Whenever
we are talking about corruptions or looting of treasuries in Africa, we must
not forget that these looters are always having collaborators in foreign
countries. Banks
in Switzerland, Britain, America, France, Luxembourg, Austria,
Liechtenstein , Australia, New Zealand and other offshore Islands controlled by
the West provides save heaven for stolen money from African nations.
It was revealed that banks
in ‘’Europe and America, alleged to have aided,
abetted and provided sanctuary for Abacha’s $4 billion stolen funds, are:
Australia and New Zealand Banking Group, ANZ, London Branch; Bank Len, Zurich;
Bankers Trust Company, London; Bankers Trust Company, Frankfurt; Bankers Trust
Company, New York; Banque Barring Brothers, Geneva; Bank in Liechtenstein A.G
Vaduz; Barclays Bank, New York; Barclays Bank, London, Banque Edonard Constant,
General; Banque Nationale De Paris, Geneva; Banque Nationale De Paris, London ,
Banqwue National De Paris, Basle; Citibank,N.A. London; Citibank NA, New York,
Citibank N.A. Luxenbourg; Citibank Zurich; Credit Lyonnais, New York; Credit
Suisse, New York, Credit Suisse, General; Credit Suisse,Zurich; Deutche Morgan
Grenfell, Jersey; FIBI Bank (Schweiz) A.G Zurich; First Bank of Boston, London;
Goldman Sachs and Company, Zurich; Gothard Bank, Geneva; LGT Liechtenstein
Bank, Vaduz; Liechtenstein Landesbank, Vanduz; M.M. Warburg and Company
Luxembourg; M. M. Warburg and Company,Zurich; M. M. Warburg and Company,
Hamburg; Merrill Lynch Bank, New York; Merrill Lynch Bank, Geneva; Midland
Bank, London; National Westminister Bank, London; Paribus, London; Paribus,
Geneva; Royal Bank of Scotland , Leeds; Standard Bank London Limited, London;
UBS AG, Zurich; UBS AG, Geneva; Union Bancaire Privee, Geneva; Union Bancaire
Privee, London; London Branch; Verwaltungs Und Private Bank A. G., Vaduz; and
ANZ, New York; ANZ, Frankfurt. Only heaven knows how much of the alleged
Abacha´s loot still remains in these banks. We did not hear anything about
these banks in the Western media and how they purportedly helped Abacha to loot
Nigeria’s resources until his death in 1998.
Fast-forward, it is common
for Western companies looking for lucrative contracts to pay bribes and
kickbacks to induce officials into awarding them; apart from the banking
sector, the property sector in Europe, America and Australia were alleged to
have connived with the political and business elite in Africa to impoverish the
people.
Several African leaders
have reportedly bought properties in Europe and America using monies stolen
from their poor countries. It is alleged that Mobutu of DRC (Zaire) bought
several villas in France, Switzerland, Belgium and many European countries.
For example, on September
17, 2002, a Canadian firm was convicted by a High Court in Lesotho for paying
$260,000 bribe to secure an $8 billion dam contract.
In 2002, Halliburton, a
company once controlled by Dick Cheney (former US Vice President), was accused
of establishing $180m fund and used it to bribe Nigerian officials in order to
secure a $10 billion Liquefied Gas Plant contract in Nigeria.
Achair Partners (a Swiss
company) and Progresso (an Italian company) have been accused of bribing
Somalia’s Transition Government officials in order to secure contracts to
deposit highly toxic industrial waste in the waters of Somalia.
In October 2002, after a
three year investigation, a UN Panel of Experts accused Cabot Corporation
(Boston), Eagle Wings Resources International, and George Forrest’s OM Group
(Ohio) of arming rebel groups and collaborating with them to traffic from DR.
Congo gold, diamond, timber and, most importantly, coltan (columbo-tantalite)-a
precious ore essential to Sony play stations, laptop computers, and cell
phones. Coltan is often spirited out of DRC to U.S., Swiss, Belgian, and German
clients by Uganda and Rwanda army officers, rebel groups and through a network
of criminal syndicates.
Such corrupt practices by
Western companies seeking contracts in Africa are part of the reasons poverty
and diseases are rife in the continent.’’
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