Washington politicizes soccer

Washington’s attack on world soccer is following the script of Washington’s attack on the Russian-hosted Sochi Olympics. The difference is that Washington couldn’t stop the Olympics from being held in Sochi, and was limited to scaring off westerners with lies and propaganda.

In the current scandal orchestrated by Washington, Washington intends to use its takeover of FIFA to renege on FIFA’s decision that Russia host the next World Cup.

This is part of Washington’s agenda of isolating Russia from the World.

This Washington-orchestrated scandal stinks to high heaven. It seems obvious that the FIFA officials have been arrested for political reasons and that the recently overwhelmingly-reelected FIFA president, Sepp Blatter, was forced to resign by Washington’s threats to indict him as well. This can happen because Washington no longer is subject to the rule of law. In Washington’s hands, law is a weapon that is used against everyone, every organization, and every country that takes a position independent of Washington.

This clears the deck for Washington and its British lapdog to take over FIFA, which henceforth will be used to reward countries that comply with Washington’s foreign policy and to punish those who pursue an independent foreign policy.

The only hope for South America, Asia, and Russia is to form their own World Cup and turn their backs on the corrupt West.

It is astonishing that Russia, Asia, and South America so much desire to be part of the corrupt and immoral Western world. Why do countries wish to be associated with evil? Venezuela, Ecuador, Bolivia, and perhaps Argentina and Brazil have learned that being in the Western orbit means putting their country under Washington’s control.

Putin, Lavrov, and China’s leaders say that being associated with the West is like being associated with the plague. Yet they still want to be associated with the West. Why do Russia and China think that their self-esteem depends on Washington’s approval?

FIFA is a Swiss-based organization. Yet the arrests of FIFA officials is based on a Washington-initiated “investigation” by the FBI. By asserting the universality of US law, Washington is asserting the authority of its police and prosecutors over sovereign countries.

Why did Switzerland, and why do other countries lay down in obedience to Washington’s assertion of the universality of its laws? Are the political leaders paid off or are they threatened with assassination or false indictments?

What explains that of all countries on earth only Washington’s law is universal, acknowledged and bowed down before in other countries? Is if fear of retribution?

Possibly, but one answer is that the entire point of being a leader of a foreign country is to be made rich by kowtowing to Washington. One year out of office and Tony Blair was reported to be worth $50 million. Where did the money come from? No one wanted to listen to Blair’s speeches when he was Prime Minister. Why did Americans pay him six-figure sums to give speeches?

Putin can become rich, too. All he needs to do is to turn Russia over to Washington.

Here we are in an orchestrated soccer scandal hyped to the hilt by the presstitute media while all the real scandals go unremarked.

For example, a number of the mega-banks in the West have pleaded guilty to felony charges and only suffered fines. As Finian Cunningham has pointed out, the money laundering and price-rigging by the “banks too big to jail” dwarfs the alleged criminality at FIFA. The Securities and Exchange Commission actually issues waivers to the banks for their criminal activity. One dissenting SEC commissioner accuses her colleagues of encouraging “recidivism” by the constant issue of waivers.

Washington itself cannot be believed as not a single significant statement out of Washington’s mouth since the Clinton regime has been true; yet, Washington still parades around as the arbiter of truth.

Saddam Hussein did not have weapons of mass destruction. Assad did not use chemical weapons. Iran did not have a nuclear weapons program. Russia did not invade Ukraine. But Washington convinced the world that its lies were true.

It is almost a certainty that politicians up in arms over unsubstantiated charges that FIFA took bribes have themselves taken bribes. Just look at the bribes given to Congress by corporations to vote fast track for TTIP.

Can anyone name even one leader of one EU country (other perhaps than Greece at the moment) who doesn’t take bribes from Washington?

According to Udo Ulfkotte, no one can name even one British or EU newspaper that doesn’t take bribes from the CIA.

How many UN votes are determined by Washington’s threats and bribes?

Whether or not FIFA decisions are tainted by bribery, the purpose of the “investigation” is to cast doubt on the decision to hold the World Cup in Russia. The World Cup is a global spectacle and conveys prestige on the host country. Washington intends to deny this prestige to Russia. That is what the “investigation” is about.

Dr. Paul Craig Roberts was Assistant Secretary of the Treasury for Economic Policy and associate editor of the Wall Street Journal. He was columnist for Business Week, Scripps Howard News Service, and Creators Syndicate. He has had many university appointments. His internet columns have attracted a worldwide following. Roberts’ latest books are The Failure of Laissez Faire Capitalism and Economic Dissolution of the West and How America Was Lost.

German company denies bribes

A German company that allegedly bribed middlemen to get contracts to supply the South African government with warships denied the claims on Monday, the SABC reported.

Klaus Wiercimok, senior house attorney at ThyssenKrupp maritime systems, told the Seriti Commission of Inquiry in Pretoria it was untrue that the price of the frigates was inflated to pay commissions to the middlemen.

He told the commission probing the 1999 arms deal, that a German probe had cleared all those implicated, including South African politicians, of wrongdoing.

“These allegations have been the subject or object of the state prosecutors’ office in Germany starting in 2006. This obviously was supported by a lot of interest here in this country. I can only say that no evidence supporting the allegations, that any sort of corruptive practices have taken place in SA, was ever found,” he said.

The SABC reported that Wiercimok addressed allegations that former chief of acquisition for the defence department, Chippy Shaik received millions of dollars from the company.

“I can tell you this is not true. The GFC [German Frigate Consortium] never authorized such payments. This, at the end, was also a subject of the investigation by the state prosecutors’ office in Germany. And we also looked into ourselves. No such payments were also authorized.”

Two other companies were expected to appear before the commission on Friday, the SABC reported.

Source: Sapa

Bribes get illegal immigrants into SA

A Zimbabwean who says he bribed police officers at the Beit bridge border post to let him into the country, says corruption is hampering the South African government’s efforts to prevent foreigners from entering the country illegally.

The Minister of Home Affairs has recently announced the December 31 cut-off date for Zimbabweans to apply for a special three year permit.

Police holding cells in Musina are full of illegal Zimbabweans while others allegedly manage to go through the border gates by bribing border officials.

Musina police spokesperson Dakalo Ramagwede says they are waiting for the immigration officers to process deportation papers for the arrested nationals to be sent back home.

“We are arresting but the problem is that now our cells are full, but they do not allow us to stop arresting. The problem is the immigration process, it takes too long so they have to wait. The cells are full and the people are complaining. We are doing our best to take them home.”

The Zimbabwean, who admits he was one of them and wishes to remain anonymous says, “Every time you pass the border you have to pay something, if you don’t have money you don’t pass.”

Ericsson bribes officials to secure deals

handshakeSwedish mobile telecoms equipment maker Ericsson paid 116 million Swedish crowns ($18 million) to a commercial agent, money which was then used to bribe Greek officials to secure a deal for Ericsson in 1999, Swedish radio reported on Wednesday.

In an interview, former Ericsson employee Liss-Olof Nenzell told Swedish radio that “politicians, generals and high-ranking state officials” had received the Ericsson money.

Ericsson said in a statement that it had paid money to a commercial agent, but did not know what became of it.

The Swedish company used to employ local commercial agents in many countries in a bid to increase sales.

“We have zero tolerance for bribes and corruption. At the time, we used agents, but we don’t anymore because it is a system that lacks transparency,” it said in an emailed statement.

“We know that a payment was made to an agent, but we don’t know what happened with the money after that. We really hope that the money wasn’t used for bribes, but we don’t know for sure.”

The Greek order was for the Ericsson airborne surveillance system Erieye and was worth 4.9 billion Swedish crowns ($759 million). Ericsson has subsequently sold its defense business to Swedish group Saab.

Alf Johansson, chief public prosecutor at the National Anti-Corruption unit of the Swedish Prosecution Authority, said he was looking into the matter and had asked Greek investigators for information.

He added, however, that he was only interested in potential crimes committed after July 1, 2004, as crimes before that date would have passed the statute of limitations, meaning they could not be prosecuted.

Antonis Kantas, deputy armaments chief at the Greek Defense Ministry between 1997 and 2002, has admitted to taking $16 million in bribes relating to arms deals with foreign companies and mentioned Ericsson in connection with bribes in his court testimony.

Source: Reuters

Motlanthe clone on Facebook cons users

facebookA person pretending to be Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe on social media has been trying to solicit bribes from members of the public, Motlanthe’s office confirmed on Friday.

“This impostor, on Facebook, asked someone to pay him in [United Kingdom] pounds to qualify for business and contracts,” Motlanthe’s spokesman Thabo Masebe said.

The fake Motlanthe asked his Facebook friend for an amount of 450 pounds (about R7200), which he found to be quite odd.

“This person then contacted us [presidency] to ask if this might be possible and we alerted him that he was dealing with someone who is posing as Deputy President Motlanthe,” Masebe said.

The matter was reported to Facebook but it was unclear how long it would take for the account to be closed.

Masebe said the account appeared to be a recent creation, which accumulated at least five thousand friends in about two weeks.

The Sowetan newspaper reported that Police ministry spokesman Zweli Mnisi said impersonating another person in any form was a crime. He also revealed that the state passed the National Cyber Security Policy Framework Act to address the matter. – Sapa