Saturday, May 8, 2010

Breaking News - Update

Men Say Seychelles Kidnaps for Ransom
Friday 7th May 2010 MANHATTAN (CN) - Two English businessmen say they paid the Republic of Seychelles a $460,000 ransom after being held hostage for 4 months. The men claim in Federal Court that they were kidnapped by Irish mercenaries working for the Seychelles government and threatened with trumped-up drug and money-laundering charges that would have carried a 10-year prison sentence. 
     Seychelles, a tiny African island northeast of Madagascar, has been sponsoring kidnapping and piracy to stave off an "acute financial crisis" that has plagued the country since 2008, according to the complaint.
     "Rather than trolling the world's oceans for prey, the Seychelles government, in cooperation and conspiracy with Barclays Bank, has commandeered the world's financial system and ransacked the bank accounts of legitimate businesses and law abiding citizens," according to the complaint. "Defendants have added a new wrinkle to their crimes: they are now in the business of kidnapping for ransom."
     Stephen Scholes and Terence Stewart, British businessmen who were living in Spain's Canary Islands, say they opened a bank account in Seychelles through Barclays. They planned to use the account for commissions earned from their businesses, Moretti Inversiones y Promociones and Guardian Environmental Holdings, which also are plaintiffs in the complaint.
     After $1 million was transferred to their account in Seychelles, they say, Barclays highlighted their account "as a target for financial piracy by the FIU [co-defendant Financial Intelligence Unit of Seychelles]."
     The bank then seized the money in the account, calling it "suspicious," according to the complaint. 
     The 75-page complaint claims that Seychelles has engaged in a pattern of seizing money from bank accounts, having seized more than 100 accounts as of August 2009.
     Scholes - accompanied by his vacationing family - and Stewart were in Seychelles at the time on personal business, and they say they were falsely imprisoned by the country's Financial Intelligence Unit, which employs mercenaries, including former Irish police officers and former members of a "secret Irish military unit."
     Co-defendants Liam Hogan, Barry Galvin, Declan Barber, Joe Cully and John Heelan are among the Irish-born FIU agents who the businessmen say earn commissions for disregarding due process and engaging in and encouraging perjury.
     "These Irish subcontractors engage in these activities with little or no conscience as to the damage that they are causing their victims - and with no foresight as to the crippling blow they are dealing to the reputation of the Seychelles banking industry," according to the complaint. 
     The plaintiffs say they hired Bernard Georges, of Seychelles, to represent them while they were imprisoned, but say that Georges, now a defendant, turned out to be an FIU agent.
     The FIU agents also threatened Scholes' wife and daughters to coerce a false confession, according to the complaint.
     After being held in prison for almost 4 months, the agents threatened to file false drug and money-laundering charges, punishable by 10-year prison sentences, according to the complaint. The FIU also planned to send the men to the notorious Montagne Posee Prison, renowned for barbarous and unsanitary conditions.
     Sholes and Stewart say they pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor and turned over $460,000 from their account, including $100,000 that went to Georges, then were released and deported.
     The Scholes family and Stewart seek $5 million in damages and reimbursement, alleging fraud, kidnapping, extortion, theft, negligence, breach of fiduciary duty and false arrest. They are represented by Craig Weiner with Hofheimer Gartlir & Gross.

(THANK-YOU JAMES MICHEL FOR DRAGGING THE 

COUNTRY'S NAME INTO DISREPUTE)

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

After thirty-six years of practicing nothing more but corruption,PP disciples just can't refrain themselves from their bad habits,they know nothing else then that.
For instance,we know now that KHALIFA has paid for those plots of land at La Misere contary to what Michel wanted us to believe.The question that begs answer though is,how much did KHALIFA paid to the government, PP and where is the money?Has it already been laundered?

Jeanne D'Arc

Missy47 said...

After thirty years of dictatorship we are at a turning point..the Seychellois people have had enough and it is time to kick them out.
The whole world is starting to know about their criminal acts and it is a shame as they are ruining our reputation..

Shame on them!!

Anonymous said...

Bernard Georges a Defendant? Really. The fact that he was paid $100,000.00 or SCR 1,245,000,000 is probably why they sued him, Over charging a client. I hope Geoerges has signed releases for the payment. In any case, it does not look good for such over charging.

Comment on the matter please Mr. Georges. Say something.

Also, add a little lip service to the issue of being Khalifa's lawyer when the La Misere Scr. 1.00 deal was signed.

How does that conflict with you now representing the victims of ASCON and KHALIFA, since the contractor is the illegal agent of your client.

Say something Mr. Geoerges.

Or hold your piece eternally. No wonder the Opposition is such a mess.

Sick of Sell Outs!

Anonymous said...

Bernard Georges was paid US$ 10,000 not US$ 100,000 according to the complaint.

it appears he was helping the fiu behind closed doors

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