Nexus - 0404 - New Times Magazine-pages

Page Content (OCR)

reproduce US$100 bills without blemish. Also provided was an The operation was complete apart from some necessary mop- intaglio printing press. This special printing press ensures that the —_ ping-up which occurred over the following years: etched plate meets paper with tremendous force, creating the dis- 1) In 1989, Pablo Escobar was targeted by an intensive US- tinctive embossed feel of a genuine banknote. In addition, the Colombian "War on Drugs" campaign. He fled into hiding, in Shah was also given the ink and banknote-quality paper, enabling _fear of his life. Eventually, in 1993, he was tracked down and him to produce perfect counterfeit US dollar banknotes. The killed in a police shoot-out. A British TV documentary revealed Shah later fled Iran and left the plates and press behind in his con- that the "Cocaine King" was gunned down while attempting to fusion. The whole caboodle sat in the mint at Tehran, according escape and was probably unarmed. The campaign waged against to some experts.* Escobar ensured he could not withdraw the $8 billion in According to Tatum, a deal was arranged in the early to mid- Superbills. Following his death, the quantity and quality of ‘80s between VP George Bush, Panama's Manuel Noriega and the cocaine shipments from Colombia immediately increased mani- Iranian leadership. A sum of US$8 billion deposited in the Banco _foldly, giving lie to the "War on Drugs". Nacional de Panama on behalf of 2) Also during 1989, Panama's Colombian cocaine king Pablo General Noriega was captured in the Escobar was "lent" to George Bush. US invasion of Panama. Noriega Of this, US$4 billion was shipped by .only one figure emerged was later convicted and placed in US plane to Iran where it was exchanged federal prison under constant guard at a ratio of one good bill for two unscathed: George Bush, who to ensure his silence." counterfeit bills. On the return trip, 3) Penultimately, Nana DeBusia the 707 aircraft's cargo container car- alone retained control of was indicted on 32 counts including ried two shrink-wrapped pallets con- US$3.8 billion in laundered bank fraud and thereby effectively taining $4 billion each. The 707 silenced." arrived at Howard/Albrook Air Force fu nds. 4) Earlier, in 1987, DCI William Base in Panama where the pallets Casey died of a brain tumour—just were offloaded under armed guard of days before he would have been the Panamanian military. The coun- required to attend the Senate hearings terfeit notes were re-deposited into into the Contragate affair. Escobar's account at the Panama central bank. Under no circum- According to Tatum, only one figure emerged unscathed: stances could the counterfeit bills be permitted to leave the bank George Bush, who alone retained control of $3.8 billion in laun- vault—for fear of devaluing the US currency with forged notes— — dered funds. Obviously, the CIA still retained control over the and active steps would later be taken to ensure this. balance of their $4 billion share of the 'sting' operation. The other half of Escobar's "good" money was placed into the It is of considerable significance that this operation has been hands of Nana DeBusia, the grandson of Guyana's first democrat- corroborated by another source whose credibility is not in ques- ic leader. DeBusia was chosen by the CIA's William Casey to tion.’* This individual was present in Tehran during many of launder the massive sum into numerous bank accounts under the _ these events, and was later posted to another sensitive location in joint signatures of VP George Bush and Director Casey. this connection. Moreover, it has additionally been revealed that The next leg of the operation was to retrieve the $4 billion Banca Nazionale del Lavoro (BNL) was heavily involved in the exchanged with the Iranians for the Superbills. This was facilitat- Superbills sting. That BNL was an intrinsic part of Oliver North's ed by the supply of military equipment, arms, ammunition and so-called "Enterprise"—in reality, the OSGs of the Terrorist replacement parts for weapons systems. This part of the deal was Incident Working Group—is beyond doubt.'* arranged by Col. Oliver North on behalf of the CIA's William However, the question remains: What did George Bush intend Casey. The results of these complex manoeuvres were twofold. On the one hand the CIA acquired $4 billion via the arms sales, for use in future black operations, without the need to rely on congressional oversight or authority. If later caught, Tatum says "...the CIA can report the source of funds as being from an arms transaction with Iran". Some of these funds were then used to support the Contras, whilst the rest disappeared down the ultra-black hole of the Company's covert finances. Meanwhile, Nana DeBusia had begun laundering the remaining $4 billion through various banks, including the Vatican Bank.’ For his trouble, DeBusia was entitled to take a commission amounting to $200 mil- lion. The remaining $3.8 billion was then secreted in private, numbered accounts 5 . es ae = around the globe and controlled by George orge Bush's favourite Ibero-American leader, Venezuelan President Carlos Andrés Bush and William Casey. Pérez, meets with Bush in Washington. (Photo by Stuart Lewis) funds. JUNE - JULY 1997 NEXUS - 21 US$3.8 billion in laundered