Must Watch: 'Gold Mafia'
From South Africa and Zimbabwe with love...
Al Jazeera's investigative team previously blew me away with their undercover operations into international darkness. With 'Gold Mafia', they've done it again, and you can watch for free online (links below).
Gold Mafia, a four-part series by Al Jazeera’s Investigative Unit looks at how society’s obsession with gold underwrites a global shadow economy.
Undercover reporters pose as gangsters with up to a billion dollars of black money that need to be cleaned. They gain remarkable access to members of Africa’s Gold Mafia, and filmed closed door meetings with crime bosses.
A senior African ambassador offers to launder $1.2 million using the cover of his diplomatic bag.
Criminals offer lucrative deals to clean over $100 million through government gold export schemes. At the centre of it is southern Africa’s biggest laundromat, the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe.
Through thousands of confidential documents and exclusive interviews with whistleblowers from criminal organisations, investigators obtain the blueprints of billion-dollar money laundering operations servicing the political elite. And the investigation leads to the highest offices of southern Africa."
Those outraged by the capture of the South African government will still be screaming at the United Arab Emirates' recent refusal to extradite the criminal kingpins, the Gupta Brothers. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/4/7/uae-court-dismisses-s-africa-request-to-extradite-gupta-brothers Whilst that heads to appeal, 'Gold Mafia' digs into their money launderer, Mohamed Khan, whose brazenly nicknamed 'Mo Dollars'.
Khan, through bribery, kept dirty money at South African based banks, Standard and ABSA, respectively the biggest and fifth largest on the continent.
Possibly pertinent to the resistance of the United Arab Emirates is that "gold smuggled from Zimbabwe makes its way to Dubai and, according to experts in money laundering and illicit trade, is then exported to other major gold hubs like Switzerland and London."
Former FBI investigator Karen Greenaway said that, "Dubai was set up to be a financial capital. They have set themselves up to be in the middle of the gold trade with lax laws and no enforcement."
Ewan Macmillan, the Zimbabwean gold smuggler, claims that too: "It all comes out of Dubai. It’s all Dubai, Dubai, Dubai, Dubai, Dubai."
But its also Vanuatu as it has suspiciously granted the Guptas citizenship.
GOLD MAFIA PART 1 - THE LAUNDRY SERVICE
GOLD MAFIA PART 2 - SMOKE & MIRRORS
GOLD MAFIA PART 3 - EL DORADO
GOLD MAFIA PART 4 - HAVE THE KING WITH YOU
YOU WILL LOVE MORE AL JAZEERA INVESTIGATIONS
This is my shout-out to the brilliantly insightful work of the Al Jazeera Investigative Unit.
The 'Labour Files' series, involving the anti-democratic manipulation of UK politics, was one of the most under-reported stories of 2022.
The 'Lobby UK' and the 'Lobby USA', with secretly shot footage, was possibly the biggest eye-opener, exposing Israel's interference in the politics of those countries. Notably, Boris Johnson wouldn't investigate. The Qatari government buckled under pressure not to release the even better American series, but it was incredibly leaked by other networks. Consequently, you can view it on Youtube via Electonic Intifada but, if removed, search via bit torrent.
'The Men Who Sell Football' and 'The Cyprus Papers' go hand-hand, showing how English football clubs and the government of Cyprus are used to launder dirty money. Again, it's what’s revealed on hidden camera that makes these explosive.
Sticking with that theme, is 'Diplomats for Sale'...
...and 'All the Prime Minister's Men'. The latter focused on alleged corruption involving Aziz Ahmed, the Chief of Army Staff of the Bangladesh Army, his family members and other political figures. It's poignant that the expose wasn't welcomed but instead slammed with:
"The Bangladesh government is rejecting this reckless 'propaganda' of some extremists and their associates who are doing this from London and other places. It is disappointing that Al Jazeera is being used as a tool to implement a nefarious political plan aimed at ousting a secular democratic government."
In 2019’s 'Anatomy of a Bribe', they swum deep into Namibia where an Icelandic fishing company's bribing of politicians, via Norway’s biggest bank, created a scandal and undermined the economy. Minister of Fisheries Bernard Esau and ex-Justice Minister Sakeus Shangal are among the many alleged to be involved. The ramifications continue today, and the EU’s fight against corruption smells hollows with it still having failed to punish the Europeans involved. A summary of Wikileaks ‘Fishrot Files’ should accompany viewing.
Others highlights from Al Jazeera include:
Beyond the investigative unit, Al Jazeera has a range of wonderful documentary channels that helped open my heart and mind to a world mostly overlooked by Western Media.
If you find podcasts easier when gardening or having sex, listen free at Podbean.
My apologies for my delay in continuing the ‘Putin Isn’t the Only Monster in Ukraine’ series of essays/podcasts. Personal challenges got in the way though I’ve kept myself well informed on the awful things happening there. At least the recent Pentagon leaks prove that the Public has been lied to. More people are awakening to facts instead of propaganda - being anti-war makes us better individuals. My recent episodes about NATO and neo-Nazi groups hopefully informed you about the complicated mess that Ukraine is in. I’ll pin a post with links so that newcomers aren’t distracted by other topics. I’ll dig into Zelensky and his country’s corruption before this month ends.