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Waked Family Corruption and Money Laundering Investigations / Prosecutions; SoHo Mall, Felix Maduro Companies, Grupo Editorial El Siglo & La Estrella (GESE), etc.


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The U.S. Treasury Department issued an advisory stating that pursuant to the Kingpin Act, U.S. citizens are not to do business with a number of businesses and individuals connected to Abdul and Nidal Waked.

https://www.treasury.gov/resource-center/sanctions/OFAC-Enforcement/Pages/20160505.aspx

 

Edited by Moderator_02
clarify the title a bit
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Its a shame theses individuals of foreign nationality come to help damage an already in need of repair reputation of a country right after the Panama Papers news came out in the news.  Felix B. Maduro and other corporations like them had long being owned from its inceptions by long time members of respected and admired Panamanian families who worked they way up in an honest, trustworthy way.  These foreigners purchase these reputable businesses with the intent to get rich using a respected name to make their shady deals.   I hope if found guilty, they all go to jail for coming here to Panama with the intent to get rich and at the same time help ruin Panama's already distressed reputation.  

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Perhaps Panama's laws have made it easy for them to do this, in fact encouraged them.  It's probably one of the reasons Panama has so long been on the grey list, the one it is trying to get off of so it can participate in the international financial community as other than a place to hide money. 

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11 hours ago, JudyS said:

Perhaps Panama's laws have made it easy for them to do this, in fact encouraged them.  It's probably one of the reasons Panama has so long been on the grey list, the one it is trying to get off of so it can participate in the international financial community as other than a place to hide money. 

Judy.

The laws changed and the new laws are made for poor people and middle class in this country.  Rich people can buy anything.  They buy consciences, they buy behaviours, they buy moral....of those people who wanted to be rich so greatly that didnt care who they are affecting with their actions.   They got expensive lawyers that could help them anytime and also got good and expensive accountants that could do a lot of make up to their accounting books.  They give money to politicians in political campaign to gain favors when needed.  We are cursed by our political class... and their powerful friends.

I opened a small company, corporation or SA in Panama and... wow I thought that I have to bring to the lawyer my great great grandmother certificate of birth and the spanish baptism certificate from Seville, Spain.   They asked me for a lot of papers and documents.

Also opened a small bank account for the company and I have to fill a lot of papers, show that I was a honest people and was ready for a cavity search.   It was a terrible process that made me feel like if I were in a trial. 

So the laws are not for rich people.   They think they are above the law.

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13 hours ago, Roger B said:

Also opened a small bank account for the company and I have to fill a lot of papers, show that I was a honest people and was ready for a cavity search.   It was a terrible process that made me feel like if I were in a trial. 

I know the feeling.  I was a signer on the Amigos de Animales account at CACSA credit union.  The form wanted to know my religion!  I think I put Wicca.  Then they always want to know your parents' names.  People our age, our parents are long dead.  It's ridiculous.

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"The U.S. has frozen the family’s assets in that country through the Office of Foreign Asset Control (OFAC)."

There are so many businesses affected by these charges that the President is taking special steps to make sure that thousands of Panamanian employees are not left destitute.

http://www.prensa.com/in_english/Presidente-Waked-proteger-panamenos-afectados_21_4477262234.html

Edited by Keith Woolford
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PANAMA’S GOVERNMENT is struggling to find ways to keep the 68 businesses of the Waked family operating and is in contact with the U.S. Department of the Treasury to find a “solution”.

The firms were included on the Clinton List of companies linked to drug trafficking and money laundering.

“The goal is to keep the businesses operating. The problem faced by businesses is that neither banks nor its suppliers can do business with them,” reported Dulcidio De La Guardia, minister of Economy and Finance.

He said he has been informed that companies owned by Abdul Waked generate 2,869 jobs. He has no figures on the jobs of the business group headed by Waked’s nephew Nidal Waked, who was detained last week in Bogota, Colombia, and is waiting to be extradited to the United States where prosecutors are calling for a 50-year jail term for money laundering linked to drug smuggling.

“The government is acting as a facilitator so that the stores can continue to operate. This requires the support from the Waked family,”  De La Guardia said.

The Treasury Department has already been asked what the requirements would be for the sanctioned enterprises to be granted temporary licenses until a permanent solution is found.

Also involved in the discussion are banks that have business deals with the group, reports La Prensa.

from Newsroom Panama

 

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Here in Panama, the U.S. Treasury Department's accusations of money laundering by the Waked family and their businesses is causing problems for the financing of the Tocumen airport expansion.

Tocumen International Airport has decided to postpone the issuance of bonds for $625 million that were scheduled to be issued today. It has been rescheduled for the next 24 to 36 hours.

The bonds had been expected to sell successfully, but the risks perceived by investors at the charges of money laundering against several members of the Waked family generated uncertainty.

Waked International, S.A., (WISA) is one of the concessionaires at the airport and generates 7 percent of the income.

Airport Manager Joseph Fidanque III confirmed that the $625 million emission had been placed successfully through Citigroup Global Markets.

However, the decision by the Department of the Treasury to place the Waked family businesses on the Clinton List has generated concern among investors.

Yesterday, Citigroup Global Markets determined that the conditions precedent set out in the purchase agreement had not been met and delayed the purchase.

In 2007, Wisa received a concession for $115 million to sell duty free goods in the air terminal, including perfumes, cosmetics, alcoholic beverages, tobacco and luxury accessories. It also pays $100 a month in rent per square meter, and 8 percent of sales.

The terminal-dealer agreement expires in December 2017.

The decision by the U.S. Treasury Department means the stores connected to Wisa cannot sell U.S. goods or engage in transactions with U.S. customers. It also cannot accept credit card transactions with U.S. banks.

Fidanque declined to comment about the delay in the bond issue, saying it could hinder the search for the money that will finance part of the expansion of the air terminal.

- See more at: http://www.prensa.com/in_english/caso-Waked-entorpece-emision_21_4481011855.html#sthash.wLOim3oE.dpuf

Waked case delays airport bond issue

The bonds were slated to be handled by Citigroup.

Tocumen International Airport has decided to postpone the issuance of bonds for $625 million that were scheduled to be issued today. It has been rescheduled for the next 24 to 36 hours.

The bonds had been expected to sell successfully, but the risks perceived by investors at the charges of money laundering against several members of the Waked family generated uncertainty.

Waked International, S.A., (WISA) is one of the concessionaires at the airport and generates 7 percent of the income.

Airport Manager Joseph Fidanque III confirmed that the $625 million emission had been placed successfully through Citigroup Global Markets.

However, the decision by the Department of the Treasury to place the Waked family businesses on the Clinton List has generated concern among investors.

Yesterday, Citigroup Global Markets determined that the conditions precedent set out in the purchase agreement had not been met and delayed the purchase.

In 2007, Wisa received a concession for $115 million to sell duty free goods in the air terminal, including perfumes, cosmetics, alcoholic beverages, tobacco and luxury accessories. It also pays $100 a month in rent per square meter, and 8 percent of sales.

The terminal-dealer agreement expires in December 2017.

The decision by the U.S. Treasury Department means the stores connected to Wisa cannot sell U.S. goods or engage in transactions with U.S. customers. It also cannot accept credit card transactions with U.S. banks.

Fidanque declined to comment about the delay in the bond issue, saying it could hinder the search for the money that will finance part of the expansion of the air terminal.

- See more at: http://www.prensa.com/in_english/caso-Waked-entorpece-emision_21_4481011855.html#sthash.wLOim3oE.dpuf

 

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U.S. lists reasons for including Balboa Bank on sanction list

It says the bank participated in a money laundering scheme.

The U.S. Department of the Treasury has published the reasons why Balboa Bank & Trust and its subsidiaries were included on the Clinton List, which prohibits U.S. citizens and companies from engaging in transactions with the bank.

The report, issued by the Office of Foreign Asset Control (OFAC), stated that Balboa Bank & Trust assisted with the money laundering network linked to Nadal and Abdul Waked, among other members of the family. Nadal Waked is a board member of the bank. The report said the bank offered "financial and technological support, and the supply of goods and services" to the money laundering network. 

The Superintendency of Banks, which has taken over the bank, said that it is faced with a complex situation. The agency took control of the bank May 5, saying the move was needed to protect depositors and investors.

The takeover of Balboa Bank & Trust and its subsidiaries was done to allow the orderly collection of the loans granted by the bank to prevent the deterioration of its assets.

Customers do not have access to deposits, and the bank cannot access its foreign assets. It is also prevented from engaging in financial relationships with banks in the United States.

Bank officials said that the lender has worked with adherence to best practices in the industry, based on firm principles of transparency.

They clarified that Waked represented the interests of a minority group of shareholders.

- See more at: http://www.prensa.com/in_english/Tesoro-Banco-Balboa-Bank-Trust_21_4481761781.html#sthash.v26lOI63.dpuf

 

Edited by Keith Woolford
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There is more "fallout" from this Waked case. A very large bond issue for expansion of Tocumen Airport has been now been cancelled. For more details, see http://www.centralamericadata.com/en/article/main/Tocumen_Bonds_Sale_Canceled_Because_of_Waked_Case.

Opinion here: It seems that this case and the Panama Papers are taking a huge toll on business activity and economic stability in Panama. Once begun, these topics take a loooooonnnnnng time to smooth out.

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1 hour ago, Keith Woolford said:

If I'm not mistaken the bond issue was postponed, not cancelled. The original story from LaPrensa is above.

 

You were correct, not mistaken. The initial reports did say postponed. But then subsequent reports clearly said cancelled.

However, this is an ongoing story. Citigroup has apparently revived the bond transactions, and they are moving forward again as of late yesterday. Here is one report to that effect:

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/citigroup-revives-bond-panamas-tocumen-210504213.html

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On 5/12/2016 at 9:46 AM, Keith Woolford said:

Here in Panama, the U.S. Treasury Department's accusations of money laundering by the Waked family and their businesses is causing problems for the financing of the Tocumen airport expansion.

Tocumen International Airport has decided to postpone the issuance of bonds for $625 million that were scheduled to be issued today. It has been rescheduled for the next 24 to 36 hours.

 

Panama City's main airport said on Friday it had successfully placed a $575 million bond after a company forming a major source of income for the hub became embroiled in a money-laundering probe, prompting the issue to be restructured.

Originally earmarked for $625 million, the bond for Tocumen International Airport was pared back after the U.S. Treasury Department accused members of the Waked family of running a money laundering operation that helped drug traffickers.

The Wakeds, who have denied the accusations, control Grupo Wisa, a holding company that includes real estate, construction and media businesses, as well as retailers including operators of duty free shops at Tocumen International.

The airport said that last year, rents from Grupo Wisa made up 7.7 percent of its revenue.

The coupon on the bond, which is due to mature in 2036, was raised to 5.625 percent from 5.375 percent.

The U.S. Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) alleged that the operation, led by two members of the Waked family, helped various drug trafficking outfits hide their illicit income via 68 companies including Grupo Wisa.

Separately on Friday, the U.S. Treasury said it had issued licenses authorizing certain transactions to be carried out by Balboa Bank & Trust, which was seized by Panama's banking regulator as part of the money-laundering investigation.

In the statement, the U.S. Treasury Department said it had also issued licenses to Balboa Securities, Corp. It did not give details on why the licenses had been issued.

(Reporting by Elida Moreno and Enrique Pretel; Editing by Richard Borsuk)

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-panama-bond-idUSKCN0Y5039

Edited by Keith Woolford
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What a mess! All because of greed!

 

greed
ɡrēd/
noun
 
  1. intense and selfish desire for something, especially wealth, power, or food.
    synonyms: avarice, cupidity, acquisitiveness, covetousness, rapacity; 
    materialism, mercenariness;
    rarepleonexia; 
    "human greed"
    gluttony, hunger, voracity, insatiability;
    gourmandism, intemperance, overeating, self-indulgence;
    informalpiggishness
    "her mouth watered with greed"
    informalyen, itch
    "their greed for power"
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It should be noted that both in Columbia (to deport Nidal Waked) and in Panama requests have gone to the US for some sort of evidence to justify the charges.  These cases are very hard to prove.  Although rumors have been going around for several years, neither Panama nor the US has come up with a hard case.  It might be wise to see if Justice can come up with enough to convince either Columbian or Panama authorities. 

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  • 2 weeks later...

Panama informed about Waked investigation

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency detailed part of its investigation in a letter to Panama prosecutors.

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) confirmed that it has been investigating the Waked Group for money laundering for 10 years, and that Panamanian authorities have been involved in the process.

The facts are detailed in a letter signed by the DEA director in Panama to Drugs Prosecutor Markel Iván Mora, who is investigating the Waked Group.

The letter details that the investigation started with the detention of Mexican citizen Ariadna Hernandez-Lozada at Tocumen International Airport with $217,000 in August 2006.

As part of that investigation, police tracked the money to María González Reyes and Ali Abd Fares-Shaaban. A raid of the residence of Fares-Shaaban resuled in the seizure of invoices in the amount of $10 million, including funds destined for the Waked Group.

Fares-Shaaban told the authorities that, over four or five years, he had received $2 million in cash weekly through Tocumen Airport that was brought in by "mules," or people paid to carry the cash.

"This information collected in Panama was what prompted the beginning of our investigation," said the DEA in the letter.

But the participation of Panama in the investigation did not end there.

Subsequently, "via judicial assistance," the DEA obtained banking information that complemented the evidence collected by the DEA which resulted in charges being filed against Nidal Waked in Florida. That evidence also resulted in the U.S. Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) placing 68 companies of the Waked Group on the Clinton list, which prohibits it from engaging in transactions with any entity with U.S. ties, including banks and suppliers.

Details in the letter from the DEA confirms statements made in a May 13 press conference by U.S. Ambassador to Panama John Feeley, who said that the investigation into the Wakeds took a decade, and that it involved a number of agencies.

The DEA said that the money came from Colombian organizations transporting cocaine from Colombia to Central America for final distribution in the United States. These organizations, the DEA said, include the Sinaloa cartel.

The illicit profits were transported to Panama and the Waked companies were used to launder the proceeds. This was done through false invoicing and other methods.

"It is presumed that Nidal Ahmed Waked-Hatum and Abdul Mohamed Waked-Fares used these methods of money laundering for handling the illicit moneys for different drug trafficking organizations," the letter said.

The letter also detailed the charges and alleged violations of U.S. laws committed by Nidal Waked, who was arrested May 4 in Colombia and who is awaiting extradition.

- See more at: http://www.prensa.com/in_english/Caso-Waked-pruebas-DEA_21_4493760580.html#sthash.WfAYLFPo.dpuf

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Colombia sought information on Wakeds in 2007

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) was not the only entity investigating companies and individuals of the Waked Group for money laundering.

The General Prosecutor's Office of Colombia, as evidenced by a ruling of the Supreme Court of Panama on Feb. 14, 2011, also launched an investigation into the Wakeds for money-laundering.

In December 2007, it sent a letter to Panama officials asking for information about Abdul Waked, his nephew, Nidal Waked, and companies in the Waked Group.

The request sought information about the flow of money between Panama and Colombia. The request was opposed by lawyer Carlos Carrillo, allegedly on behalf of the Wakeds, and the matter took four years to be resolved. At that point, the Supreme Court ruled that the request could move forward.

Carrillo declined to comment about the case.

The request was based on article 7 of the United Nations convention against drug trafficking.

The revelations come in the wake of news that the DEA opened an investigation into the Wakeds due to its links to a person who allegedly ran a network that smuggled money into Panama through Tocumen International Airport. That was prompted by an incident in August 2006 when a person was discovered bringing more than $200,000 into Panama.

The person at the head of the network, Ali Abd Fares Shaaban, said between $2 million and $4 million per week entered through Tocumen. That person also linked the cash to the Waked Group through receipts and invoices found in his residence.

- See more at: http://www.prensa.com/in_english/Colombia-solicito-datos-Waked_21_4494510505.html#sthash.Jg7tNzmE.dpuf

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More fallout from the Waked investigation.

Quote

laundering probe hits 149 workers

Posted on May 31, 2016 in Panama

riviera-tocumen-600x264.jpg
Post Views: 86
 

THE FALLOUT from the investigation of alleged money laundering by the Waked family has hit 149 workers, of La Riviera in Panama who have received pink slips.

All have been with the company for less than two years.

Minister of Labor Luis Ernesto Carles, who is part of the commission established by the government to deal with the  anticipated loss of jobs  in  Waked companies included on the Clinton list, made the announcement.

Carles said that 70 of the workers had received benefits owed to them. An account has been created at the National Bank of Panama to pay worker benefits.

Carles said that the ministry is working with the former employees to find them new positions.

He acknowledged that this will “take some time” but said  that the ministry is focused on the issue.

In Colombia the La Riviera stores have been seized by the government.

Carles  said the government is waiting for a decision by the United States to grant a license to Felix Maduro  and the newspapers El Siglo and La Estrella to allow them to continue to operate.

“If they are given the licenses, it changes everything because they have sustainability,” he said.

Felix, a chain of department stores, recently purchased by the Waked Group  has 1,400 workers, some of whom have been with the company for decades,  It has not made any layoffs and had met its payroll obligations. Payments to creditors were also met.

http://www.newsroompanama.com/news/panama/149-la-riviera-workers-let-go

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Following this story since it broke, I have to think the U.S. Treasury Department is 'reaching' and consequently has reacted far more forcibly than would seem justified.

What started out as an investigation into someone carrying an inheritance from their grandfather into Tocumen airport 10 years ago, has culminated with the U.S. Feds putting into limbo the lives of employees in a number of foreign countries and the business empire which employs them.

WHO KNEW  what and when, has become a guessing game in the Waked family money laundering scandal with the news of early principal players having  their convictions overturned.

The Panama  Second Court revoked an 80 month sentence imposed on the deliverer and receiver of over $200,000 in 2008 after a botched prosecution by a man who was later named to the Supreme Court.

The sentence was imposed in the first instance on Ariadna Hernandez-Lozada, Maria Fernanda Gonzalez and Ali Shaaban  Abd Fares-.

All  are mentioned in a letter sent to Panama’s  First Drug Prosecutor ,  May 11 by  the US Drug Enforcement Administration ( DEA ) pointing out  that the case led the  DEA   to initiate the investigation of the Waked International Group, in which Panamanian authorities cooperated.

The letter, said the arrest of Ariadna Hernandez-Lozada was in  August 2006 at Tocumen airport when she had  $217, 295 attached to her body.

She and Shaaban  allegedly belonged to a network dedicated to money laundering.

The decision of the Second Court, followed an appeal filed by: Zaribel Alleyne, Eliecer Chacón and Guillermina McDonald lawyers of the accused.

McDonald, currently, represents Abdul Waked who has repeatedly claimed he had no knowledge of a DEA investigation and McDonald has downplayed the DEA and US Treasury evidence.

In the appeal the judgment of the Thirteenth Criminal, Court which issued the 80 months sentence was reversed. It was found that the $217, 295 found on Hernandez-Lozada came from an inheritance left by her grandfather, although initially she confessed that she had been contacted by Gonzalez to carry the money and would be paid $1,500

Regarding Maria Fernanda Gonzalez, the judges  said  that while she  was not found with cash, she agreed to bring  $ 220 600  to deliver to a person, identified as Jose Hernandez, for him to buy clothes in the Colon Free Zone .

According to the judges, the prosecutor in the case “took  no steps to verify the identity of Jose Hernandez and only with proof of ‘ion scan’ took for granted the crime of money laundering”.

Regarding Fares- Shaaban, the decision indicates that he was not found with large sums of money or bank statements that could be considered “suspicious” and, on the contrary, like any citizen owns a vehicle obtained through a loan. The evidence of “ion scan” practiced on the money found in his residence and vehicle were not positive for traces of cocaine.

The appeal judges  argued that the Drug Prosecutor’s Office did not endorse the statements of the police officers who investigated, and  got confessions  linking a third party.

Also, there was no evidence that the money managed by Hernandez-Lozada and González was handed over to Fares-Shaaban, as part of the operation of a criminal organization dedicated to money laundering.

The ruling also states that the existence of a prior offense to reveal the alleged illicit origin of the seized money was not  proved.

The prosecution said that receipts for large sums of money were found at the home of Perez-Shaaban and that the money held by Ariadna Hernandez-Lozada was to be delivered to a third person, who even showed up to pick it up. It  suggested that Maria Fernanda Gonzalez entered the country before, “with a large sum of money,” which was also delivered to third parties

almengorrenuncia

Jose Abel Almengor

The Drug Prosecutor Jose at the time was Jose  Abel Almengor who was later investigated by then Attorney General Ana Matilde Gomez for  allegedly letting  a witness under house arrest travel to Miami.  Almengor resigned and was later appointed to the Supreme Court by then president Ricardo Martinelli.  He resigned in disgrace after demands from the law societies and a potential trial by the National Assembly  when he was exposed as part of a cabal attempting to railroad  Ana Matilde Gomez.

Edited by Keith Woolford
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20 hours ago, Bud said:

The Ministry of Labor calculates that it can safeguard 65 percent of the jobs within the Waked family businesses that have been included on the Clinton list for activities related to money laundering and drug trafficking.

Ministry Secretary General Samuel Rivera said there are 3,500 jobs with the companies connected to the Wakeds. Rivera hopes that this week the U.S. Department of the Treasury will grant a license allowing the department store chain Felix B. Maduro to continue to operate.

The ministry reported that, as of Wednesday morning, 329 workers have been dismissed of from La Riviera, one of the waked companies. On Monday, that figure was 149.

Rivera said that the dismissed workers were either on probation or had less than two years with the company.

Minister Luis Ernesto Carlos announced that 27 of the dismissed workers have found new jobs.

Through a statement, workers asked the government to "respect our integrity and our jobs." They also claimed that some of the La Riviera workers who lost their jobs had worked for the company for much longer the two years.

"We want to make it clear that we are not asking the government to give us something for nothing, we only ask for justice in this situation," the employees said.

- See more at: http://www.prensa.com/in_english/Carles-logramos-licencias-salvar-empleos_21_4496760282.html

Edited by Admin_01
converted the URL to a hotlink
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Panamanian officials are currently working on a way to have the Felix B. Maduro companies removed from the Clinton list.

Again, it's my opinion that the U.S. government has been overly heavy-handed in dealing with the affairs of private business in a sovereign nation.

http://www.prensa.com/economia/OFAC-ofrece-salida-Grupo-Felix_0_4497300226.html

Edited by Keith Woolford
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