Panama

Letter to the Editor of OffshoreAlert from the son of an alleged victim of Marc Harris.

Application for the appointment of a Commissioner to collect evidence for a criminal investigation in Ecuador into Roberto Isaias Dassun, Daniel Eduardo Rodriguez Galarza and others regarding suspected fraud and corruption involving Filanbanco SA.

Letter to the Editor concerning Marc M. Harris from attorney Lee Tupper, of Tupper Jonsson & Yeadon, representing Georgia Pacific Securities.

Letter to the Editor of OffshoreAlert regarding Marc Harris from attorney Steve Clemons, of Leggett & Clemons, representing Richmark Capital.

Banks, brokers and other companies are advised that offshore financial services provider Marc Harris is now operating under the new name of 'Mitchell Astor Gilbert Trust Co.'

COSTA RICA: List of 15 alleged recipients of bribes causes outrage; ECUADOR: Finance Ministry's officials to be arrested; Arms trafficking and Corruption; EL SALVADOR: Investigation of a state company's sale; HONDURAS: INTERFINSA's founder arrested; Another "black list"; MEXICO: US Banker falls in Mexican crackdown; Mexicans take over cocaine business; NICARAGUA: Tangled money; PANAMA: Panama investigates illegal money linked to Nicaragua; PARAGUAY: Bancosur's executives convicted; and URUGUAY: Rohms' dealings in Uruguay; The downfall of "Uruguay's owners"; Banking system in bad shape.

A 62-year-old Costa Rican businessman who enters into "private loan arrangements" with individuals who are promised annual returns of up to 39.3 per cent has refuted allegations of impropriety.Luis Enrique Villalobos Camacho told OffshoreAlert that he is able to pay such returns because he earns about 75 per cent per year from "buying and selling items such as property, cars and boats".

Hendrik Rienstra, 73, the principal of sham Panama-registered insurer New England International Surety Co. Inc., has died.; OffshoreAlert has uncovered three new names associated with the business activities of crooked financial services provider Marc M. Harris, who has moved his operations to Nicaragua after running up massive debts in Panama, leading to an application from a creditor to wind up his company and an eviction notice issued by his commercial landlord; Police in the UK have charged a fourth person, Francois M. Verkaeren, with conspiracy to commit fraud in connection with an investigation into the business practices of Merrion Reinsurance Company, which is located in Dublin, Ireland; The Royal Canadian Mounted Police has announced that two residents of the Turks & Caicos Islands - Michael Witt, 45, and his partner, Tina Grenier, 41 - have been arrested and charged with various narcotics, money laundering and possession of crime offenses and their US$1 million property restrained in an operation codenamed 'Oilsheik'; and Local newspapers in the Bahamas have suddenly become excited over a criminal indictment that was issued in the United States as long ago as June 15, 1999.

OffshoreAlert has uncovered further information casting doubt on the legitimacy of Nasdaq-listed Brek Energy, whose dismal operating results caused the Bank of Bermuda to write off its entire $14.3 million investment.We have obtained details of allegations of impropriety against the firm's Chief Financial Officer in 1995 relating to a former employer.

A programmer who caused his former employer's computer system to crash in the Cayman Islands shortly after resigning and then demanded money to fix it has lost a court judgment.Christopher John Donnachie "unlawfully placed a blocking device" in software used by British American Card Company Ltd., ruled Bahamas Supreme Court Justice Hugh Small on June 5, 2002.

Letter to the Editor of OffshoreAlert from Sandra Snouffer claiming that Marc Harris defrauded her disabled son.

Police investigating money laundering and drug trafficking have raided the offices of a Costa Rica-based money exchange operated by Luis Enrique Villalobos.The action has led to financial uncertainty for hundreds of foreigners who have collectively invested millions of dollars in a long-running high yield investment scheme operated by Villalobos and his brother, Oswaldo, who are known locally as 'The Brothers'.

ARGENTINA: BGN fiasco unfolds; COLOMBIA: Perception of corruption increases; ECUADOR: Failure in international bid; GUATEMALA: New regulations in Guatemala; "Twin  banks" investigated since 1996; MEXICO: The honeymoon is over in Mexico; NICARAGUA: $2 million lost in Nicaragua; The high life of a president; …And Taiwan wants its money back; and PANAMA: Welcome to Panama.

The Harris Organization financial services group has been evicted from its offices in Panama City for non-payment of rent; The revocation of the banking license of Baltic Bank Ltd. earlier this year by the Offshore Finance Authority of St. Vincent and the Grenadines has been stayed by Justice Brian Alleyne, sitting in the local High Court, according to a source familiar with the action; The battle for control of $6.5 million of frozen assets of a now-defunct, Dominica-based Ponzi scheme known as Stock Generation is dragging on through the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts; Grenada Prime Minister Keith Mitchell and several other members of his Cabinet have received an award of $200,000, plus legal costs of $10,000, after winning a libel action brought against local journalist Stanley Charles, businessman and radio talk show producer Eddie Frederick and Grenada Broadcasting Network; The Central Bank of Belize has issued warnings about two entities that may be incorrectly holding themselves out to be licensed financial institutions: Trinity Savings Bank and Goldman & Stein; A Bermuda resident has accused the island's biggest law firm, Conyers, Dill & Pearman, of charging exorbitant fees for taking two trustees off her will, reported The Royal Gazette newspaper; A new date of July 15, 2002 has been set for the resumed hearing in the Bahamas of the appeal brought by the directors of Suisse Security  Bank & Trust Ltd. against the decision of the Central Bank revoking SSBT's licence; and The lack of concern shown by the operators of the Financial Times web-site for the financial well-being of its visitors continues.

Judgment in Fidelity Bank and Trust International Limited and British American Card Company Limited v. Christopher Donnachie and Pandon Technology, SA at Bahamas Supreme Court.

Corruption in Argentina Since it was founded in 1999, the Argentinean Anti Corruption Office has handled 1,784 cases that generated 489 complaints but none of them has produced a sentence. The last index by Transparency International — which classifies countries

OffshoreAlert has received a letter from an Arizona based client of Grenada licensed Cornerstone International Savings and Investment Bank, which was taken over by the Grenada authorities on April 25, 2002 - AFTER the bank's principals had already disappeared without

Grenada licensed AvantGuard Bank and Trust Ltd. has gone into voluntary liquidation following a review of its operations by accounting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers, acting on behalf of Grenada's Ministry of Finance. Pierre Gauthier, a spokesman for the bank, told OffshoreAlert on

ARGENTINA: Former minister Domingo Cavallo indicted, Argentinean justice investigates the "Banco Extrader" case; COLOMBIA: Most wanted thief, Wilson de Jesús Yepes Ardila, is arrested; COSTA RICA: Costa Rica elects Abel Pacheco as its new President; PANAMA: Panama becomes more transparent; Panama-based business operators Yardena Mizrahi Herbroni and her brother Eliahu Mizrahi convicted in New York; PERU: BBVA debacle has a Latin American connection; VENEZUELA: Chaos reigns.

As more evidence emerges casting doubt on the business affairs of alleged investment fraudster Keem Kalfon, he has set up a web-site where he denounces his critics as "Jew haters" and "cowards".Kalfon set up the site at www.keemkalfon.com in April after OffshoreAlert began reporting about his involvement in alleged investment fraud.

Business associated with Imperial Consolidated founders Lincoln Fraser and Jared Brook applies for permission to use a property on an old Royal Air Force base in England to store and test military equipment, Offshore Finance Authority of St. Vincent & the Grenadines revokes licenses of nine offshore banks, BVI Financial Secretary L. Allen Wheatley suspended from his duties after being arrested and charged with conspiracy to defraud, Bahamas International Securities Exchange reports net loss of $2.24 million for the 11 monthsended June 30, 2001, criminal action against Yank Barry drags on in Texas, British businessman Sean Quinn charged with US$3 million fraud in Barbados, former FIBG principals fail to comply with subpoeans, and the ego of Marc Harris apparently knows no bounds.

A complaint against Florida-based RK Grace and Co. and its principal, John D. Kaweske, has been made to the National Association of Securities Dealers by clients of its now-defunct Panama arm. OffshoreAlert understands that at least two separate clients of the Panamanian operation claim they cannot redeem investments totaling in excess of $250,000.

A California court has approved a request by the Internal Revenue Service for leave to file "John Doe" summonses on VISA International as part of an investigation into tax evasion using offshore credit cards. The order, issued on March 28, 2002, allows the IRS to examine the records of VISA credit or debit cards issued "by, through, or on behalf of banks or other financial institutions" in 31 offshore jurisdictions.

Recently-filed warnings from securities regulators around the world.

COLOMBIA: News of a kidnapping; GUATEMALA: A tale of embezzlement; HONDURAS: Funny transactions in Honduras; A law against money laundering; NICARAGUA: New charges against Interbank executives; PANAMA: New dirty links between Peru and Panama; Portillo tarnished by accusations; URUGUAY: BCCI's death throes; and REGIONAL: Waves from Washington; Latin America EXTRA.

Subpoenas have been sent out to several former officers of the First International Bank of Grenada, including Rita Regale, Robert Skirving and Van Brink, to appear for examination in Grenada as part of the liquidation process being carried out by PricewaterhouseCoopers; Yet another Grenada offshore bank has gone out of business amid allegations of fraud against its clients; The Bank of Bermuda has estimated that its remaining potential liability to outstanding litigation relating to the Cayman-based Cash 4 Titles Ponzi scheme, excluding the $67.5 million settlement of a class action lawsuit in the United States, is no greater than $20 million; A civil complaint alleging 'dumpster diving' against international debt recovery firm Interclaim that was reported in last month's edition of OffshoreAlert has been dropped; The incredibly slow - yet inevitable - collapse of The Harris Organization financial services group of Panama appears to be closer than ever; and Bermuda-based stockbroker Carol Green has been ordered by a local court to repay $143,536 of debt run up with her former employer Lines Overseas Management.

Recently-filed warnings from securities regulators around the world.

COLOMBIA: New "super code" against corruption; GUATEMALA: No removal from "black list"; HONDURAS: Rich in Police corruption; HONDURAS & BOLIVIA: New Anti-Money Laundering laws debated; MEXICO: "Yellow light"; Something fishy in Banco Atlántico; PANAMA: New scandal; PERU: Switzerland offers to repatriate $110 million; and REGIONAL: Enron in Latin America.  

The scam committed by Morrison Cross Financial Investments, which fleeced investors while operating as a stock broker in Panama without a license, has entered a new phase; Justice Ephraim Georges, sitting in the Antigua High Court, has apparently recused himself from legal hearings relating to the liquidation of Eurofed Bank after an objection by attorneys acting for former Ukrainian Prime Minister Pavlo Lazarenko, who considered that the judge's partiality was compromised by his son being employed by PricewaterhouseCoopers, which is liquidating the bank; On February 12, 2002, a Dallas County Grand Jury in Texas returned 24 indictments against Cameron O. Bailey relating to the sale of unregistered securities, namely Certificates of Deposit issued by Cambridge International Bank & Trust, of Grenada, and promissory notes issued by Omne Srl; As Julien Giraud waits in custody in Florida for the start of his trial on money laundering charges, his wife Lyn has been writing letters of outrage to the local press in their native Dominica, protesting at the arrest of her husband in Puerto Rico last November while he was traveling with Dominica's Finance Minister, Ambrose George; OffshoreAlert has previously reported on stock scams and other frauds perpetrated by firms linked with Bermuda Stock Exchange-listed Mezzanine Capital; and Complaints are starting to be made publicly by people who have either bought shares from, or have been approached about buying shares by, Goodman Hart Associates, Morgan Paris & Company and/or St. James & Company, who have been promoting two stocks particularly heavily: AdRentaCar Inc. and Spantel Communications Inc.

Recently-filed warnings from securities regulators around the world.

Anglo American Bank has had its banking license reinstated by the Grenada International Financial Services Authority; Nevis-based offshore provider Robin Cotterell recently established an insurance company called Old Pacific Insurance Ltd.; Former Lines Overseas Management (Cayman) salesman Scott Oliver has popped up in Costa Rica as President of 'Somerset, Tighe and Campbell', which describes itself as a firm of "professional investment advisors" at its web-site at www.offshorecostarica.com; Inter Caribbean Business Management/Global Dominion Group in Nevis, which has been accused by at least one client of not redeeming her investment, has left Nevis and also closed down its web-sites; and Vladislav Popovic, the director of Richard & Partners, which is accounting firm Pannell Kerr Forster's representative in Montenegro, has confirmed that his firm has never carried out any auditing work for Montenegro-licensed Goldstar Commercial Bank AD, as claimed by the bank's principal, Gerardo Rodriguez Reynante, who is based in Uruguay.

A United States firm has been forming IBCs in Panama and selling them to North Americans at a huge mark-up on the basis that they are "financial institutions", OffshoreAlert can reveal.At least five of the IBCs are currently offering investment products and services from web-sites hosted in Montana or the Bahamas even though none holds a license.

Michael Gilbert, who was severely criticized by a New Zealand judge in a recent court ruling (see separate story), is part of a reorganization that involves the Imperial Consolidated Group and companies with the prefix 'Alpha'.The firm that he is a director of changed its name from Imperial Consolidated (New Zealand) Ltd. to Alpha Equities Asia-Pacific (NZ) Ltd. on November 29, 2001.

Panama's Superintendency of Banks and the National Securities Commission have taken control of Banco DISA and DISA Securities, respectively, reported The Panama News (www.thepanamanews.com). DISA Securities is the holding company that owns the shares of Banco DISA, with businessman and

A client of financial services provider Marc Harris has confirmed to OffshoreAlert that he is taking legal action in Panama in an attempt to recover an investment of approximately $1 million.An article was published in La Prensa newspaper in November

September 11 side effects on already slowing regional economy The attacks on the United States on September 11th will have profound economic effects, further slowing a world economy already growing at its lowest rate in a decade and speeding up

More has become known about the re branding of the First Nevisian Group, which is now known as The FN Group, and the partial move from Nevis to the Dominican Republic, where its "strategic partner" is H. E. Partners, which

The 72 year old principal of a Panama domiciled company that allegedly provided sham insurance for investment scams has been arrested in Belgium, where he is based.Hendrik Rienstra, of New England International Surety Co. Inc., was among six people arrested

Bin Laden in Latin America Without doubt, the terrorist attacks against New York and Washington, and Osama bin Laden the prime suspect in the strike have monopolized the world's attention this month. And it was reported that the trail of

A securities fraud civil lawsuit has been filed in the United States against an investment firm that used addresses in the Bahamas and Belize while raising money in an alleged high yield investment scam. The action was filed by the SEC against Tri-West Investment Club, Alyn Richard Waage and Haarlem Universal Corp. at the U. S. District Court for the Northern District of California on September 6, 2001.

ARGENTINA: A report in Argentina points at money laundering; BOLIVIA: New interim President in Bolivia; CHILE: Trouble in the skies; PERU: More repercussions in Fujimori-Montesinos case; and PANAMA: Going bananas in Panama.

Rampart Securities, a Canadian stock brokerage which is said to be owed at least US$2 million by Atlas Securities of the Turks & Caicos Islands, has had its "membership rights and privileges" suspended by the Investment Dealers Association of Canada; Regulators in St. Vincent have revoked the Class I international banking license of Maxi Bank Inc.; A Canadian crook who goes by the name of 'Sir Daniel Kingsley Lear' has been involved in a bizarre tax fraud trial in Manitoba, Canada; Four more people have been sentenced for their involvement in a $64 million fraud carried out in the names of Hammersmith Trust, Microfund and Luxor Capital Markets; Bahamas-based Oceanic Bank and Trust Limited has opened a marketing office in London, England; and La Comisión Nacional de Valores in Panama has launched investigations into the activities of Morrison Cross Financial Investment Ltd. and Britex International Ltd.

COLOMBIA: Secondary mortgage firm; COSTA RICA: Brotherly love; MEXICO: "Towelgate"; PANAMA: Ocean Disgrace I; PERU: Montesinos saga continues; and REGIONAL: Black market peso brokers; US bank downsizes in Latin America.

The long-awaited criminal trial of Bahamas resident Yank Barry in Texas on charges that he bribed a prison governor to secure a lucrative contract for his soy-based food firm called VitaPro is due to start on August 7, 2001 following previous delays; A look at OffshoreBanc.com; Kevin Mann, Registrar of Mutual Funds in the British Virgin Islands, has issued a Cease and Desist Order against Ian Renert's so-called Equivest Premier Holdings (BVI) Inc., which has been holding itself out to be an offshore mutual fund manager; Evergreen Security - details about creditors and how much they are owed; The 'New Utopia' farce continues; Bahamian Hubert Bowe is still trotting out press releases at www.alexandersworld.net claiming that he is about to "break ground" on a major development called Alexander's World; The last remains of FIBG's sham insurer, IDIC, disappeared recently when its web-site at www.idic-ec.org went off-line; The purchase of about 10 million shares in Manchester United PLC for some GBP28 million (US$40 million) by BVI-registered The Cuban Expression Company Ltd. - pushing its overall stake up to 6.77 per cent - caused quite a stir among business and soccer reporters in England; Further misrepresentation by The Harris Organization of Panama; and Paul de Weerd leaves his position as Superintendent of the Turks & Caicos Financial Services Commission.

The Harris Organization financial services group has set up yet another Internet bank that is being operated without a license.Operating from a web-site at www.ginvestmentgroup.com, G Investment Group claims that it is "a diversified financial services company providing clients a broad range of international structures involving financial, asset protection and investment opportunities".

The Bahamas-based multi-level marketing group Prosper International League Ltd., known as PILL, has promised to review the wording of a new marketing initiative after OffshoreAlert pointed out apparent inaccuracies and misrepresentations.

Marc Harris clients Tony Vigna and his son, Joseph, have been sentenced to prison terms of 24 months and 18 months, respectively, at the U. S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida after previously pleading guilty to tax evasion.

A sham insurer operated by The Harris Organization financial services group of Panama is being sued by creditors of Lifeblood Biomedical Inc., which is in bankruptcy in the United States.Threshold Insurance Services Ltd. has been accused of providing "fictitious insurance coverage" for about $10 million of Promissory Notes issued by Lifeblood Medical, which itself was a sham firm.

ARGENTINA: Trouble in Aerolineas Argentinas; ARGENTINA & BRAZIL: Brazil and Argentina to renegotiate Mercosur Tariff Policy; PANAMA: New controversy in Panama's Maritime Authority; PERU: Alejandro Toledo wins election; REGIONAL: Andean community improves position in South Florida; VENEZUELA: Court ruling causes alarm for journalists.

Application for the appointment of a Commissioner to collect evidence for a criminal investigation in Liechtenstein into Juan Carlos Saavedra Molina and others for the alleged laundering of the proceeds of narcotics trafficking.