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U.S. Indicts Turkish-American Businessman Arrested In Armenia For 2013 Congress Trip

September 28, 2018 By administrator

U.S. authorities have unsealed an indictment against a Turkish-American businessman charged with lying to congressional investigators regarding a trip by U.S. lawmakers to Azerbaijan five years ago.

The indictment, which was handed down in April, was released on September 24, about three weeks after the businessman, Kemal Oksuz, was arrested in Armenia on a U.S. warrant.

Oksuz, a Houston-based businessman who used to run two organizations — Turquoise Council of Americans and Eurasians and the Assembly of the Friends of Azerbaijan — was charged by the grand jury with lying on congressional disclosure forms regarding the 2013 all-expenses-paid visit to Azerbaijan made by 10 members and 32 staffers of Congress.

According to the five-count indictment, the trip was funded with the help by Azerbaijan’s state-run SOCAR oil company, which provided $750,000 toward the effort.

Armenian police announced last month that Oksuz had been detained in the country, and they later released a video of his police interrogation. In the video, Oksuz said that SOCAR covered the travel expenses of the U.S. officials and gave them expensive gifts in 2013.

“That may have been corruption, I don’t know,” he said.

It was not immediately clear when Oksuz fled to Armenia, or why; Armenia has long had strained with both Azerbaijan and Turkey.

As of September 26, Oksuz remained in police custody in Armenia.

After U.S. news reports in 2015 raised questions about the funding of the trip, several of the U.S. lawmakers returned some of the gifts that they had received as part of the trip.

With reporting by RFE/RL’s Armenian and Azerbaijani services

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: businessman, Indicts Turkish-American, U.S

Turkish Businessman Describes $50M Bribe at Sanctions Trial

November 30, 2017 By administrator

In this courtroom sketch, Turkish-Iranian gold trader Reza Zarrab, center, testifies before Judge Richard Berman, right, that he helped Iran evade U.S. economic sanctions with help from Turkish banker Mehmet Hakan Atilla, Nov. 29, 2017, in New York. At left is an interpreter.

NEW YORK — A Turkish-Iranian gold trader testified at a New York trial Wednesday that he paid over $50 million in bribes to Turkey’s economy minister in 2012 to overcome a banker’s fears he was too well-known in Turkey to launder Iranian money in violation of U.S. sanctions.

Reza Zarrab calmly described his arrangement with one of Turkey’s most important public officials as he began what will be several days on the witness stand at the trial of Turkish banker Mehmet Hakan Atilla, who is charged in a conspiracy that involved bribes and kickbacks to high-level officials.

In a conversation about shady transactions involving suitcases stuffed with gold, the economy minister, Zafer Caglayan, “asked about the profit margin,” Zarrab testified. “And he said, ‘I can broker this.’ ”

Zarrab’s decision to plead guilty and cooperate with U.S. investigators — revealed Tuesday on the trial’s first day — was a surprise twist in the trial. The prosecution seemed in jeopardy just months earlier after Zarrab tried to free himself by hiring prominent and politically connected American attorneys to try to arrange a prisoner transfer between Turkey and the United States. The effort by former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani and former U.S. Attorney General Michael Mukasey failed.

Prisoner’s outfit

The government’s star witness appeared before jurors Wednesday in federal court in Manhattan wearing tan prisoner scrubs, even though he testified he was released from jail two weeks ago and into FBI custody. At the end of the day with the jury gone, the judge asked Zarrab why he was wearing the outfit, telling prosecutors he would sign an order allowing him to wear civilian clothes if he wanted.

Once Zarrab, 34, was on the stand, prosecutors wasted no time in getting him to name names and muddy reputations in the banking industry and in government.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Sidhardha Kamaraju elicited details of what the United States has said was a well-orchestrated conspiracy to evade U.S. sanctions against Iran and enable $1 billion in Iranian oil proceeds to move through international banking markets.

Zarrab said he ran into resistance from a Halkbank executive when he approached the Turkish government-owned bank in late 2011 or early 2012 to try to gain access to Iranian money through trades in gold. The executive, he said, feared that Zarrab’s marriage to Turkish pop star and TV personality Ebru Gundes made him “too popular” to make the trades.

“I was a person who was in the public eye all of the time,” he said.

Undeterred, Zarrab said he met with Caglayan, who was economy minister when President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was prime minister. Caglayan told him he would smooth the way for gold trades, but only if he got half the profits, which he said ended up totaling more than $50 million.

Diagrams drawn

At one point, Zarrab drew diagrams for the jury to illustrate the elaborate web of transactions used to beat the economic sanctions and make him a fortune as the middleman.

The tactics included using Iranian proceeds from gas and oil sales to Turkey to buy gold, having couriers carry the gold in suitcases to Dubai, converting it back into cash that was deposited in a front company account, and laundering the money with multiple bank transfers, including some through the United States.

Zarrab testified that the sanction-evasion scheme was done in consultation with Atilla, a 47-year-old former deputy CEO of Halkbank who has pleaded not guilty. A lawyer for Atilla attacked Zarrab’s credibility Tuesday during opening statements, saying the trial is about Zarrab’s crimes.

Caglayan is indicted in the U.S. case. The indictment describes his alleged role in the gold-transfer scheme and in another scheme in which he and other Turkish government officials supposedly approved of and directed the movement of Iranian oil proceeds by claiming they were connected to the sale of food and medicine to Iran from Dubai.

Erdogan has called on American authorities to “review” the decision to indict Caglayan, saying the former minister had not engaged in any wrongdoing because Turkey had not imposed sanctions on Iran, an important trade partner.

The prosecution of Zarrab has been major news in Turkey, where Erdogan has repeatedly asked the U.S. to release him and more recently portrayed the U.S. case as a sham.

Source: https://www.voanews.com/a/turkish-businessman-describes-bribe-at-sanctions-trial/4143027.html

Filed Under: News Tagged With: businessman, Trial, Turkish

London-Armenian Businessman: “If a tree is rotten from the roots, chop it down”

December 31, 2016 By administrator

By Naira Hayrapetyan

Raffi Danielian says there are two sets of laws in Armenia – the bane of many diaspora business ventures

During my conversation with Raffi Danielian, a businessman from London, he tells me about the successful investments he’s made in various sectors.

Danielian says he’s always wanted to invest in Armenia, but adds, “I don’t want to.”

The reason is simple. He, like other numerous diasporan entrepreneurs, doesn’t want to see his investments fail. They would fail because Danielian believes that there are other, hidden laws, in Armenia that are much more entrenched than the laws on the books. He doesn’t want to be subjected to those laws.

“You have to pay this tax, that tax. You must give something to this guy in order not to pay a new tax. Give a gift…,” says Danielian, adding that laws exist throughout the world and must be complied with. However, when one understands that those laws are applied according to some hidden traditions that seize your investment before your eyes, everything else is meaningless.

“There’s a list of laws. Fine, I have to comply, even though I might have some reservations. But when you follow these laws, you suddenly find yourself in an unexpected situation. It seems you can circumvent these laws if you leave something for this or that person. It’s then that other laws kick-in,” says Danielian about how things are done in Armenia.

Danielian believes that the problem isn’t only the mechanisms of government, but the prevailing mentality as well.

Years ago, the Danielian family opened a large company in Armenia. Raffi Danielian’s father owned a large computer firm in London that serviced different countries in Europe. The family started business dealings, in the same vein, with Armenia back in the Soviet era. Raffi says that everything changed once Armenia became independent.

The family’s company in Armenia was robbed and seized. Their confidence in Armenia was lost.

“I understand that Soviet Armenia and independent Armenia are two different entities. I can also accept that the transition phase was probably different. But, in the past years, I have seen and heard numerous examples that speak to the same thing. The business projects of many diasporan Armenian entrepreneurs have failed here. They simply left the homeland,” says Raffi Danielian.

Luckily, Raffi still wants to help in Armenia. Even from afar, Raffi follows developments in Armenia and understands that there are people here, removed from the system’s mentality, facing many problems. While Raffi doesn’t like to talk about his assistance, describing it as a small thing, I confirm that he supports the Pyunik Armenian Association for the Disabled. Raffi particularly helps the association participate in the Paralympic Games. Raffi joined the association at this year’s games in Brazil. Raffi also closely follows the plight of Syrian-Armenian refuges. He tries to assist them in more practical and specific ways.

“Do you see this sports field,” Raffi asks, pointing to the football pitch next to the Pyunik building. “I heard a half a million dollars was allocated, from various sources, to build. That’s not the problem. A quality field can demand a large investment. The problem is that this building, where Armenian children, those with disability issues visit, doesn’t have adequate resources to operate.

Raffi and his family spent their 2016 summer holiday in Armenia. His wife Alice says the family always vacationed in Europe but now, since their children have grown up, they wanted them to visit Armenia more frequently, in the hope that the children would feel a greater attachment to the country.

“We are lucky to be surrounded with Armenian friends in London. We frequently get together and organize events. Our children are exposed to an Armenian environment. They hear the language and speak it. We don’t have to force such things on them,” says Alice, adding that a totally different set of emotions are experience when a child personally searches or discovers their history, something related to their national identity.

“The homeland isn’t something imagined. We’ve been instilled with the sense of the homeland since childhood. It’s been with us our entire lives, in our heart and mind. Even without seeing it, each of us, inside, has carried that idea and realized that our roots are here, no matter where one is born. At the same time, however, we’ve been living far away from it for several generations. It wasn’t my decision to be born far away. They kicked us out from our home. My grandfathers gave their lives to save their Armenia. But those who survived the massacres were forced to restart their lives scattered far from home. I get angry that we are not here. But I get even angrier because I find it hard to picture myself here permanently. Do you understand? I and others of my generation have, it seems, been split into several parts; there, here.”

“But the homeland isn’t just the country,” Raffi adds to what his wife just said. “It’s the people. None of my family is from Yerevan. They came from Adana and Kayseri. But when I listen to songs about Yerevan, I get emotional and cry. We visited the Sardarabat Museum. I was amazed by the exhibits I saw there. They’re our cultural treasures. I wonder why we don’t show all of this to tourists visiting Armenia, rather than taking them to Sevan or Garni all the time.”

During the summer, the Danielian family rushed about, trying to visit as many interesting sites as possible – museums, concert halls, cultural institutions, cafes. The parents wanted to experience as much as possible, and to have their children do the same. The family also travelled outside Yerevan, visiting several villages in Armavir Province.

“Wherever we went, our impressions were lovely,” says Alice. “Yes, it was clearly apparent that people have many concerns and that the problems are huge. But this doesn’t stop them from being openhearted. Wherever we went, we left with a sense of pride. Many complained about their lives, but I observed that everyone was happy within the folds of the family, with their children and grandkids.”

When the Danielians were planning to visit Armenia in July, friends advised them to postpone their trip. The situation on the ground was tense and dangerous, the family was told.

“I noted, however, that the people saw things differently,” says Raffi. “When we arrived, I again was convinced that the reality was different. People were peacefully protesting. They were out in the streets because the life they were living was no longer tolerable. They wanted to change it.”

At the time, the foreign press is full of stories regarding what was taking place in Armenia. Raffi and Alice say that trying to follow events from afar isn’t easy.   Oftentimes, given no other option, one goes along with the opinions of others, depending on the source and the degree to which they are professional in their coverage.

“Following several prominent English-language new outlets, as well as some part organs, it was difficult to grasp what was happening,” says Alice. Following the social networks, we realized that those people, who were described as terrorists, were supporters of the people. We know that terrorists operate differently. It was evident that the people sympathized with those rebellious guys. Perhaps the cup of tolerance was full. What we saw the police doing to the people and to reporters was totally different than what was being reported. In Europe, if you say you are a reporter, the cops calm down. Here, if you have to be afraid to say that…so forget about freedom of speech. Later, everything got muddled and we never understood where it took us. They acted, it was over, but nothing changed.”

“We have this problem. We don’t always want to openly talk about our mistakes,” adds Raffi. “We’re concerned that non-Armenians might see too much. Thus, it’s better to hide things rather than speak about them. This is wrong. You have to talk about problems, to make them visible, to solve them.”

Raffi’s family works with the Armenian General Benevolent Union (AGBU). His grandfather was involved in its founding. Alice, inheriting her family’s tradition, also became a member. While she has her set ideology, she doesn’t like the competition that exists between various parties and organizations in the diaspora and the problems that arise. Alice likes the fact that Archbishop Hovagim Manougian, the new primate, is trying to steer the community away from past divisions and to work as one.

Raffi says that at official meeting in Armenia, one hears the traditional refrain – “We need money”.

“Yes, I agree. There are many problems in Armenia and there’s a need for money everywhere. But you know, the diaspora also needs money. We maintain schools so our kids stay Armenian. We open various organizations and foundations to keep the communities interconnected. We operate churches and carry out numerous projects. How do we do it? Believe me, it’s gotten much harder. The diaspora faces many issues. On top of it all are the problems facing Armenia. They pain us even more.”

“If a tree is rotten from the roots, chop it down. Today, all we are doing is removing dried leaves,” says Raffi. “The problem is that we don’t have the right to get involved in many issues, since we don’t have the right to participate in elections. But we see that many things in Armenia are going in the wrong direction. The people patience is at an end.”

When it comes to the socio-economic situation in Armenia, Alice and Raffi don’t see eye to eye. Alice is critical. Raffi agrees it’s bad, but sees extenuating circumstances.

“The same problem exists in many countries,” Raffi argues. “I visited Latvia. All the men were working outside the country, like in Armenia. Travel two hours outside London and you’ll see the hardships people face. Such a system isn’t only a problem for Armenia.”

“But the government there assists the people, providing lodging and work opportunities. And here? Must the people suffer because the government isn’t doing its job?” Alice retorts.

Both see a lack of small business in Yerevan, despite the city’s superficial allure. They believe such businesses should have skyrocketed these past few years.

“If you visit Russia or China, you’ll see a middle class. Not here,” says Raffi. “People are either very poor or very rich. I find this amazing. Someone who wants to start a business opens a restaurant. That’s great, and it’s tough work. But where’s the other small businesses? I would be happy to devote time to impart my business knowledge to others. An exchange of experience, advice, to new business owners. I have an idea, a concept, but how to make it work. Providing such support, for me, is more important than sending money and never knowing where it’s gone.”

The bright spot for Raffi, in Yerevan, with all its problems and unpredictable future, are the young people. Raffi says his nephew amazes him with his knowledge of various languages and his willingness to boldly go forward. Raffi says he’s ready to collaborate with the new generation; to lend them a helping hand.

“April revealed a lot about us, and should serve as a lesson for us all,” says Raffi. “It was one of our history’s most tragic pages. First, it alerted us to the fact that the war continues and can enter your house at any moment. It also made us aware that there are people who sat down through it all, looking at each other’s’ faces. We found out that pour soldiers had no weapons. That’s crazy. I don’t know. Perhaps we need much more time to get our act together.”

(Fighting along the Artsakh-Azerbaijan border in April 2016 resulted in hundreds of deaths and wounded on both sides)

As we say our goodbyes, Raffi wants to dissuade me from writing about our conversation, arguing that he hasn’t said anything new.

“If you want to do something nice, write about the plight of these kids with disabilities and the Pyunik Association. Write about how concerned individuals are doing all they can to organize the correct rehabilitation for those with physical and mental issues, so that the children lead healthy and spiritually peaceful lives.”

I promise to do so. In the meantime, I must also raise the issues broached in our conversation. As Raffi points out, you have to talk about problems, to make them visible, to solve them.

Photos: Raffi Danielian’s collection and the Pyunik Armenian Association for the Disabled Facebook page.

Source: http://hetq.am/eng/news/74382/london-armenian-businessman-if-a-tree-is-rotten-from-the-roots-chop-it-down.html/

Filed Under: News Tagged With: businessman, London-Armenian, rotten tree

Istanbul: Crime goes where Azerbaijan go Azeri businessman wounded, driver killed in armed clash.

August 18, 2016 By administrator

azeri-businessmanAn Azerbaijani businessman was wounded and his driver was killed in an armed clash that erupted early on Aug. 18 in the Beşiktaş district of Istanbul, state-run Anadolu Agency reported.
Two assailants opened fire on businessman Ravşan Aliyev and his driver at around 12:30 a.m. after they departed from a meeting at a hotel on Yıldız Street inside a luxury jeep. An armed clash later erupted when the duo responded to the assailants.

Aliyev and his driver were wounded in the clash as the assailants fled the scene on foot.

The two were transferred to hospital but Aliyev’s driver subsequently succumbed to his injuries.

In addition, one automatic weapon and two pistols were found at the scene.

Police conducted an operation to apprehend the fleeing assailants.

Meanwhile, Azerbaijani media named Aliyev as well-known mafia leader Rövşen Lenkeranski (Aliyev), according to Doğan News Agency.

According to a report by the yenicag.az website, the personal bodyguard of Lenkeranski reportedly said they were assaulted after a dinner and that his condition was critical.

The report added that Lenkeranski was among the suspects wanted by Italian Interpol, after which he changed his surname. He is also reported to have given an order to kill an Armenian-origin gangster named Ded Hasan. 

Aliyev also reportedly killed the judge who ordered the arrest of his father.

However, the Azerbaijani consulate in Istanbul announced that the death reports circulating in Azerbaijan did not reflect the truth and that they had not been informed of any casualties.

August/18/2016

Source: http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/azerbaijani-businessman-wounded-driver-killed-in-armed-clash-in-istanbul.aspx?pageID=238&nID=102987&NewsCatID=509

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: assassinated, Azerbaijan, businessman, İstanbul

Russian businessman in Nagorno-Karabak over persecution fears

July 13, 2015 By administrator

Russian-bilioneerRussian businessman and farmer German Sterligov, whose recent surprise disappearance from the country made headlines in the media, is now in Nagorno-Karabakh with his wife and children.

The billionaire had been facing persecution in Russia since 2011 for his text-book entitled “From [Ivan] the Terrible to Putin”; increasing threats over the recent period made him take a snap decision to leave his house in the Moscow area and head to Belarus. There he made up his mind to settle in Nagorno-Karabakh. Sterligov called his wife, Alena, and also warned an aide, Polina Sirota, of an imminent danger.
The businessman, who is the founder of the commodity exchange Alisa, had earlier escaped an attempted assassination and kidnapping of his children.
He unveiled details of his recent activity at a news conference held in Shushi (Nagorno-Karabakh) earlier today.  Report Tert.am
Sterligov dismissed the hot news headlines in the Russian media describing him as a beneficiary and leader of a nationalist organization. He said the reports were absolutely baseless and untrue.
“And by the way, that lie hit the headlines five years after the events that are now being talked about. And the people [who spread it] are in detention and thousands of kilometers away from one another. Those are people whom I have never known,” he said, adding that the nationalist organization came to his attention only a week ago
The businessman said he knew only one person – an editor of a religious group run newspaper – from the organization, who requested money from him several years ago.
He added that the tens and thousands of people whom he hosted in his house were never required to bring any identity document.
The businessman did not rule out the possibility that some of the guests might have been followers of different faiths and beliefs, including sodomites. But he said he is sure he never gave them food or drink.
Sterlogov said that his belief is Orthodox Christianity.
He added that before adopting the religion, he funded the projects Deed and Word and Russian House, motivated purely by patriotic and nationalistic sentiments. Sterligov said he later ruled out all kinds of pseudo-religious concepts, considering the Bible the only source of belief.
Sterligov’s lawyers have told him that the case against him is based on fabricated evidence.
Going back to the roots of the story, Sterligov said that the scandals date back to 2011, a period when the Russian opposition was preparing for a big demonstration to demand President Vladimir Putin’s resignation.
As the demonstrations didn’t succeed, and Putin remained Russia’s leader, many turned away from Sterligov after the textbook was published. He said that he kept boldly resisting all kinds of threats until the moment he felt the threat against his children and house. He said that the attempts to kidnap his children and set his house on fire have developed the criminal image of his personality in the Russian media, describing him as a mastermind behind assassinations and a nationalist leader who fled from the country. “It was in Belarus that we made the decision to go to Karabakh,” he added.
At the end of the news conference, the businessman showed an air ticket, saying that he is leaving for Russia on Thursday without his family to dispel the suspicions that he avoids justice.
“I will stay there for a couple of days and then return. I like it here. I will leave to avoid creating problems for my friends who might be accused of being my accomplices. Should they decide to detain me, they will, if not, I will be back. The important thing is to leave my family in a safe place,” he added.
The businessman further said that he has his own vision of developing the second Armenian republic. He proposed particularly putting into circulation golden and silver coins in the country.

Filed Under: News Tagged With: businessman, Karabakh, persecution, Russian

Armenian businessman killed in Mexico

October 22, 2014 By administrator

Ensenada1An Armenian businessman was killed in Ensenada, Mexico.

When he had left a restaurant and approached his car, the killers approached and shot him.

According to the police, the victim was Hayk Rushayan, 38, who was originally from Armenia and was granted Mexican citizenship.

Minutes before his death, Rushayan was withdrawing money from a bank for his business, Ensenada.net reported.

According to investigation, the thieves followed and shot him, and Rushayan died on the spot.

The attackers fled the scene on a car with American license plates, but some time thereafter, they left the vehicle behind and fled in an unknown direction.

The police are searching for the killers.

Hayk Rushayan had a waste paper recycling plant in Ensenada, in the Valle Dorado region.

 

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: Armenian, businessman, Killed

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