Corrupted Politicians & Crooks of PAK; IMF -Part I

Extractive Industries Transparency Initi...

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Iraq seeks to join Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative
Posted: June 23, 2011
Iraq is seeking to join the initiative of Transparency International

Iraq prepares to join the initiative of transparency in extractive industries, where it has now the membership of a candidate for permanent membership. According to the terms of this initiative, Iraq will have to issue an annual report showing the amount of money proceeds from the sale of oil to international companies, with a demand that the government provide proof of receipt of these proceeds.

The deputy head of the Secretariat of the International Transparency Initiative by Rich that the objective of the Transparency Initiative is to activate the participation of citizens in the management and disbursement of funds realized from the sale of oil, pointing out that Iraq has committed himself to the terms of the initiative, and therefore he must issue a final report in October next shows the size of those funds.

Under the terms of the initiative of transparency, the report will be issued for the Iraqi government and foreign oil companies operating in Iraq must be acceptable to a number of Iraqi civil society organizations interested in ensuring that transparency.

The Coordinator of the Institute to monitor revenues in Iraq, Haider Issa said the institute seeks to the definition of Iraqi civil society organizations on how to deal with the report from the government and oil companies, pointing out that the release of the report alone is not sufficient to Iraq to join the EITI. to that noted coordinator in the United Nations Development Programme is not that Iraq’s accession to the Transparency Initiative will contribute effective in reducing the level of corruption, particularly in relation to extractive industries. while still director of the Institute Iraq’s energy Louay Khatib, the necessity of activating the Iraqi government procedures regarding transparency and non-keep these agreements merely ink on paper, expected to contribute to Iraq’s accession to such Alambaderah in reducing the level of corruption in country’s long-term. It is said that the headquarters of the Initiative Extractive Industries Transparency is located in the Norwegian capital Oslo. The Initiative is a coalition of civil society groups, corporations, governments and international organizations and investors, and focus its attention on promoting good governance in countries rich in natural resources.

http://wp.me/pZC7o-8Mm

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Pakistan army rejects report on bin Laden's cell-phone

24 Jun 2011 16:32

Source: reuters // Reuters

ISLAMABAD, June 24 (Reuters) - The Pakistan army condemned on Friday a report in the New York Times that a cell phone found in the raid that killed Osama bin Laden contained contacts to a militant group with ties to Pakistan's intelligence agency.

The newspaper, citing senior U.S. officials briefed on the findings, reported on Thursday that the discovery indicated that bin Laden used the group, Harakat-ul-Mujahedeen, as part of his support network inside Pakistan.

The cell phone belonged to bin Laden's courier, who was killed along with the al Qaeda leader in the May 2 raid by U.S. special forces on bin Laden's compound in the garrison town of Abbottabad, the Times said.

Pakistan army spokesman Major General Athar Abbas said in a statement sent by text message that the military "rejects the insinuations made in the NYT story".

"It is part of a well orchestrated smear campaign against our security organisations," he said.

The army has been angered by media reports that elements in the Pakistani security establishment may have helped bin Laden hide in Pakistan.

"Pakistan, its security forces have suffered the most at the hands of al Qaeda and have delivered the most against al Qaeda; our actions on the ground speak louder than the words of the Times," Abbas said.

In tracing calls on the cell phone, U.S. analysts determined that Harakat-ul-Mujahedeen commanders had called Pakistani intelligence officials, the Times reported, citing the senior American officials.

The officials added the contacts were not necessarily about bin Laden and his protection and that there was no "smoking gun" showing that Pakistan's spy agency had protected bin Laden. (Reporting by Kamran Haider, writing by Myra MacDonald; editing by Elizabeth Piper)

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FACTBOX-Key political risks to watch in Pakistan

01 Mar 2011 08:35

Source: reuters // Reuters

ISLAMABAD, March 1 (Reuters) - The case of Raymond Davis, a CIA contractor arrested on Jan. 27 for shooting two Pakistanis in the Punjab capital Lahore continues to shake the relationship between Pakistan and key ally the United States.

The issue is the latest to affect the U.S.-Pakistan relationship, whose primary focus is supposed to be on addressing the Islamist insurgency in Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Fractures in the coalition government that saw the Muttahida Quami Movement leave and then rejoin the government in January, and tussles over the Davis case, question Pakistan's ability to tackle wider problems.

INTERNAL SECURITY

Areas of Pakistan remain outside government control, run by the Taliban and tribal leaders. Last year's military campaign to roll back Taliban territorial gains saw some successes, but insurgents have shown they can launch major attacks in urban, industrial and commercial centres with relative impunity.

What to watch:

-- Raymond Davis. If Davis is released without standing trial, or acquitted, widespread protest could be seen across Pakistan, particularly in major cities such as Lahore, where there is support for religious parties like Jamaat-e-Islami, who are using the case to bolster anti-American sentiment and gain political mileage. Analysts have predicted a visceral reaction but do not see the release of Davis as a major threat to the government.

-- Ability of militants to launch attacks. Several assaults on military facilities in particular have shown the continued ability of Taliban militants to attack even protected targets.

-- Investor response. There is no sign of a sustained improvement in security despite offensives against the Taliban. Pakistan's markets have long grown accustomed to the level of violence and bomb attacks will not have a significant short-run impact on prices unless key government or military leaders are killed. Investors are more sensitive to attacks in Karachi, the commercial hub and home to the main financial markets, the central bank and the main port.

GOVERNMENT EFFECTIVENESS

The government has limited control over the military, and has been undermined by tussles with the judiciary. Preoccupied with fighting for survival, it has been ineffective in tackling corruption and fiscal reform. President Asif Ali Zardari's government remains weak and prone to splits. Problems in formulating and implementing policy will continue to drag on investment. The ongoing impact of last August's disastrous floods and the Davis affair will only worsen the situation.

What to watch:

-- Changes in political balance of power. Markets will be watching the manoeuvring by opposition parties and the military to gauge the possibility of a challenge to the government. Most analysts expect the government to remain in power for now, but distracted from reforms because of its focus on survival.

-- A December 2009 decision by the Supreme Court that a 2007 amnesty decree was unconstitutional has opened some close allies of Zardari to charges. Zardari could face legal challenges to his presidential eligibility. Political turmoil distracting the government from security concerns and economic reform could unnerve investors.

ONGOING IMPACT OF THE FLOODS

Last August's floods displaced millions of people and destroyed crops and livestock, and continue to impact Pakistan. The government has estimated direct loss to the economy of almost $10 billion, far short of the initial damage estimates of $43 billion. The IMF offered $450 million in emergency aid to cope with the immediate impact, but longer term consequences pose major risks for investors in the region and for geopolitical stability. The army's role in the flood response far outshone that of the government.

What to watch:

-- Political fallout. The recovery effort is revealing the long-term effects of the crisis. With hundreds of thousands still homeless, how badly will Zardari be damaged by popular anger at the government's response? Will it allow the military even more autonomy from civilian control?

--- Economic impact. Growth was forecast at 4.5 percent for the current fiscal year, but because of the floods the central bank cut that to between 2 percent and 3 percent.

EXTERNAL SECURITY

Relations with India are in an uncertain phase, and unrest in areas of Kashmir under Indian rule has raised tensions. While announcements were made at the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) held in Bhutan February on 6-7 that composite dialogue would be resumed, a concrete timetable has not been established.

With many groups in Pakistan still sworn to launch more attacks in India, particularly over Kashmir, there is constant risk of a sudden chill in relations. With two nuclear-armed powers facing off, there is the risk that an accident or misunderstanding could escalate into major conflict.

Relations with Afghanistan appear to be improving. Recent meetings between the two countries' foreign ministers, however, indicate that Afghanistan may have finally consented to a more active Pakistani role in the peace process.

What to watch:

-- Attacks in India. Any attack with Pakistani fingerprints could spark serious confrontation, pushing down markets on both sides.

ECONOMIC REFORM AND INFRASTRUCTURE

Pakistan's economy is propped up by an $11 billion loan programme from the International Monetary Fund, and aid from donors like the United States desperate to avoid the country becoming a failed state. The country's 2010/11 budget, released in June, austere and unpopular, attempts to balance conditions from the IMF with the needs of a desperately poor populace.

Pakistan has negotiated a nine-month extension to the IMF program that would spread out the last two payments of approximately $3 billion. This reflects the IMF's general tolerance of Pakistan's regular slippage on targets. Under the programme, Pakistan pledged to implement tax and energy sector reforms, demonstrate fiscal discipline, and give autonomy to the State Bank of Pakistan; reforms yet to be implemented.

What to watch:

-- Status of IMF loan disbursements. Pakistan had expected the last two tranches, worth more than $3 billion, to land by Dec. 31, when the IMF programme was originally scheduled to end, but the tranches will be spread out over nine months, to Sept 30, 2011.

Pakistan's fiscal year ends on June 30, meaning part of the money originally scheduled for 2010/11 will now fall in 2011/12, creating a shortfall for the current fiscal year and a likelihood the fiscal deficit will overshoot its target. That goes to the agreement between Pakistan and the IMF. The two agreed to a budget deficit target of 4.7 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) for fiscal year 2010/11, but analysts now say the fiscal deficit will likely overshoot 7 percent after it hit 1.6 percent in the first three months of the fiscal year.

(Reporting by Rebecca Conway; Editing by Daniel Magnowski)

(Created by Daniel Magnowski)

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Accuser credibility questions shake IMF sex case
APBy JENNIFER PELTZ - Associated Press,TOM HAYS - Associated Press | AP – 48 mins ago

NEW YORK (AP) — Prosecutors have serious questions about the credibility of a hotel housekeeper who has accused former International Monetary Fund leader Dominique Strauss-Kahn of sexual assault, and he is expected to have his strict bail conditions reduced today, according to people familiar with the case.

Investigators have come to believe that the woman lied about some of her activities in the hours around the alleged attack and about her own background, a law enforcement official told The Associated Press on Thursday. The official is familiar with the case but spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss matters not yet made public in court.

Prosecutors think she lied about details on her application for asylum in the U.S., including saying she had been raped in her native Guinea, the official told the AP.

"She actually recounted the entire story to prosecutors and later said it was false," the official said.

Prosecutors haven't necessarily reached a new conclusion about the allegations against Strauss-Kahn and have not decided whether to downgrade the charges, the official said.

A court hearing is set Friday for the 62-year-old Strauss-Kahn, who is accused of crimes including attempted rape has been under armed guard in a Manhattan town house after posting a total of $6 million in cash bail and bond. He denies the allegations.

Another person familiar with the case but not authorized to speak publicly about it said earlier Thursday that Strauss-Kahn may get his bail and house arrest arrangement eased at Friday's hearing but would not elaborate. Strauss-Kahn lawyer William W. Taylor would say only that the hearing was to review the bail plan. The Manhattan district attorney's office declined to comment.

A third person who spoke on condition of anonymity told the AP that prosecutors have raised issues about the accuser's credibility in the case against Strauss-Kahn, but also would not elaborate.

The New York Police Department, which investigated the case, declined to comment. The woman's lawyer did not immediately return a telephone call seeking comment.

"There will be serious issues raised by the district attorney's office and us concerning the credibility of the complaining witness," Benjamin Brafman, a lawyer for Strauss-Kahn, told The Wall Street Journal.

The maid told police that Strauss-Kahn chased her down a hallway in his $3,000-a-night suite in New York's Sofitel hotel, tried to pull down her pantyhose and forced her to perform oral sex before she broke free.

If the case collapses, it could once again shake up the race for the French presidency. Strauss-Kahn, a prominent Socialist, had been seen as a leading potential challenger to conservative President Nicolas Sarkozy in next year's elections — until the New York hotel allegations embarrassed Strauss-Kahn's party and led to his resignation from the IMF.

"Those who know Dominique Strauss-Kahn will not be surprised by this evolution of events," one of his French lawyers, Leon Lef Forster, told the AP in Paris. "What he was accused of has no relation to his personality. It was something that was not credible."

New doubts about Strauss-Kahn's accuser would also revive speculation of a conspiracy against Strauss-Kahn aimed at torpedoing his presidential chances. Within days of his arrest, a poll suggested that a majority of French think Strauss-Kahn — who long had a reputation as a womanizer and was nicknamed "the great seducer" — was the victim of a plot.

Socialist Party chief Martine Aubry announced her own presidential bid this week, after having long been expected to throw her weight behind a Strauss-Kahn candidacy. French politician Michele Sabban said Friday that the Socialists should suspend the presidential primary calendar because of the new developments.

The New York Times first reported on its website that investigators uncovered major inconsistences in the woman's account of her background, citing two law enforcement officials. The Times also reported that senior prosecutors and Strauss-Kahn's lawyers are discussing whether to dismiss the felony charges, including attempted rape.

Prosecutors had argued against his release in May, citing the violent nature of the alleged offenses and saying his wealth and international connections would make it easy for him to flee.

"The proof against him is substantial. It is continuing to grow every day as the investigation continues," Assistant District Attorney John "Artie" McConnell told the judge. "We have a man who, by his own conduct in this case, has shown a propensity for impulsive criminal conduct."

In early hearings, prosecutors underscored that they thought the evidence against Strauss-Kahn was formidable. And it appeared so at first, the law enforcement official told the AP.

"In the beginning, it was a strong case. There was a victim and several witnesses and forensic evidence that supported the victim's claim," the official said.

The woman was in Strauss-Kahn's room only briefly before the alleged attack, his semen was found on her uniform, and she quickly reported the alleged assault and told a consistent story about it to investigators and prosecutors, the official said.

Prosecutors have said in court that Strauss-Kahn appeared on surveillance tapes to be in a hurry as he left the hotel, though his lawyers have said he was merely rushing to lunch.

Strauss-Kahn was in New York on a personal trip when the maid made her accusations. During initial bail hearings, prosecutors noted that he was arrested on a Paris-bound plane at Kennedy Airport, and that they could not compel his return from France if he fled.

His lawyers have underscored that it was a long-planned flight and have said he wants to return to court to clear his name.

Defense lawyers have said that the hotel encounter wasn't forcible, and that they have unreleased information that could "gravely undermine the credibility" of the housekeeper. The defense was using private investigators to aggressively check out the victim's background and her story, but the Times reported that it was investigators for the prosecution who uncovered discrepancies.

Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly has said the detectives investigating the case found the maid's story believable.

The woman's lawyer has said she is prepared to testify despite a "smear campaign" against her. The Associated Press generally does not identify accusers in sex crime cases unless they agree to it.

Strauss-Kahn was held without bail for nearly a week after his May arrest. His lawyers ultimately persuaded a judge to release him by agreeing to extensive — and expensive — conditions, including an ankle monitor, surveillance cameras and armed guards. He can leave for only for court, weekly religious services and visits to doctors and his lawyers, and prosecutors must be notified at least six hours before he goes anywhere.

The security measures were estimated to cost him about $200,000 a month, on top of the $50,000-a-month rent on a town house in trendy TriBeCa. He settled there after a hasty and fraught house hunt: A plan to rent an apartment in a tony building on Manhattan's Upper East Side fell through after residents complained about the hubbub created by reporters, police and gawkers.

Under New York law, judges base bail decisions on factors including defendants' characters, financial resources and criminal records, as well as the strength of the case against them — all intended to help gauge how likely they are to flee if released.

Defendants and prosecutors can raise the issue of bail at any point in a case. It's common, if asking a judge to revisit a bail decision, to argue that new information or new proposed conditions change how one or more of the factors should be viewed.

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Jennifer Peltz can be reached at http://twitter.com/jennpeltz.

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Associated Press writers Colleen Long in New York City and Angela Charlton in Paris contributed to this report.

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Report: DA to Drop Strauss-Kahn Case

A “top investigator in the case” tells the New York Post the Manhattan DA will drop charges against Dominique Strauss-Kahn, possibly at his next court appearance in two weeks. "Her credibility is so bad now, we know we cannot sustain a case with her," the source says of Strauss-Kahn’s accuser. According to the Post, multiple investigators for both the defense and the prosecution say they believe the woman was turning tricks at the hotel where the alleged attack took place—and sources for Strauss-Kahn’s defense now tell the Post he paid her for sex and then she became angry when he stiffed her. Still, Strauss-Kahn is not exactly in the clear, as a second woman in France has filed a complaint of attempted rape against him; Strauss Kahn’s lawyers responded by suing this woman, Tristane Banon, for slander.
Read it at New York Post

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Editorial: Reputations stained in Strauss-Kahn sex case

Published: Tuesday, July 05, 2011

With the rape case against former International Monetary Fund bigwig Dominique Strauss-Kahn crumbling like a sand castle at high tide, it’s a good time to reflect on a couple of things about our criminal justice system.

First let’s recall how these charges came to be filed in the first place.

In mid-May, a chambermaid in a fancy New York hotel goes to her boss and tearfully claims that a man staying in a $3,000 a night suite just sexually assaulted her. The police are called.

The woman, an African immigrant, appears at first blush to be a credible victim and the man, an international superstar economist and popular politician, is on his way to the airport for an overseas flight to his home country, France.

Given that country’s reluctance to part with celebrities accused of sex crimes (see Polanski, Roman) it made quite a bit of sense for U.S. authorities to rush to the airport to detain him. He was pulled off a flight by New York City detectives moments before takeoff.

Based on the maid’s word and other forensic evidence that included DSK’s DNA, he was charged with rape and a number of other felonies.

He spent a couple of nights in jail and was perp-walked for the press, just like many other high-profile criminal defendants in this country.

While claiming his innocence, he resigned as head of the IMF and, within days, another young woman came forward to claim that the accused had once attempted to aggressively impose himself on her as well.

Meanwhile, DSK was released from jail on $5 million bail and placed under house arrest in a 6,800-square-foot, three-story New York City townhouse that included a home theater, bar, gym and spa.

Fairly quickly it became evident to investigators and prosecutors that their “victim” had credibility problems.

It is now being asserted that the woman, as well as being a maid, secretly worked in the hotel as a prostitute, offering selected guests sex for money.

According to defense lawyers and prosecutors, she was caught on tape the day after DSK was arrested talking to a friend in prison about how she could financially benefit from the case.

She also has allegedly admitted to lying about being gang raped in her home country of Guinea in order to win asylum here.

In short, the woman makes the Duke rape case accuser, Crystal Gail Magnum, look like Donna Reed.

Still, none of this is to say that Mr. Strauss-Kahn behaved nobly. Granted, it is a terrible thing to be arrested for a crime you did not commit. And while he has been embarrassed and inconvenienced by the allegations, he spent little actual time behind bars. All along his story was that sex between himself and the “victim” was “consensual.”

But it doesn’t speak well of the head of the IMF, a man who was considered to have an excellent shot of being the next president of France, to be having sex with hotel chambermaids, even if they turn out to be part-time call girls.

His reputation as sexual miscreant precedes this incident, making him susceptible to potential “honey pot” ploys and blackmail, something even his supporters have had to acknowledge.

What the future holds for him remains to be seen.

The good news is that ultimately America’s imperfect system of justice more or less worked.

When prosecutors saw that their case had unraveled it didn’t take too long for them to admit it and drop it.

A man who appears to be innocent of any serious crime is free and the woman who falsely accused him now faces jail and/or deportation.

Of course, there is always the possibility that the accuser, though a prostitute and an admitted liar, was telling the truth about her run-in with DSK.

There are only two who will ever really know exactly what happened in that hotel room that day. Whatever it was, it didn’t do either of them a bit of credit. Or us either for being so fascinated by it.

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Leaked "rape" report sparks new Strauss-Kahn furor

16 Aug 2011 23:16

Source: reuters // Reuters

* Defendant's lawyer blasts opponent for releasing it

* Diallo's lawyer says medical record is "powerful"

By Joseph Ax

NEW YORK, Aug 16 (Reuters) - Opposing lawyers disputed the meaning of a medical report that said "rape" caused injuries sustained by the woman who has accused former IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn of sexual assault.

L'Express magazine on Tuesday reported the contents of a medical file from the woman's first hospital examination in New York shortly after the May 14 incident.

"Cause of the injuries: assault. Rape," the report said, according to the French translation in L'Express.

A lawyer representing the accuser said the report proves the attack occurred.

But defense lawyers for Strauss-Kahn criticized her team for releasing the report, calling it "misleading and deceitful" because it was based almost entirely on her account.

Nafissatou Diallo, 32, a hotel maid from Guinea, alleged Strauss-Kahn, 62, emerged naked from the bathroom of his luxury suite at the Sofitel hotel on May 14 and sexually assaulted her -- charges that Strauss-Kahn has vehemently denied. He is formally charged with attempted rape and sexual assault.

The report described Diallo's hospital examination when, "in tears," she told doctors at New York's St. Luke's Roosevelt Hospital that a man grabbed her crotch forcefully, leaving red marks on her vagina, and forced her to perform oral sex.(Sexual activity involving oral stimulation of one's partner's sex organs.) The struggle also injured her shoulder, L'Express said.

Reuters could not confirm the medical report because Diallo's lawyer, Kenneth Thompson, was unable to make it immediately available. But Thompson said the report proves the attack occurred and belies the suggestion by Strauss-Kahn's defense team that any sexual encounter was consensual.

"The medical records are pretty powerful," he said. "Forensics don't lie. That's the bottom line."

But Benjamin Brafman and William Taylor, Strauss-Kahn's attorneys, said in a statement that using the medical reports was "misleading and deceitful." Moreover, they said the report confirms that the accuser did not have any injury caused by a forcible encounter.

"The hospital report's conclusion is based almost exclusively on the word of the complaining witness, who has been proven, time and again, not to be credible," they wrote.

"The physical descriptions of the complainant in the medical reports are not injuries at all, and are common conditions consistent with many possible causes other than a sexual assault, including consensual sexual activity days before the incident," the statement said.

The case pitting an illiterate hotel maid against a powerful politician has been filled with dramatic and unexpected turns.

The accusation upended the French presidential race and forced Strauss-Kahn to resign as managing director of the International Monetary Fund. Then Diallo was put on the defensive when prosecutors disclosed she had lied about her past, undermining her credibility as a witness.

Diallo filed a civil lawsuit against Strauss-Kahn last week, seeking unspecified damages.

The lawyers' latest spat comes one week before Strauss-Kahn's next court date on August 23, which has been postponed twice to give prosecutors more time to investigate.

Questions about her credibility have forced Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance's office to reconsider whether to pursue charges of sexual assault and attempted rape against Strauss-Kahn, once seen as a contender for the French presidency. In the meantime, he has been released from house arrest, though he must stay in the United States.

The District Attorney's office declined to comment on Tuesday's report.

Strauss-Kahn has denied the allegations, and his lawyers have called on Vance to dismiss the charges. Thompson has insisted that Diallo's story of assault has remained unchanged and demanded that prosecutors move forward with the case. (Additional reporting by Jeff John Roberts, edited by Daniel Trotta and Anthony Boadle)