group convinced @GenFlynn that he did not need to register under FARA. Kelly was a well connected swampy Bush intelligence & homeland security player.
These construction company execs serve on the Dos Santos Foundation board, which seems to be a front for passing dirty money around. Even ends up in places like the Vatican, which is undergoing it's own money laundering scandals.
Angolan funny money also connects to French arms deal scandals which also seem to be a staple of these #ButNothingsHappening cases.
It was corruption for oil in the 1970s that lead to the passage of the FCPA which the Trump Admin has weaponized over the past 3 years.
But the oil industry adapted & just found different ways to pay 3rd world dictators their bribes to get the oil.
They find friends in governments all over the world who treat protecting this corruption as a national security priority to keep the oil flowing...
They find friends in governments all over the world who treat protecting this corruption as a national security priority to keep the oil flowing...
Even more importantly, the oil industry treats this corruption as a trade secret, bound by contractual agreements. BP was forced in 2000 to reveal some information on it's bribes to Angola, but faced backlash for it.
One of their most important resources is lobbying the US government to protect the way business is done, this is one of the primary sources of revenue for the Swamp. The big oil companies spend a lot of money to control Washington's acceptable policy options...
Their largest lobbying success? Convincing President Clinton & the Congress to pass the Africa Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOB) in 2000 to make oil production from Africa more profitable. There is a huge revolving door between the oil industry & Washington DC.
Another break, I will be back tomorrow morning to continue some more!
The story of Angolan corruption is not just an Angolan story, it is a global one. Facing a civil war from the beginning of it's independence, Angola's MPLA cut deals with foreign oil companies to gain revenue for fighting against UNITA.
Paywalled source: jstor.org/stable/4006839…
Paywalled source: jstor.org/stable/4006839…
Angola's MPLA was pragmatic in their efforts, rather than nationalizing assets they created a state oil company Sonangol to share ownership, costs & revenues, through off shore bank accounts of course...
In reality the oil companies did all of the work & investment, paying Sonangol with their percentage or the oil, while billing them for their share of the costs by retaining a portion of the oil to match. Provided lots of room for accounting irregularities & manipulation.
Ironically, this left US based Gulf Oil (later Chevron) & French based Elf-Aquitaine funding the Marxist MPLA's war against UNITA, while the US & French governments were covertly funding UNITA to fight the MPLA. Gulf was paying the Cuban military to guard it's oil facilities!
How was the US supporting UNITA? Through BCCI, the crooked CIA linked bank, with operations handled by the "Safari Club" a CIA outsourcing of covert operations & arms deals to a secret group run by the Saudis, Iranians, Egyptians & others to fight commies! en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Safari_Cl…
Who was in charge of the Safari Club operations? International Arms dealer Adnan Khashoggi! Probably taking orders from Prince Turki Al Faisal.
How was it set up? By CIA Director George H. W. Bush with the approval of Sect. of State Henry Kissinger.
How was it set up? By CIA Director George H. W. Bush with the approval of Sect. of State Henry Kissinger.
The Safari Club & BCCI worked to provide proxies for the CIA in the Cold War. Illegal arms deals, money laundering, finance, etc.
Senator Kerry left us a great report on BCCI & it's CIA operations connected to Iran-Contra & other scandals.
That report had a lot of unanswered questions, but it confirmed that he CIA blocked the FBI & DOJ from investigating BCCI!
Including BCCI's relationship with Marc Rich!
That report had a lot of unanswered questions, but it confirmed that he CIA blocked the FBI & DOJ from investigating BCCI!
Including BCCI's relationship with Marc Rich!
The attempts to prosecute BCCI involved a small team at DOJ: FBI informant Robert Trump & probably his brother, prosecutors Comey, Mueller, Rosenstein, & DOJ leaders Terwiller & AG William Barr. A team decimated when Pres. Clinton cleaned out DOJ which saved BCCI & CIA involved.
With the Cold War over, at the urging of the oil industry, the Clinton Admin switched sides. Supporting the MPLA in the name of stability, peace (which didn't happen) & keeping the oil flowing. But the lack of peace left MPLA under an arms embargo but vulnerable to a larger UNITA
Enter Marc Rich & Glencore. Rich now supported by negiotated arms deals to by weapons from Eastern Europe to arm the MPLA while Clinton allowed a UN resolution to pass embargoing UNITA. A Clinton EO labeled UNITA a "continuing threat to the foreign policy objectives of the U.S."
Rich created a complex arms & cash deal, where the Russian government 'bought' Angola's debt from the banks. A variety of Eastern European arms dealers would ship Angola arms, while Marc Rich & Glencore got paid in oil with a cut going to the Russians & banks to pay the debt...
The Clinton Administration turned a blind eye to these illegal arms deals as Marc Rich arranged them & political pay offs to protect those involved.
Wonder if that & Rich's involvement with BCCI had an influence on his pardon?
Wonder if that & Rich's involvement with BCCI had an influence on his pardon?
France officially supported UNITA but factions within the French government were heavily involved in arranging & covering up this international arms deal & it seems they got a cut of the proceeds. cdn.globalwitness.org/archive/files/…
With BCCI exposed, Marc Rich worked through Banque Paribas in Paris to arrange this shady oil for arms deal.
These deals for illegal arms were extremely lucrative, with lots of money to skim off as the total contract values & oil provided was often 4 times the cost of the weapons provided. Money that went to feed the Swamps around the world.
These arms deals handled by Marc Rich & Glencore continued through at least 2001 & probably much longer.
By 1998 through 2001, Rich & Glencore were in a position to contract for the purchase of EVERY barrel of oil from Angola not already promised as part of a loan repayment.
Interestingly, during these deals by Glencore another oil services contractor had success in Angola: Halliburton who traded upon their former Defense Secretary Dick Cheney's reputation to get into the market! Even though his reputation was as a hawk on the side of UNITA!
In fact, as the IMF was trying to get a handle on Angola's out of control borrowing & corruption. The US Export Import Bank loaned them money to pay contracts with Halliburton & other US companies in 1999.
Okay, if you think this isn't convoluted enough. A part of this report (it is a left wing group authoring it) is written by a former Clinton Administration official: Jonathan Winer who would soon become a registered agent of Russian companies! Followed by a guest role in #Spygate
President Dos Santos though quickly transitioned to dealing with the Bush Administration.
Just as Marc Rich's lawyer Scooter Libby switched to serving Dick Cheney...
But this was an international scandal that required covering up.
Just as Marc Rich's lawyer Scooter Libby switched to serving Dick Cheney...
But this was an international scandal that required covering up.
Even German Chancellor Helmut Kohl was implicated ina deal to give an East German oil refinery to French company Elf. While Elf game money to French Interior Minister Charles Pasqua & his political party. Source: Oil & War in Angola.
By this point you an see that the prosecution of Marc Rich (pursued by James Comey) would have been an embarrassment to a generation of US Presidents, French, German, Russian leaders, global oil interests, global bankers and many others. His pardon helped eliminate that threat!
But Marc Rich was involved in something far bigger at that time. He was helping loot the former Soviet Republics by arranging deals to help Russian Oligarchs consolidate those resources & launder them out of Russia & the Republics. nypost.com/2001/02/15/how…
The Clinton Admin was enabling this corruption by allowing a "Money Plane" to fly to Russia everyday with $1B+ dollars in cash on it that was enabling the money laundering. Who is commenting on it in 1996? Jonathan Winer again...
In summer of 2018, the Trump Admin declassified Pres. Clinton's phone calls to Russian President Yeltsin where discussed containing investigations of NYC/Russia money laundering to ensure their heirs Gore & Putin could continue their relationship!
Marc Rich & Glencore had to be protected by the global Swamp or all of this would have been revealed!
With the arrival of the Obama Admin in 2009, Sect. of State Hillary Clinton took over dealing with Angola & President Dos Santos. www1.rfi.fr/actuen/article…
With the arrival of the Obama Admin in 2009, Sect. of State Hillary Clinton took over dealing with Angola & President Dos Santos. www1.rfi.fr/actuen/article…
While Sect. of State Colin Powel told Dos Santos in 2002, that the death of Jonas Savimbi took away the excuse for allowing corruption in Angola. (Not that anything happened about it). Sect. Clinton decided corruption wasn't a problem.
Instead, Hillary was meeting with oil executives & Sonagol the Angolan state oil company! She was turning a blind eye to graft, as the Clintons are known to do!
How much was disappearing from Sonegol at the time Hillary was meeting with them?
IMF audits were able to identify at least $32B disappearing from 2007-2010!
Not that they bothered to find it all through the labyrinth of shell companies.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political…
IMF audits were able to identify at least $32B disappearing from 2007-2010!
Not that they bothered to find it all through the labyrinth of shell companies.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political…
In 2010, Sonagol PR was even bragging about getting a cut in Venezuela's oil business through a deal with the corrupt PDVSA. sonangol.co.ao/Documents/PDF/…
In 2016, her father made Isabel Dos Santos the Chairman of Sonagol while his son was running the Angolan sovereign wealth fund.
In 2016, her father made Isabel Dos Santos the Chairman of Sonagol while his son was running the Angolan sovereign wealth fund.
The Clinton Foundation got involved in a number of projects in Angola soon after she became Secretary of State.
clintonfoundation.org/search/node/an…
clintonfoundation.org/search/node/an…
It was part of a bigger push by the CF to bring extractive industries into 'philanthropy' in nations they worked it In 2007, the Clinton Foundation got involved in helping the "extractive industries" fund foundations like FESA, the Dos Santos Foundation. hks.harvard.edu/sites/default/…
While the Harvard paper & the press releases say the Clinton Guistra Sustainable Growth Initiaive was focused on Latin America. This 2010 Canadian charity reports say it has a focus on Africa? Why hide that in your press releases pointing to projects in Latin America?
Obviously these foundations, from the Clintons, to the Dos Santos & the Guistra ones gave cover to moving donations, paying NGOs & paying your friends for services rendered.
The seem like a replacement for the old ways of laundering money & corruption.
The seem like a replacement for the old ways of laundering money & corruption.
In fact, in 2008, Dos Santos son started the African Innovation Foundation based in Zurich to fund these very things. Allegedly...
But after being in power from 1979 until 2017, President Dos Santos lost power to someone promising to drain the Angola swamp
dw.com/en/angola-the-…
But after being in power from 1979 until 2017, President Dos Santos lost power to someone promising to drain the Angola swamp
dw.com/en/angola-the-…
President Dos Santos's son Jose Filomeno was widely considered in 2014 as his successor. But continued pressure over corruption made Dos Santos & the MPLA switch horses to Joao Lourenco when Dos Santos decided to not run for reelection in 2017. dw.com/en/angolas-new…
Lourenco promised to fight corruption, but no one believed he meant it, probably including Dos Santos. But a year later, Lourenco's crackdown lead to the arrest of Jose Filomeno dos Santos & the firing his sister then seizing her assets!
Is he serious about ending corruption & sharing the oil wealth with the people of Angola? Only time will tell.
Why did Dos Santos hand over power? There is no way to know, but did he lose support from the intelligence services that propped him up for 38 years? It is likely...
Why did Dos Santos hand over power? There is no way to know, but did he lose support from the intelligence services that propped him up for 38 years? It is likely...
But Secretary of State Pompeo, seems to think Angola & it's new leadership in on the right track. Wonder what his CIA was doing in regards to Angola in 2017 while he was Director of the CIA? The announcement of Lourenco's succession was in Dec 2016...
thehill.com/policy/interna…
thehill.com/policy/interna…
So now I hope you can understand my frustration with people who see (or don't even see) stories like the fall of the Dos Santos family & still think nothings happening.
They are taking down crooks linked to 5 decades of graft, where do you think that money went? To the Swamps...
They are taking down crooks linked to 5 decades of graft, where do you think that money went? To the Swamps...
The invetigation of Isabela Dos Santos leads to global crooks, politicians, crooked bankers, intelligence agencies, illegal arms dealers, & all of the functionaries of global corruption.
Corruption that has put away about $40T in off shore accounts & now we get the #receipts!
Corruption that has put away about $40T in off shore accounts & now we get the #receipts!
@threadreaderapp unroll please
