Like and Share! #FATCA: Are Transnational Criminal Networks Influencing US Policy? Excerpt: It is not just foreign governments that are trying to influence U.S. public opinion, policy and laws but the whole entourage of foreign dictators, corrupt officials and their political parties, the gambling industry, organized crime and banks. In a specific concerted effort, corrupt networks are joining forces with think tanks to whitewash corruption scandals in Eastern Europe and money laundering facilitated by Austria and Liechtensteins corporate and banking entities. This became obvious through the FATCA (Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act) outcry in the US. FATCA requires foreign financial institutions to report on financial accounts held by US taxpayers to the IRS. FATCA is making Liechtensteins business model of attracting US tax cheats impossible. Ideally, FATCA could lead to a wider effort to track and confiscate illicit financial outflows that hemorrhage nation state budgets especially in nascent democracies receiving US aid. Among the most vocal opponents of FATCA among US think tanks were Institute for Global Economic Growths Richard Rahn; Freedom Works Matt Kibbe and Center for Freedom and Prosperitys Daniel Mitchell. These think tanks and advocacy groups have been working closely with Prince Michael von Liechtenstein and partnered with Austrias based Hayek Institute/Austria Economic Center (AEC) in hosting events in the Balkans, Ukraine, EU and Eastern Europe. The events were sponsored by worlds largest gambling company, Austria-based Novomatic and Hypo Alpe Adria Bank (HAAB). According to Bloomberg, Casinos in Paraguay, Peru and South Africa, countries where Novomatic operates, were tagged by the U.S. as money-laundering conduits for criminal bosses and drug barons. HAAB is embroiled in the largest European financial scandal costing Austria and German taxpayers $11.93 billion so far and undisclosed amount of stolen taxpayers money from the Balkans. Public records show that a company controlled by Prince Michael von Liechtenstein took over a majority share in HAAB Liechtensteins branch in 2007 at the time of Hypo Groups sale to German BayernLB, thus sheltering accounts of corrupt officials. #US #EUROPE #EU #AUSTRIA #LIECHTENSTEIN #BALKANS #CROATIA #BOSNIA #SERBIA #MONTENEGRO #TERRORISM_FINANCING #CORRUPTION
Posted on: Sun, 23 Nov 2014 20:58:28 +0000