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Cain: Your take on this? (Shadowy secret organisation tries to buy British Gov)

Started by Placid Dingo, November 04, 2010, 11:23:21 AM

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Placid Dingo

Haven't paid rent since 2014 with ONE WEIRD TRICK.

Cain

I got this from Boing-Boing, via Peleus, earlier today.  I've been looking over the Hansard transcripts since.

Firstly, it should be noted that Lord Blackheath isn't obviously insane.  By the standards of the House of Lords, anyway, which includes, among others, pathological liar Jeffrey Archer and reincarnation of the Time Lord and harem owner Lord Bath.  That doesn't mean he is an exact model of sanity either, but his past work in the City suggests he has at least some financial knowledge and contacts.

However, a what of lot he says about this organization strikes me as odd.  For instance, £13 billion, no strings attached...does that sound likely to you?  Backed by gold bullion no less...he dealt with the claim that there isn't that much gold in the world by suggesting that either this group was affiliated with the Vatican (unlikely, as the Vatican would be making such deals with the like of Italy, Ireland, Poland and Spain before it would the UK) or somehow acquired the gold from the Vatican (somewhat more likely, as Vatican financial dealings lean towards the dodgy end of the scale, and they have a lot of things hidden in their vaults of extreme interest and worth - after the financial crisis they may have had to sell some of their assets discreetly to make up for failed investments).

Also, there is this "They expect to be contacted only by someone equal to head of state status or someone with an international security rating equal to the top six people in the world."  What the hell is an international security rating, and who are these top six people?  Something that precise, yet lacking in content, makes me suspicious.

That he confesses to laundering money for the IRA and "North African terrorists" is also strange.  Presumably, he means the Provisional IRA, the largest, best known and most well-funded Republican movement.  Now, it wouldn't surprise me to find out that the Provos had a budget running into the tens of millions - they are very well financed and have many ties to organized crime in Western Europe - drug running, the arms trade and bank robberies, for the most part.  But I don't believe they have a billion that they needed to be laundered.  I suspect the entire operating cost, resources and assets of both the IRA and Sinn Fein, if added together, might, maybe, come to near a billion.  But that's all.

Also, despite Parliamentary discretion, he could be prosecuted for admitting taking part in these acts.  Especially with the IRA who, for many years, had a nasty habit of offing Tory MPs, some of whom currently have seats in the Commons and Lords.

And he has implicated Lord Strathclyde, current leader of the House, into this as well with his comments, though he sounds at least skeptical of the proposal.  Additionally, Blackheath was appointed to his current government position by the Chancellor, which will make him look very bad if it turns out he is delusional or insane.

Most interestingly, the group claimed it had pumped £5 billion into the UK economy previously.  Now that is very interesting, because it suggests a possible identity for "Foundation X".  Ask yourselves, which groups were making use of the economic crisis to launder their funds through banks desperate for capital and not especially caring of it's origin?  If you said "transnational organized crime" you may award yourself a cookie.  Now again, these sums are very large, even for such a lucrative business.  International black market earnings are estimated at roughly $10 trillion a year, and while I have no doubt some groups are worth around £5 billion, I'm not so sure they have £5 billion they need to launder.

A Labour blogger has suggested this is a scam, being put on by the same people behind the Office of International Treasury Control.  It sounds possible to me, as £13 billion, no strings, plus the ear of a man close to the British Chancellor, is enough to shut down the critical thinking skills of many people.  No doubt there would be some kind of fee for transferring the funds or similar...

Of course, it is also possible that people with vast financial interests in the UK are getting very worried, currently.  Saudi Princes and the Sultan of Brunei come to mind.  The Sultan in particular would probably pull something like this, as it would appeal to his sense of humour.  But that is a very unlikely scenario, as anyone with that much money to give away can't possibly have interests in the UK which are larger and would be saved by this infusion of cash.

The Wizard

You have a deranged noble named Blackheath, who helped launder money for the IRA and is negotiating a deal like this? Does this guy happen to have a volcano lair or a villainous mustache?
Insanity we trust.

The Wizard

QuoteDoes a small mole and a steely gaze of doom count?

I'd count the gaze.
Insanity we trust.

the last yatto

with whose in power now, I'm thinking either banking family, drug cartel who just wants a blind eye or nazi gold (after all germany did just help out greece no?)
Look, asshole:  Your 'incomprehensible' act, your word-salad, your pinealism...It BORES ME.  I've been incomprehensible for so long, I TEACH IT TO MBA CANDIDATES.  So if you simply MUST talk about your pineal gland or happy children dancing in the wildflowers, go talk to Roger, because he digs that kind of shit

eighteen buddha strike

Quote from: Pēleus on November 05, 2010, 12:14:59 AM
(after all germany did just help out greece no?)

If your looking for Nazi gold, try looking at the Vatican.

Rumckle

Quote from: Cain on November 04, 2010, 01:12:56 PM
For instance, £13 billion, no strings attached...does that sound likely to you? 

While this did seem very odd to me, I can imagine that if 'Foundation X' did want something that they are willing to pay £13 billion for, they wouldn't mention it to some random peer, and if they did they'd probably ask him not to mention it for the moment.

I mean, if it were me, I'd wait until I was sitting down with someone capable of making a deal before I said, "Oh and by the way, could you do me a little favour, nothing major, just ....".


It's not trolling, it's just satire.

the last yatto

Quote from: eighteen buddha strike on November 05, 2010, 01:50:00 AM
Quote from: Pēleus on November 05, 2010, 12:14:59 AM
(after all germany did just help out greece no?)

If your looking for Nazi gold, try looking at the Vatican.


Whose pope is german?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_Catholics :fnord:
Look, asshole:  Your 'incomprehensible' act, your word-salad, your pinealism...It BORES ME.  I've been incomprehensible for so long, I TEACH IT TO MBA CANDIDATES.  So if you simply MUST talk about your pineal gland or happy children dancing in the wildflowers, go talk to Roger, because he digs that kind of shit

BadBeast

Quote from: Pēleus on November 05, 2010, 05:55:54 AM
Quote from: eighteen buddha strike on November 05, 2010, 01:50:00 AM
Quote from: Pēleus on November 05, 2010, 12:14:59 AM
(after all germany did just help out greece no?)

If your looking for Nazi gold, try looking at the Vatican.

Nazi Gold? Wartbuggerer's Cave in the Alps. He's melting it all down to make little golden Poptarts.

"We need a plane for Bombing, Strafing, Assault and Battery, Interception, Ground Support, and Reconaissance,
NOT JUST A "FAIR WEATHER FIGHTER"!

"I kinda like him. It's like he sees inside my soul" ~ Nigel


Whoever puts their hand on me to govern me, is a usurper, and a tyrant, and I declare them my enemy!

"And when the clouds obscure the moon, and normal service is resumed. It wont. Mean. A. Thing"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zpkCJDYxH-4

Rumckle

Quote from: Liam on November 05, 2010, 07:07:08 AM
Quote"Oh and by the way, could you do me a little favour, nothing major, just ...."

so what would you guys ask as 'a small boon, just a little thing, you know, for the thirteen bil. . .'

Put yourself in the position of shadowy evil business conglomerate. fuck it, feel free to go James Bond villain mad. 

Me I'd say:

Quote"Oh and by the way, could you do me a little favour, nothing major, just change the clock-tower commonly known as Big Ben to a giant spinning 80's wrist watch style POV and paint the fucker bright blue. Also make it beep on the hour. And don't set the time. I want it wrong. Reacuring 12 or 24 hour alarm too. Just like the real thing. Do it or me and my money walk.


:lulz:

He's gone mad, mad with power!

I'd ask them to crank the London Eye up to a ridiculous speed.

Or for the Isle of Wight.
It's not trolling, it's just satire.

Cain

Update on the case

http://www.zdnet.co.uk/blogs/security-bullet-in-10000166/lord-james-foundation-x-not-a-scam-10020958/

QuoteA mysterious organisation that claims to have billions of pounds to invest in the UK economy is not an attempted scam, according to a peer with extensive City experience.

Lord James of Blackheath told ZDNet UK on Thursday that the organisation, which Lord James has dubbed 'Foundation X', to his knowledge is a viable organisation.

"I'm convinced it's bona fide," said James. "I've been working on this case for five months, and I've not found a single reason [to think otherwise]."

Blogger Hopi Sen suggested in a blog post on Wednesday that the mysterious organisation could be the "United Nations Office of International Treasury Control" (UNOITC), which claims to be a sovereign entity formed after the Second World War.

James told ZDNet UK that he had not been approached by the UNOITC, and that there were no links between Foundation X and UNOITC.

James, who was a respected troubleshooter in the City, made a speech to Parliament on Monday. James said that a mysterious organisation was willing to put £5bn into the UK economy, plus an extra £17bn for hospitals, schools, and Crossrail, with no strings attached.

"The problem is, the government has not carried through the checks that I want them to do and open up lines of enquiry," James told ZDNet UK.

James also said in Parliament that he had been appointed by the Bank of England to "deal with problems" caused by the laundering of terrorist money.

"I have had one of the biggest experiences in the laundering of terrorist money and funny money that anyone has had in the City," James said in Parliament. "I have handled billions of pounds of terrorist money. My biggest terrorist client was the IRA and I am pleased to say that I managed to write off more than £1bn of its money. I have also had extensive connections with north African terrorists, but that was of a far nastier nature, and I do not want to talk about that because it is still a security issue."

James told ZDNet UK on Thursday that he had been brought into five companies between 1989 and 1997/98 at the direction of the Bank of England. James was to run the companies down, as they had been identified as conduits for IRA funds.

"The IRA had five companies completely ruined," said James. "They had built the companies up as pensions funds."

James' express instructions were to run the companies down and liquidise the assets, he said.

"I'm a money washer, not a money launderer," said James.

OK, that makes a little more sense, on the IRA front.

Cain

It appears a notorious conman by the name of Wilfredo Saurin, aka Yohannes Riyadi, aka Bill Hayward was the responsible party behind "Foundation X".

http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2012/03/uk-parliament-member-lord-james-of-blackheath-alleges-15-trillion-dollar-fraud-involving-imaginary-gold-exposed.html

QuoteAnd an alert Financial Times blogger said that had Lord James googled "Yohannes Riyadi", the first item to come up would be a warning from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York that the name is part of an internet scam designed to get money from the gullible. Two agents are trying to trace who is behind it. Perhaps Lord James should offer his memory stick.

QuoteThe Federal Reserve is aware of a fraudulent scam involving individuals using the names Yohannes Riyadi and/or Wilfredo Saurin, or persons claiming to be representatives of these two men. In a typical version of this scam, Mr. Riyadi and/or his delegates falsely claim that they have on deposit with the Federal Reserve Bank of New York several U.S. Treasury Checks issued to Mr. Riyadi amounting to billions of dollars.

The Federal Reserve Bank of New York has been contacted by several brokers and financial institutions worldwide inquiring about the validity of this fraudulent account documentation, which is being offered as collateral for lines of credit or other types of asset based financing. The fraudulent scheme includes multiple documents which purport to have the signatures of various Federal Reserve officials, including Chairman Ben Bernanke.

In some instances, individuals involved in this fraudulent scheme claim to have met with Federal Reserve officials and claim to have verified that the alleged account is in order. We have also learned that the fraud may include the purchase of certain documents by the introducing brokers.

If you have information regarding this fraud please contact either Robert Amenta, Special Investigator at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, or Erik Rosenblatt, Senior Special Agent at the Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement.