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Published 22nd July 2005

Vol 46 No 15


Nigeria

The net widens

Having uncovered illegal commissions of $170 million on the gas export plant, investigators have uncovered many more payment routes

Investigators searching for hundreds of millions of dollars of corrupt payments linked to Nigeria's gas export plant have uncovered new channels for the payments through Kenya's Transnational Bank to several major Western banks (AC Vol 45 No 13). Some of the payments under scrutiny were routed through the 'Nostro' or correspondent accounts that Transnational Bank had established with institutions such as Bankers Trust, Deutsche Bank, Citigroup, Banque Belgolaise, South Africa's ABSA and Sweden's Nord Bank. All the banks have been requested by the French and Swiss investigation teams to provide records of these transactions through Transnational and information about the subsequent destination of the funds. There is no suggestion from the investigators that the banks knowingly colluded in the transmission of corrupt payments, however they are concerned at some of the banks' delayed response to information requests.


Freedom unfledged

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Garang's mass welcome in Khartoum shocked the NIF - but doesn't guarantee his success

As a million and a half cheering people rushed to see John Garang de Mabior's triumphant return to Khartoum after 22 years at war, the National Islamic Front...


Pressure points

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The Islamist government is under unprecedented pressure but is skilled at bouncing back

Forced to accept a non-Muslim, Southern rebel as First Vice-President and a draft constitution that promises the democracy it cannot risk, the Islamist government is under unprecedented pressure....


A tree, a house, a president

In a confused campaign, the referendum on multiparty politics is too close to call

In the referendum on 28 July, voters will be asked to choose between two symbols: a tree for changing to multiparty politics, a house for continuing the 'no-party'...


Stalin's textbook

The forced removals are dividing the country and President Mugabe's own party

According to Jonathan Moyo, the latest round of forced removals of slum-dwellers proves that President Robert Mugabe has been reading 'Stalin's economic textbook'. Moyo should know; he was...


Notes on a scandal

Wojciech Chodan, an executive with Halliburton subsidiary Kellogg Brown and Root (KBR), has emerged as the Samuel Pepys of the Nigeria gas scandal. At many key meetings, Chodan...


Sopi and Seck

Wade's winning slogan was 'Sopi' (change); now he faces the same demand from his old rival

Accusations that former Prime Minister Idrissa Seck is 'threatening state security' are heating up politics in the lead up to next May's parliamentary elections. Seen as a potential...



Pointers

Who let the dogs out?

Intelligence services in Southern Africa are trying to establish the origins of reports that the ousted Haitian President, Jean-Bertrand Aristide, has hired a team of South African mercenaries...


Diamond battles

The diamond war between Israeli magnate Lev Leviev and South African giant De Beers is heating up again in Namibia, a year after Leviev's LLD Diamonds Namibia subsidiary...


Mission to China

President Robert Mugabe has brought forward his trip to China by a week to 23 July in an attempt to negotiate an economic rescue package. He wants Chinese...


Enlightenment

Recent threats to Egyptian and Tunisian writers reflect a growing confrontation between Islamists and other Muslims. Egyptian philosopher Sa'id Mahmoud el Gomeni has said he'll give up writing...