Mafia blamed for $134bn fake Treasury bills
By FT reporters ,
"Published: June 18 2009 19:52 | Last updated: June 18 2009 19:52
One summer afternoon, two “Japanese” men in their 50s on a slow train fromItaly to Switzerland
But in a false bottom of one of their suitcases, Italian customs officers and ministry of finance police discovered a staggering $134bn (€97bn, £82bn) in US Treasury bills.
Whether the men are really Japanese, as their passports declare, is unclear but Italian and US secret services working together soon concluded that the bills and accompanying bank documents were most probably counterfeit, the latest handiwork of the Italian Mafia.
Few details have been revealed beyond a June 4 statement by the Italian finance police announcing the seizure of 249US
The mystery deepened on Thursday as an Italian blog quoted Colonel Rodolfo Mecarelli of theComo Rome
“They are all fraudulent, it’s obvious. We don’t even have paper securities outstanding for that value,’’ said Mckayla Braden, senior adviser for public affairs at the Bureau of Public Debt at theUS
The Treasury has not issued physical Treasury bonds since the 1980s – they are handled electronically – though they still issue savings bonds in paper format.
InWashington a US
Officials inTokyo Tokyo
“We don’t know where they are now,” Mr Akamatsu said.
Italian officials, while pointing out that hauls of counterfeit money and Treasury bills were not unusual, were stunned by the amount involved. Investigators are looking into the origin and destination of the fakes.
Italian prosecutors revealed last month that they had cracked a $1bn bond scam run by the Sicilian Mafia, with the alleged aid of corrupt officials inVenezuela
The fake bonds were to have been used as collateral to open credit lines with banks, Reuters news agency reported. The Venezuelan central bank denied the accusations.
By FT staff inRome , Tokyo , New York and Washington
Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009
"Published: June 18 2009 19:52 | Last updated: June 18 2009 19:52
One summer afternoon, two “Japanese” men in their 50s on a slow train from
But in a false bottom of one of their suitcases, Italian customs officers and ministry of finance police discovered a staggering $134bn (€97bn, £82bn) in US Treasury bills.
Whether the men are really Japanese, as their passports declare, is unclear but Italian and US secret services working together soon concluded that the bills and accompanying bank documents were most probably counterfeit, the latest handiwork of the Italian Mafia.
Few details have been revealed beyond a June 4 statement by the Italian finance police announcing the seizure of 249
The mystery deepened on Thursday as an Italian blog quoted Colonel Rodolfo Mecarelli of the
“They are all fraudulent, it’s obvious. We don’t even have paper securities outstanding for that value,’’ said Mckayla Braden, senior adviser for public affairs at the Bureau of Public Debt at the
The Treasury has not issued physical Treasury bonds since the 1980s – they are handled electronically – though they still issue savings bonds in paper format.
In
Officials in
“We don’t know where they are now,” Mr Akamatsu said.
Italian officials, while pointing out that hauls of counterfeit money and Treasury bills were not unusual, were stunned by the amount involved. Investigators are looking into the origin and destination of the fakes.
Italian prosecutors revealed last month that they had cracked a $1bn bond scam run by the Sicilian Mafia, with the alleged aid of corrupt officials in
The fake bonds were to have been used as collateral to open credit lines with banks, Reuters news agency reported. The Venezuelan central bank denied the accusations.
By FT staff in
Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009
Mafia a falsificat titluri ale Trezoreriei SUA de 134 de miliarde de dolari
Vamesii italieni au descoperit, cu mare suprindere, titluri ale Trezoreriei americane, in valoare de 134 de miliarde de dolari, in bagajele unor calatori cu trenul, dinspre Italia spre Elvetia.
Titlurile se gaseau in captuseala bagajelor a doi barbati, ambii avand in jur de 50 de ani, ale caror pasapoarte spun ca sunt japonezi, lucru inca neconfirmat. Toate operatiunea este, insa, invaluita de mister. Autoritatile italiene nu au dat prea multe detalii despre captura. Un blogger italian l-a citat pe colonelul Rodolfo Mecarelli, reprezentant al politiei din provincia Como, spunand ca cei doi barbati ar fi fost eliberati. Atat colonelul, cat si sediul politiei din Roma au refuzat sa comenteze.
"Acest gen de fraude au loc de ani de zile", a adaugat ea.
Titlurile se gaseau in captuseala bagajelor a doi barbati, ambii avand in jur de 50 de ani, ale caror pasapoarte spun ca sunt japonezi, lucru inca neconfirmat. Toate operatiunea este, insa, invaluita de mister. Autoritatile italiene nu au dat prea multe detalii despre captura. Un blogger italian l-a citat pe colonelul Rodolfo Mecarelli, reprezentant al politiei din provincia Como, spunand ca cei doi barbati ar fi fost eliberati. Atat colonelul, cat si sediul politiei din Roma au refuzat sa comenteze.
"Acest gen de fraude au loc de ani de zile", a adaugat ea.
In acest moment, atat oficialii italieni cat si serviciile secrete americane investigheaza originea si destinatia titlurilor false, fiind uimiti de valoarea aceastora.
Luna trecuta, politia italiana a mai descoperit o frauda legata de actiuni in valoare de 1 miliard de dolari, derulata de Mafia din Sicilia, cu ajutorul unor oficiali corupti dinVenezuela
Luna trecuta, politia italiana a mai descoperit o frauda legata de actiuni in valoare de 1 miliard de dolari, derulata de Mafia din Sicilia, cu ajutorul unor oficiali corupti din
Citeste mai multe despre
Sursa: Ziare.com
Autor: Teodora Bodeanu
Autor: Teodora Bodeanu
19 Iunie 2009, ora 13:42
