PEP ... FRAUDULENT BONUSES PAID TO UNION BOSS

Peter Hartz (UID 189702) the originator of Germany’s labour reforms under Chancellor Gerhard Shroeder (UID 2980) and also the former director of personnel at VW has had fraud, embezzlement and facilitating bribe charges leveled against him. The amount concerned is reported to be 2.5 million euros. In his position at VW, Hartz was under pressure to ensure that the unions complied with management wishes and to do this it is reported that he made fraudulent bonus payments to the union boss as well as paying for private flights for him. He was also involved in signing off expenses which were being used for personal use. This month he admitted involvement. Hartz resigned from VW in July 2005 but World-Check profiled him as a high risk individual two years prior to that.

TELECOM GIANT EXECUTIVES IN CORRUPTION PROBE

This month details of a corruption probe centering on the German telecommunications giant Siemens broke. Michael Kutschenreuter (UID 532098) and Andy Mattes, (UID 532099) who were board members of Siemens COM, the fixed-line communications division, are among those being investigated. The massive fraud is reported to involve more than 200 million euros. Enforcement authorities in the bordering countries of Italy, Austria and Switzerland, have been drawn into the investigation. Italian authorities are investigating bank accounts held in Austria allegedly controlled by one Siemens official, the amount in this case alone is said to be 60 million euros. The Swiss have already frozen more than 10 million euros in connection with the ongoing investigations. World-Check’s team of researchers is currently monitoring developments and updating accordingly.

AUTHORITIES UNEARTH DRUG LORD’S CASH STASH

Terrence Cole (UID 280059) received life imprisonment in March this year. He was the leader of a narcotics ring who dealt in over US$50 million worth of cocaine, and distributed the drug in Western Pennsylvania. The presiding judge ordered Cole’s property to be forfeited and entered a personal judgment against him for $50,000,000. It was reported this month that recently state officials found US$2.2 million hidden in a bag whilst searching an apartment belonging to a former partner of Cole. Subsequent searches have failed to turn up any more cash, but authorities are sure that the two million, the largest cash seizure in the state is just the tip of the iceberg, and their search to uncover more of the ill gotten cash continues.

A controversial US government study has estimated that anti-government insurgents in Iraq are raising between $ 70m and $200m annually through illegal activities, and that much of this is accomplished with the assistance of corrupt Iraqi PEPs. This income sustains insurgent operations throughout Iraq through widespread crime. …read more

Ardi Wibobo (UID 421687) an engineer, failed to reveal to authorities the whereabouts of the country’s most wanted terrorist Noordin Mohamed Top (UID 137993) and was this month sentenced to six years in jail. It was reported that Wibowo,had met with and acted as a liaison between Noordin and Subur Sugiarto (UID 421688) but had failed to report the matter to the police. Noordin is a key member of the al-Qaeda-linked Jamaa Islamiyah (JI) (UID 57652) extremist network and is wanted in connection with masterminding the 2002 and 2005 Bali bombings, the car bombing of a hotel in Jakarta and at the Australian Embassy in 2004.

TWO CHARGED FOR BROADCASTING TERROR LINKED TV

Javed Iqbal (UID 488366) and Saleh Elahwal, (UID 533236) have been indicted in New York for providing customers with satellite broadcasts of a Hezbollah (UID 1365) run Lebanese TV station, Al Manar TV (UID 175036). Both pleaded innocent to charges of providing material support to terrorists. Prosecutors allege the two men received more than $100,000 from the TV station, which has been in World-Check since August 2003 and was only designated a global terrorist organisation by OFAC in March this year, over two and a half years later.

This month Muhammad Al-Hamati (UID 38920) also known as Hamdi al-Ahdal lost his appeal against a 37 month jail term. Al-Hamati was arrested in September 2003 in Sana’a in connection with alleged terrorist atrocities including the attack on the US Cole. He was later convicted of targeting foreign interests and raising funds for terror acts. However, one news report suggests that he could be released as early as next month, due to insufficient evidence being presented to the court by the prosecution. He is listed on OFAC and has been in World-Check since 2001.. Did you know you can now limit your World-Check Online search to the official listings only; you can also tailor your search to include one or multiple lists? World-Check goes that bit further to assist you to complete KYC and due diligence procedures more effectively.

The founder of Ansar al-Islam (considered an Iraq terror organisation) Mullah Krekar (UID 80487) has been a refugee in Norway since 1991. Authorities have won an order to strip him of his citizenship and deport him to Iraq. Earlier this month his appeal against the order was dismissed by the Appeals Court in Oslo and he was ordered to pay just under US$45,000 in state legal costs. His legal team has not decided whether it will challenge the ruling and appeal to the Supreme Court.

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