MOBILE DEVICES
Free Headline Alerts     
Worldwide Web WorldTribune.com

  breaking... 


Monday, December 20, 2010     GET REAL

Cable: Sudan's president stashed billions in oil profits in UK banks

LONDON — Sudanese President Omar Bashir is alleged to have relayed billions of dollars of his nation's energy revenues to private bank accounts in Britain.

ShareThis     HOLIDAY SURPRISE

The State Department has been informed that Bashir deposited $9 billion of Sudanese crude oil revenues to personal bank accounts in Britain. The department, reporting a briefing by International Criminal Court chief prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo, was told that the transfer might have included Britain's Lloyds Banking Group.

"Ocampo suggested if Bashir's stash of money were disclosed — he put the figure at possibly $9 billion — it would change Sudanese public opinion from him being a 'crusader' to that of a 'thief,' " the U.S. embassy cable, dated March 2009, said.


Also In This Edition


The cable from the U.S. mission in the United Nations reported on a briefing by Moreno-Ocampo to U.S. ambassadors Susan Rice and Alejandro Wolff on March 20, 2009 in New York. The briefing took place days after ICC issued an arrest warrant for Bashir on charges of genocide and war crimes.

The ICC prosecutor acknowledged that Bashir was being protected by Arab countries and China. But Moreno-Ocampo said Bashir would soon lose both international and domestic support should he face evidence of massive embezzlement.

"Ocampo suggested simply exposing that Bashir had illegal accounts would be enough to turn the Sudanese against him — as with [former Chilean President Augusto] Pinochet," the cable said. "Ocampo suggested the U.S. and the international community also needed to push for Bashir's arrest to isolate him. Ocampo likened Bashir's situation to a 'bleeding shark being surrounded by other sharks,' with no loyalty, only greed, motivating those competing for power. By promoting the possibility of Bashir's arrest, Bashir would be further marginalized within Sudan's ruling elite, Ocampo thought."

The cable did not identify the British banks said to have held Bashir's funds. But Moreno-Ocampo, who later confirmed the briefing, said the London-based Lloyd's could provide answers.

"Ocampo reported Lloyd's Bank in London might be holding or knowledgeable of the whereabouts of his money," the cable said.

Hours after the cable was released by WikiLeaks on Dec. 18, Lloyd's denied any connection to Bashir. In 2009, Lloyd's agreed to a $350 million settlement on U.S. allegations of violating sanctions imposed on Iran, Libya and Sudan.

China has been deemed the leading ally of the Bashir regime, which denied the veracity of the U.S. cable. Beijing has invested heavily in Sudan's crude oil sector, which included the export of weapons and military trainers.

"Ocampo suggested it would be beneficial to reassure China that its access to oil would not be jeopardized," the cable said. "If China believed Bashir was becoming a destabilizing influence, Ocampo said China might be more open to his removal as long as his replacement would guarantee support for China's economic interests."



About Us     l    Privacy     l    Geostrategy-Direct.com     l    East-Asia-Intel.com
Copyright © 2010    East West Services, Inc.    All rights reserved.