How Many “Political Donations” Did Sir R. Allen Stanford Give To Barbados Politicians?

Cocaine Bosses Were Stanford Victims Too?

“Stanford’s business is headquartered on the Caribbean island of Antigua. In the last decade, Stanford and his companies have spent more than $7 million on lobbyists and (US) campaign contributions in efforts to loosen regulation of offshore banks. Among the top recipients: Senator Bill Nelson (D-Fla.), Congressman Pete Sessions (R-Texas), Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), Senator Chris Dodd (D-Conn.) and Senator John Cornyn (R-Texas), one of the members who took a trip to Antigua where he was entertained by Stanford.”

Stanford On The Run From Police

SIR Allen Stanford won’t be attending many public cricket matches for the next little while because news reports are coming in that the once-billionaire high-flying “banker” who practically owned the country of Antigua is on the run from police.

Stanford Spent Millions Lobbying Politicians!

Tell Us The Truth, PM Thompson!

American politicians are required to report donations and gifts, but the same is not the case with Barbadian politicians and other government officials. How much did Stanford donate to Prime Minister David Thompson’s campaign? How much to the Barbados Labour Party?

Keep guessing my friends – because David Thompson lied about the Ministerial code of ethics he said he would implement “immediately upon forming a government.”

The scandal of no oversight into offshore banking does not begin or end with the present case involving Sir Allen Stanford: the wild west Caribbean atmosphere with few rules and even less oversight is directly attributable to the our politicians throughout the region who resist any efforts for Integrity, Transparency and Accountability Legislation (ITAL). Like the current liar in chief, Prime Minister David Thompson, they all have promised ITAL and then forget all about it when elected.

Prime Minister Thompson: How much money did you or your party receive from Sir Allen Stanford or his companies in the last two years?

Stanford Banks Were Favourites With Colombians!

News stories are also reporting that many of Sir Allen’s customers are from Colombia and other South and Central American countries – and while they don’t say that the customers are rough looking men who always travel with eight or ten rougher looking bodyguards, you can bet that Sir Allen had a few such clients.

Or maybe more than a few. Current and past allegations include drug money-laundering by Stanford’s companies.

Nope, upon consideration we reflect that perhaps Sir Allen’s main concern is not being arrested or even going to jail. His concern is that the jail is filled with friends and employees of some of his rougher clients.

All we can say about this story about another crooked financial wizard is… Who’s next?

ABC News: Accused Financier Scammer Stanford Missing

Standford International Bank Bars Withdrawals – Charges Laid In $9 Billion Dollar Fraud

“We are alleging a fraud of shocking magnitude that has spread its tentacles throughout the world”

… United States SEC Director (Fort Worth, Texas) Rose Romero in the TimesOnline

Sir Allen Stanford’s House Of Ponzi Cards

The economy pulls back and the facades of integrity and competence presented by many of the super rich start cracking. We’re not even mildly surprised anymore to hear that another financial empire was sustained not with integrity, skill and intelligence, but by the simple technique of using the funds of new investors suckers to provide apparently exceptional returns for existing investors – thus attracting more new investors suckers just like the great swindler Charles Ponzi did in 1920.

For the last few weeks, desperate people have been trying to get their money out of Standford’s schemes: lining up every morning near the airport in Antigua without much success. Sir Allen will probably not go to jail. Very few of his wealth do. And you can bet that he and his friends had plenty of warning to sock away twenty or thirty million or more against the day.

I find that after the last six or eight months, I look differently at all the flamboyant high-flyers.

I also look very differently at their friends in governments everywhere who allowed this to happen, and who are so reluctant to hold any of these crooks accountable.

Not Much Different In Barbados

In Barbados the first politician on the list is Prime Minister David Thompson who has obviously cut a gentleman’s deal with the BLP that no one will be charged no matter what was done. Think about Thompson’s speeches, Hardwood Holdings, the GEMS hotels scandal where hundreds of millions disappeared and the houses that your tax money paid for that were never built.

No one has been charged. No one has been fired. No money has been recovered: not a single dollar.

And in the middle of all that, David Thompson still refuses to prohibit government officials from issuing contracts to companies they own. He still refuses to prohibit government officials from receiving “gifts” from companies they issue contracts to. And, oh yes, the Barbados Anti-Money Laundering Authority has no staff, no address, no phone, no email and no fax number. (See Barbados Money Laundering Advisory article Does The Barbados Anti-Money Laundering Authority (AMLA) Really Exist?)

Welcome to more of the same, my friends. It’s a downer and not what you want to hear… but it is true nonetheless.