Corruption is a bigger threat to global security than terrorists warns US Secretary of State John Kerry

[superbeets]

[h=1]Corruption is a bigger threat to global security than terrorists warns US Secretary of State John Kerry as David Cameron vows at London summit to expose foreign owners of 100,000 homes[/h]

• Afghan president Ashraf Ghani pointed to the impact of the heroin trade as he attends a summit in London

• Prime Minister was filmed earlier this week boasting about the 'fantastically corrupt' countries who are coming

• Nigerian president has said he wants 'action' by Britain to hand back stolen assets hidden in London rather than an apology

By TIM SCULTHORPE, MAILONLINE DEPUTY POLITICAL EDITOR and JAMES TAPSFIELD, POLITICAL EDITOR FOR MAILONLINE
PUBLISHED: 09:33, 12 May 2016 | UPDATED: 12:46, 12 May 2016


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[superbeets]

John Kerry today warned corruption was a bigger threat to global security than terrorists as he attended an anti-corruption summit in London.
The US Secretary of State joined calls from David Cameron for an increase in transparency and a crack down on shady deals around the world.
Mr Cameron's hosting of the summit risked being overshadowed by the Electoral Commission asking the High Court to force the Conservative Party to disclose papers linked to an electoral fraud probe.
The Prime Minister used his opening speech to warn foreign companies that own around 100,000 properties in England and Wales that they will be required to disclose their ownership.
Mr Kerry said he had been shocked at the extent of corruption in the world since taking on his role in the Obama administration.
He said: 'We are fighting a battle, all of us. Corruption, writ large, is as much of an enemy, because it destroys nation states, as some of the extremists we are fighting or the other challenges we face.
'There are sceptics as to whether this is a passing fancy ... or whether this is a beginning, a serious commitment.
'I hope and I believe that something different is happening.'
Mr Kerry warned that some states would seek to step in and fill the demand for secrecy if others were persuaded to open up - saying it was vital to show a zero-tolerance approach.
The summit today was attended by scores of nations and bodies - but excluded key players such as the governments of Panama and the British Virgin Islands and organisations such as Fifa.


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John Kerry, centre alongside David Cameron, today warned corruption was a big risk to security but appeared not to be fully engaged by the summit


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In his opening speech of the conference at Lancaster House, Mr Cameron called corruption 'the cancer at the heart of so many of the problems we need to tackle in our world' - noting that illicit flows alone cost the world 1.26 trillion US dollars.
Mr Cameron promised a number of measures would be pursued in the UK, with London seen as one of the prime international centres for people wishing to launder illicit assets.
He told delegates that the push - which he has made a theme of his premiership - was already bearing fruit, with more countries signing up to more tax transparency.
Mr Cameron said tax-dodging destroys jobs, holds back growth, traps people in poverty and can undermine security by making citizens more susceptible to the 'poisonous ideology of extremists'.
The PM - who was embarrassed to be overhead calling Nigeria and Afghanistan 'fantastically corrupt' in a conversation with the Queen days before the summit - stressed that it was 'a challenge all countries need to address' including the UK and US.

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Mr Kerry and Mr Cameron led discussions in the first section of today's summit, which was called against the backdrop of the leak of damning papers from Panama that revealed tax avoidance



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Mr Kerry looked bored with the summit at different points of the proceedings today, which are expected to conclude this afternoon with the publication of a communique


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Earlier, Mr Cameron has been told the West's 'drug habit' is to blame for corruption in Afghanistan after his embarrassing on-camera gaffe.
Afghan president Ashraf Ghani pointed to the impact of the heroin trade as he prepared to attend a summit in London.
The Prime Minister risked derailing the gathering earlier this week when he was filmed boasting to the Queen and the Archbishop of Canterbury that he had some 'fantastically corrupt' countries attending.
He singled out Nigeria and Afghanistan during the unguarded conversation at Buckingham Palace.
In response, Nigerian president Muhammadu Buhari yesterday said that instead of an apology he would be demanding Britain return billions of pounds stolen by crooked officials and laundered in this country.

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Afghan president Ashraf Ghani arrives for the Lo



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[superbeets]

Mr Ghani played down Mr Cameron's remaks in an interview with BBC Radio 4's Today programme this morning.
He insisted the countries were 'partners' and pointed out that he had been elected on a platform of tackling corruption within Afghanistan.
But he added: 'It is the drug habt of the West. The most significant driver of corruption is the narcotics cartel and that narcotic cartel is driving both terrorism, extremism and corruption.'
Banks and multinationals could be made criminally responsible for employees who embezzle funds, launder money and evade tax, under plans being announced at the summit by Mr Cameron.
A shake-up of the rules on corporate liability would see big companies hit with huge fines if they fail to stop employees committing financial crimes.
It is believed the Prime Minister will reveal Britain is devising criminal offences for businesses that fail to stop their workers engaging in fraud.
Authorities in Britain could be given similar powers to those in the US, where a bank was recently given a $500million (£350million) fine over the Libor fixing scandal.
Until now, UK prosecutors have been impeded by a legal requirement to identify the 'controlling mind' in a company then link that individual directly to criminality.
The planned moved emerged as Mr Cameron greeted world leaders - including U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and the presidents of Afghanistan, Nigeria and Colombia - this morning in his bid to crack down on corruption.

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David Cameron leaves for the summit today where he is expected to set out new anti-corruption plans

The summit aims to produce a global declaration against corruption and break what Mr Cameron has called the 'taboo about tackling this issue head-on.'
Banks, civil-society organizations and the International Monetary Fund will also be present at the gathering.
But critics say the PM's mission has been undermined by Britain's tolerance for tax havens and his description of some attending nations as 'fantastically corrupt.'


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[superbeets]

It emerged in leaked papers from Panamanian law firm Mossack Fonseca last month that Mr Cameron had a stake in an offshore firm established by his late father, although he sold his shares in 2010, before he became prime minister.
He ruffled feathers before the summit when a television microphone caught him saying 'leaders of some fantastically corrupt countries' were coming. Speaking at a Buckingham Palace reception with Queen Elizabeth II, he referred to Nigeria and Afghanistan as 'possibly two of the most corrupt countries in the world.'
Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari and Afghan President Ashraf Ghani - elected in 2015 and 2014, respectively - have promised to curb corruption in their countries.
Mr Buhari said he wasn't seeking an apology from Cameron, but wanted something 'tangible' - the return of plundered Nigerian assets held in British banks.
'Corruption is a hydra-headed monster and a canker that undermines the fabric of all societies,' Mr Buhari said Wednesday at a pre-summit meeting. 'It does not differentiate between developed and developing countries.'

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Nigerian president Muhammadu Buhari shakes hands with Mr Swire at Lancaster House


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[ScottL]

Kerry is qualified to speak on this matter for all the wrong reasons.

"Corruption is a bigger threat to global security than terrorists"


Terrorists aim to destroy global security. So if those tasked to protect nations are corrupt then by definition they are a big threat.

 

[Dave007inVegas]

Corruption is a bigger threat to global security than terrorists warns US Secretary of State John Kerry.


Except that…


Saying that climate change ranks among the world's most serious problems -- such as disease outbreaks, poverty, terrorism and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction -- U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry called on all nations to respond to "the greatest challenge of our generation."


The US Secretary of State that cried wolf.

 

[GasMan]

Why do these losers always make ridiculous statements like this

 

[ScottL]

Why do these losers always make ridiculous statements like this

Imagine being a recent grad at NE University and having to listen to this Asshole deliver a commencement address. Has anything intelligent ever escaped his mouth?

 

[Dave007inVegas]

Why do these losers always make ridiculous statements like this

It’s a liberal trait. Like Willie contends, it must be genetic.

 

[Willie99]

he's a fucking idiot

 

[ScottL]

His wife was never really a looker but look what happened to her since living with him:

 

[busterhyman]

i think that the obuma administration is a greater threat to global security than terrorists.

 

[ScottL]

Speaking of corrupt:

[FONT=verdana, sans-serif][FONT=verdana, sans-serif]Kerry's Peculiar Message about Iran for European Banks - Stuart Levey
[/FONT][/FONT][FONT=verdana, sans-serif][FONT=verdana, sans-serif]U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry met Thursday in London with a group of European financial institutions for a discussion about "Iranian banking matters," following repeated Iranian complaints that they aren't getting the benefit of the bargain under the nuclear deal. No one has claimed that Iran has ceased to engage in much of the same conduct for which it was sanctioned, including actively supporting terrorism and building and testing ballistic missiles. But now Washington is pushing non-U.S. banks to do what it is still illegal for American banks to do. This is a very odd position for the U.S. government to be taking.
Washington has warned repeatedly that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps controls broad swaths of the Iranian economy. The IRGC remains sanctioned by both the U.S. and the EU because of the central role it plays in Iran's illicit conduct.
HSBC is endeavoring to implement consistent and high standards across its global operations, designed to combat financial crime and prevent abuse by illicit actors. HSBC has no intention of doing any new business involving Iran. Governments can lift sanctions, but the private sector is still responsible for managing its own risk and no doubt will be held accountable if it falls short. The writer is chief legal officer of HSBC Holdings, and was the undersecretary for terrorism and financial intelligence at the U.S. Treasury Department (2004-11). (Wall Street Journal)

U.S. Says Iran Open for Business, But Europe's Banks Disagree - Josh Lederman
The Obama administration's calls for restoring global business ties with Iran are falling flat in Europe, where risk-averse banks told U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry on Thursday that they don't believe they can do business in the Islamic Republic without triggering U.S. sanctions.
"We will not accept any new clients who reside in Iran, or which are an entity owned or controlled by a person there," said Standard Chartered. "Nor will we undertake any new transactions involving Iran or any party in Iran." "Deutsche Bank continues to generally restrict business connected to Iran," the bank said in a statement. [/FONT][/FONT][FONT=verdana, sans-serif][FONT=verdana, sans-serif](AP-ABC News)[/FONT][/FONT]

 

[Dave007inVegas]

His wife was never really a looker but look what happened to her since living with him:

​They are both gold diggers.