OFAC List of SDNs associuated with Viktor Bout

Inactive Financial Institution Letters

04/26/2005
The following individuals [LIBERIA] have been added to OFAC's SDN list (without the "a.k.a.s" listed as separate entries in this bulletin):

BOUT, Sergei Anatolyievich (a.k.a. NIKOLAYEVICH BUT, Sergey; a.k.a. "BUT"; a.k.a. "BUTT"; a.k.a. "SERGEY"; a.k.a. "SERGI"; a.k.a. "SERGO"; a.k.a. "SERGUEI"), c/o AIR CESS, Islamabad, Pakistan; c/o AIR CESS, P.O. Box 7837, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates; c/o AIR ZORY, 54 G. M. Dimitrov Blvd, Sofia BG-1125, Bulgaria; Moscow, Russia; DOB 27 Aug 1961; POB Tajikistan; citizen Russia alt. Ukraine; National ID No. 76704 (Russia); alt. National ID No. CB039314 (Ukraine) (individual) [LIBERIA]

CHICHAKLI, Richard Ammar (a.k.a. CHICHAKLI, Ammar M.), 225 Syracuse Place, Richardson, TX 75081; 811 S. Central Expwy, Ste 210, Richardson, TX 75080; DOB 29 Mar 1959; POB Syria; citizen United States; SSN 405-41-5342; alt. SSN 467-79-1065 (individual) [LIBERIA]

DENISSENKO, Serguei (a.k.a. DENISENKO, Sergei; a.k.a. DENISSENKO, Sergei), c/o SAN AIR GENERAL TRADING FZE, P.O. Box 932-20C, Ajman, United Arab Emirates; c/o SAN AIR GENERAL TRADING LLC, 811 S. Central Expwy, Ste 210, Richardson, TX 75080; c/o SAN AIR GENERAL TRADING FZE, P.O. Box 2190, Ajman, United Arab Emirates; DOB 1961; Passport 500144635 (Russia) (individual) [LIBERIA]

NAYDO, Valeriy (a.k.a. NAIDO, Valerii), c/o CET AVIATION, P.O. Box 932 - 20C, Ajman, United Arab Emirates; Equatorial Guinea; DOB 10 Aug 1957; citizen Ukraine; Passport AC251295 (Ukraine); alt. Passport KC024178 (Ukraine) (individual) [LIBERIA]

The following entities have been added to OFAC's SDN list:

ABIDJAN FREIGHT, Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire [LIBERIA]

AIR CESS (a.k.a. AIR CESS EQUATORIAL GUINEA; a.k.a. AIR CESS HOLDINGS LTD.; a.k.a. AIR CESS INC. 360-C; a.k.a. AIR CESS LIBERIA; a.k.a. AIR CESS RWANDA; a.k.a. AIR CESS SWAZILAND (PTY.) LTD.; a.k.a. AIR PAS; a.k.a. AIR PASS; a.k.a. CESSAVIA; a.k.a. CHESS AIR GROUP; a.k.a. PIETERSBURG AVIATION SERVICES & SYSTEMS), Malabo, Equatorial Guinea; P.O. Box 7837, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates; P.O. Box 3962, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates; Islamabad, Pakistan; Entebbe, Uganda [LIBERIA]

AIR ZORY LTD. (a.k.a. AIR ZORI; a.k.a. AIR ZORI LTD.), 54 G.M. Dimitrov Blvd, Sofia BG-1125, Bulgaria; 6 Zenas Kanther Str, Nicosia 1065, Cyprus [LIBERIA]

AIRBAS TRANSPORTATION FZE (a.k.a. AIR BAS; a.k.a. AIR BASS; a.k.a. AIRBAS TRANSPORTATION INC.; a.k.a. AVIABAS), P.O. Box 8299, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates; 811 S. Central Expwy, Ste 210, Richardson, TX 75080 [LIBERIA]

ATC LTD., Gibraltar, United Kingdom [LIBERIA]

BUKAVU AVIATION TRANSPORT, Congo, Democratic Republic of the [LIBERIA]

BUSINESS AIR SERVICES, Congo, Democratic Republic of the [LIBERIA]

CENTRAFRICAN AIRLINES (a.k.a. CENTRAFRICAIN AIRLINES; a.k.a. CENTRAL AFRICAN AIR; a.k.a. CENTRAL AFRICAN AIR LINES; a.k.a. CENTRAL AFRICAN AIRWAYS), P.O. Box 2760, Bangui, Central African Republic; c/o Transavia Travel Agency, P.O. Box 3962, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates; P.O. Box 2190, Ajman, United Arab Emirates; Kigali, Rwanda; Ras-al-Khaimah, United Arab Emirates [LIBERIA]

CENTRAL AFRICA DEVELOPMENT FUND, 811 S. Central Expwy, Ste 210, Richardson, TX 75080; P.O. Box 850431, Richardson, TX 75085; US FEIN 75-2884986 [LIBERIA]

CET AVIATION ENTERPRISE (FZE), P.O. Box 932 - C20, Ajman, United Arab Emirates; Equatorial Guinea [LIBERIA]

CHICHAKLI & ASSOCIATES PLLC (a.k.a. CHICHAKLI HICKMANRIGGS & RIGGS; a.k.a. CHICHAKLI HICKMAN-RIGGS & RIGGS, PLLC), 811 S. Central Expwy, Ste 210, Richardson, TX 75080 [LIBERIA]

CONTINUE PROFESSIONAL EDUCATION INC. (a.k.a. GULF MOTOR SALES INC.), 811 S. Central Expwy, Ste 210, Richardson, TX 75080; US FEIN 08000068-09 [LIBERIA]

DAYTONA POOLS, INC., 225 Syracuse Place, Richardson, TX 75081 [LIBERIA]

DHH ENTERPRISES, INC., 811 S. Central Expwy, Ste 210, Richardson, TX 75080 [LIBERIA]

GAMBIA NEW MILLENIUM AIR COMPANY (a.k.a. GAMBIA MILLENIUM AIRLINE; a.k.a. GAMBIA NEW MILLENIUM AIR), State House, Banjul, Gambia, The [LIBERIA]

IB OF AMERICA HOLDINGS INC., 811 S. Central Expwy, Ste 210, Richardson, TX 75080 [LIBERIA]

IRBIS AIR COMPANY, UL Furmanova 65, office 317, Almaty 48004, Kazakhstan [LIBERIA]

MOLDTRANSAVIA SRL, Aeroport, Chisinau MD-2026, Moldova [LIBERIA]

NORDIC LTD. (a.k.a. NORDIK LIMITED EOOD), 9 Frederick J. Curie Street, Sofia 1113, Bulgaria [LIBERIA]

ODESSA AIR (f.k.a. OKAPI AIR), Entebbe, Uganda [LIBERIA]

ORIENT STAR CORPORATION (a.k.a. ORIENT STAR AVIATION), 811 S. Central Expwy., Ste 210, Richardson, TX 75080 [LIBERIA]

RICHARD A. CHICHAKLI PC, P.O. Box 850432, Richardson, TX 75085; 811 S. Central Expwy., Ste 210, Richardson, TX 75080 [LIBERIA]

ROCKMAN LTD. (a.k.a. ROKMAN EOOD), 9 Frederick J. Curie Street, Sofia 1113, Bulgaria [LIBERIA]

SAN AIR GENERAL TRADING FZE (a.k.a. SAN AIR GENERAL TRADING LLC), P.O. Box 932-20C, Ajman, United Arab Emirates; P.O. Box 2190, Ajman, United Arab Emirates; 811 S. Central Expwy., Ste 210, Richardson, TX 75080 [LIBERIA]

SANTA CRUZ IMPERIAL AIRLINES, P.O. Box 60315, Dubai, United Arab Emirates; Sharjah, United Arab Emirates [LIBERIA]

SOUTHBOUND LTD., P.O. Box 398, Suite 52 and 553 Monrovia House, 26 Main Street, Gibraltar, United Kingdom [LIBERIA]

TRANS AVIATION GLOBAL GROUP INC., 811 S. Central Expwy, Ste 210, Richardson, TX 75080 [LIBERIA]

TRANSAVIA NETWORK (a.k.a. NV TRANS AVIATION NETWORK GROUP; a.k.a. TAN GROUP; a.k.a. TRANS AVIATION; a.k.a. TRANSAVIA TRAVEL AGENCY; a.k.a. TRANSAVIA TRAVEL CARGO), 1304 Boorj Building, Bank Street, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates; P.O. Box 3962, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates; P.O. Box 2190, Ajman, United Arab Emirates; Ostende Airport, Belgium [LIBERIA]

VIAL COMPANY, DE [LIBERIA]

WESTBOUND LTD, P.O. Box 399, 26 Main Street, Gibraltar, United Kingdom [LIBERIA]

The Rest @ FDIC

Chichakli Update

Richard Chichakli is associated with several companies, including Continue Professional Education, Inc. and San Air General Trading LLC. His assets were seized by the Office of Foreign Asset Control in 2004. He has been working hard to present his case to the public but no one seems to be buying what he is selling.

He fled to Moscow a few years ago and may now be operating out of the Ukraine
at

87.244.137.155

Viktor Bout Put in Isolation Cell

Note the Story below:

TASS, a Russian Government Mouth Piece Media organization, sesems to be expressing outrage. It may be that the outrage is that they can't get at him. The Russians do not want him to get to US interigation or worse for them, US deal makers. He knows names, dates, arms shipments and strategies the Russians don't want to get out.

-Shimron Issachar.


Bout transferred to solitary cell in Bang Kwan Prison
23.08.2010, 21.15

BANGKOK, August 23 (Itar-Tass) - Russian citizen Viktor Bout was transferred to Thailand’s Bang Kwan Prison and put in a solitary cell, Alla Bout, his wife, told ltar-Tass on Monday. Bang Kwan Prison is the oldest prison in Bangkok that used to be known as Bangkok Hilton.
The businessman is held in a solitary cell two by two meters in size. Alla Bout said he was transferred on Friday immediately after the decision to extradite him to the US had become known. “Nobody talked with him, nothing was explained to him. It was only said he had been transferred for his own safety,” she went on. “The prison authorities claim he would be in danger in a cell with others,” she said. “Leg irons were removed in 24 hours. Food that is brought twice a day is not edible. He has not eaten all this time, and he is even not allowed to go for walks,” she said.
“We are at a loss as to what further steps of the authorities will be,” Alla Bout said.
“Russian consul Andrei Dvornikov today demanded in an ultimatum right in the prison that the conditions in which Bout is held should be immediately changed,” the businessman’s wife said. “I do hope he will be transferred to a cell where there are other people. In the cell has to sit on the floor.”
Asked by Itar-Tass about her husband’s attitude, she said, “Surely he is not going to cry. He says he will not make things easy for the Americans. He intends to win the trial if it is a real trail, not a farce,” she said.
“So many accusations were heaped on him over these years that objective attitude to him in the United States can hardly be expected,” the businessman’s wife said.

Past Friday the court decreed to satisfy the request of the US side for the businessman’s extradition to the United States. Thailand’s Criminal Court in 2009 dropped all accusations against the Russian citizen, noting, specifically, that the US had not produced enough proofs, while the case itself affected the interests of a number of countries and was political. This time the Commission of Appeal found Bout’s case having nothing to do with politics and explained the lack of proofs by the fact that, according to the plaintiff, they existed in the US.

Sources in Thailand’s law enforcement bodies said on condition of anonymity that “the US side hurries up with the extradition procedure” without specifying at what stage the procedure was. Since the moment the verdict was announced the US has 90 day to complete the procedure. The prosecution had earlier stated that “if the Americans fail to carry through the procedure within the allotted time the businessman will be freed.”

The Rest @ TASS

Thailand Approves US Extraditin of VIktor Bout

Thailand court approves US extradition of Viktor Bout

An appeals court in Thailand ruled Friday that accused
Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout can be extradited to the US to face charges including conspiracy to kill US nationals and conspiracy to provide material support to a proscribe terrorist group.

The court’s decision overturned a decision issued by the Bangkok Criminal Court last August, refusing to extradite Bout on the basis that the accusations made by the US were not cognizable under Thai law.

The appeals court ruled that the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), the group Bout is accused of supporting, is a cognizable terrorist group under Thai law and that Thailand is obligated to honor their extradition treaties with the US.

Lawyers for Bout argued that his safety would be in jeopardy in the US and that he would be unable to receive a fair trial. They have also indicated that they will continue fighting Bout’s extradition by filing an appeal with the Thai government.

A spokesperson for the US Department of Justice (DOJ), praised the court’s decision:

"We are extremely pleased that the Appeals Court in Thailand has granted the extradition of Viktor Bout to the United States on charges of conspiring to sell weapons to a terrorist organization for use in killing Americans. We have always felt that the facts of the case, the relevant Thai law and the terms of our bilateral extradition treaty clearly supported the extradition of Mr. Bout on these charges."

Posted on 21 August, 2010 by Mathias Vermeulen

The Rest @ legallift

Viktor Bout and Richard Chichakli Indictment

The aleged Viktor Bout And Richard Chichakli indictment...

Last Post for a While

I have been writing this blog since 2006. It began when I was doing business intelligence work, gathering information about one of the technical industries in some East Africa Countries. What I came across was information leading to a conclusion that I still hold, and that that al Qaeda has a clear and specific strategy targeting Africa.

It was not new. Bill Moyers sums it up as well as anyone:

"When the Soviets pulled out of Afghanistan in early 1989, bin Laden and Azzam decided that their new organization should not dissolve. They established what they called a base (al Qaeda) as a potential general headquarters for future jihad. However, bin Laden, now the clear emir of al Qaeda, and Azzam differed on where the organization's future objectives should lie. Azzam favored continued fighting in Afghanistan until there was a true Islamist government, while bin Laden wanted to prepare al Qaeda to fight anywhere in the world. When Azzam was killed in 1989, bin Laden assumed full charge of al Qaeda. " - Moyers Journal

What I am saying is that their was, and is, a specific Islamist plan for Africa, with the al Qaeda as the tip of the spear.

In 2006 no one was really looking at Africa and the Islamist Agenda, so I began to track the movement of key people and groups working this agenda. Frankly I was surprised at the transparency and sophistication of the plan, how open they were about their agenda, and how ignored by the Western World they were. Their moneymaking activities, their large business and in some cases Royal funding supporters were very obvious.

It is clear now that their are many, many western eyes on Africa and the Islamist agenda, both in Africa and around the world, and so I am no longer needed. I want to give one, mostly final, summary for the analysts out there.

First, I think the Long War is almost half over. The West currently has the upper hand as can be seen in Pakistan, but it will eventually move to Africa in less than a year.

Somalia is still in a stalemate. Somaliland will soon be recognized, and the corrupt TFG group will be abandoned, since they seem to be inherently incapable of caring for their own people in a peaceful without tribal lenses. This does not mean that war will stop in Somalia. The Middle East will continue to fund psalmist groups, who will tray and export the Islamist war into Ethiopia and Kenya. The West will continue to find ways to fight them.

The next place for the war to spring up will be in South Sudan, which will vote to secede in less than a year, and is preparing for the inevitable attack from the North when this happens. Both sides are even now arming for this war. This event will be the fulcrum that shifts the focus of the war from Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iraq into Africa.


West Africa's local wars (Morroco, Algeria, Mauritania, etc) will continue to fight, and they will continue to take money from the al qaeda or whoever else will fund them. . AQIM's network of recruiters can be hunted down and stopped. However, the purchase (some call it recruitment) of suicide bomber children from poor west african families, will be attempted again.

The Islamist Agenda will ultimately fail in Africa, but not because of any Western power, but because African's will never fully accept the Salafiyya Dawa. The Sufi's will never submit, the Christians will continue to grow, since it's aims are clearly peacfull, but the Sunni missionary work, which sends islamist agents in to establish relationships with local Muslim leaders, are even now carefully watched by every African country's intelligence service.

US ( AFRICOM) UK, French and Russian agendas are already in play, but China will try their hand at mediation, since the buy the Majority of Sudan's oil exports.

China: the Great Asian Father

China 's investment in Africa has grown exponentially in the last four years. They are spending lots of money, but they are very new and still significantly imperialistic in their approach. They are simply buying as many raw materials as they can from Africa. They are soon to discover that Africans expect more than money for their resources, they see them as the new "White Father"

Human and Weapon's trafficking will continue until Africa, Unless Africa herself comes to believe she can stop it. Local wars, currently the Congo will continue to spring up. The UN now has more troops in Africa than they ever had, and I see no end in site.


Dough Farah, Creeping Sharia, the Long War Journal, Global Security,keep up the good work, I will keep reading your stuff. Also thanks to the brave journalists in Somalia who keep writing , and keep paying the price.





Shimron Issachar
On Twitter

Viktor Bout and Chichakli Indicted

Come on Richard, give me a comment....

Shimron Issachar

The U.S. Justice Department today handed down a new indictment against Viktor Bout and his Syrian-American partner Richard Chichakli, alleging the Merchant of Death with laundering money and attempting to buy two aircraft in the Unites States through a series of front companies.

The indictment may add to Bout's legal woes, and certainly is a blow to Chichakli, who has been happily holed in Moscow, with occasional trips to Damascus while using his website to mock the U.S. government, along with you truly and others. The indictment and Interpol alert will likely keep him holed up in Moscow, at least for a while.

Chichakli, who prided himself on his ability to create fetching fruit platters, fled the United States when his assets were frozen by the Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets control. He used Lufthansa frequent flier miles to purchase his ticket, as he had no money available, and then proceeded on to Syria, before joining Viktor in Moscow.

Bout, of course, is still in a Thai jail, awaiting an appeals court decision on whether he can be extradited to the United States to stand trial for attempts to knowingly sell surface to air missiles and other lethal equipment to undercover agents posing as FARC operatives. Last year a lower court ruled that Bout could not be extradited, and the appeals court ruling will be final.

The charges may be used to try give the Thai court more reason to authorized Bout's extradition to the United States. It will also certainly make Chichakli, who helped Bout set up his operations in the UAE in the 1990s while acting as his accountant, a less mobile figure.

Bout's attempt to buy the aircraft show how mobile his network - which supplied the Taliban in Afghanistan, the FARC in Colombia and other terrorist groups - had become. The indictment alleges Bout and Chichakli wired some $1.7 million through the United States on behalf of a front company named Samar Airlines, to purchase two Boeing aircraft in the United States.

"Viktor Bout was originally charged in March 2008 with conspiring to kill Americans by selling millions of dollars worth of weapons to Colombia-based narco-terrorists. Further investigation has revealed additional criminal activities by Bout including money laundering and wire fraud conspiracy. The additional charges contained in the newly unsealed superseding indictment amply illustrate the extraordinary breadth of Bout's deadly criminal enterprise," said DEA administrator Michele Leonhart.

The move violated the executive order that banned any U.S. company or bank from doing business with Bout. The companies doing business with Bout were not fully identified and the indictment alleges that both Bout and Chichakli hid their involvement in Samar Airlines in order to avoid sanctions.

It is not clear what the aircraft would be used for. Bout's aging fleet of Soviet era aircraft had suffered a series of accidents, where difficult to maintain and costly to keep running. Perhaps that is one of the reasons he was keen to move over to Boeings.

"Viktor Bout allegedly made a career of arming bloody conflicts and supporting rogue regimes across multiple continents, even using the U.S. banking system to secretly finance a private fleet of aircraft. The United Nations and the United States have long-standing sanctions against Bout that stem from, among other things, his support of the most violent and destabilizing conflicts in recent African history. Until his arrest in March 2008, Bout had found a way to circumvent these sanctions, successfully evading the rule of law. This Office is committed to working with our partners in the United States, at the United Nations, and around the world to bring transnational criminals like Viktor Bout to justice," said U.S. Attorney PREET BHARARA.
POSTED BY DOUGLAS FARAH

Viktor Bout and Chichakli - New indictrments

A New Indictment for Viktor Bout and his American Partner
By Douglas Farah

The U.S. Justice Department today handed down a new indictment against Viktor Bout and his Syrian-American partner Richard Chichakli, alleging the Merchant of Death with laundering money and attempting to buy two aircraft in the Unites States through a series of front companies.

The indictment may add to Bout's legal woes, and certainly is a blow to Chichakli, who has been happily holed in Moscow, with occasional trips to Damascus while using his website to mock the U.S. government, along with yours truly and others. The indictment and Interpol alert will likely keep him holed up in Moscow, at least for a while.

Chichakli, who prided himself on his ability to create fetching fruit platters, fled the United States when his assets were frozen by the Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets control. He used Lufthansa frequent flier miles to purchase his ticket, as he had no money available, and then proceeded on to Syria, before joining Viktor in Moscow.

Bout, of course, is still in a Thai jail, awaiting an appeals court decision on whether he can be extradited to the United States to stand trial for attempts to knowingly sell surface to air missiles and other lethal equipment to undercover agents posing as FARC operatives. Last year a lower court ruled that Bout could not be extradited, and the appeals court ruling will be final.

The charges may be used to try give the Thai court more reason to authorized Bout's extradition to the United States. It will also certainly make Chichakli, who helped Bout set up his operations in the UAE in the 1990s while acting as his accountant, a less mobile figure.

Bout's attempt to buy the aircraft show how mobile his network - which supplied the Taliban in Afghanistan, the FARC in Colombia and other terrorist groups - had become. The indictment alleges Bout and Chichakli wired some $1.7 million through the United States on behalf of a front company named Samar Airlines, to purchase two Boeing aircraft in the United States. My full blog is here.


The Rest @ Counter Terrosim Blog by Doug Farah

Viktor Bout Airlines and Airplane Laundering

oringially posted July 17 th 2007

Not long ago, the European Union added a whole chunk of dodgy Moldovan airlines to its flight-safety blacklist after ramp checks showed their aircraft were unsafe. Now, we have reports that the Moldovans have taken the logical next step and drained the swamp, by revoking the AOCs of the companies in question. It's bye bye to our old friends Jet Line International, but also to mystery operator Grixona (a frequent presence on the Sharjah-Iraq and Afghanistan routes), Jet Stream (another UAE-to-warzones Il76 operator), and Tiramavia (much the same). Pecotox also goes.Here's the list from ATDB:

• An-24RV (ER-AWR, msn 37308605) put in storage by Jet Line International, returned to Aerocom·
• An-24RV (ER-AZY, msn 47309310) put in storage by Aerom·
• An-24RV (ER-AZX, msn 47309804) returned to Pecotox-Air after lease to Aéro-Service then ops in Iraq·
• An-24RV (ER-AFB, msn 87310810.2)
• put in storage by Jet Line International, returned to Aerocom· Il-18V (ER-ICB, msn 188010603) put in storage by Grixona·
• An-12AP (ER-ACV, msn 347408) put in storage by Grixona· An-12TB (ER-ACQ, msn 1347908) put in storage by Grixona·
• An-12BK (ER-AXG, msn 347407) put in storage by Tiramavia·
• An-12BK (ER-AXZ, msn 8346106) put in storage by Jet Line International·
• An-12BP (ER-ADQ, msn 402410) put in storage by Jet Line International·
• An-12BP (ER-ADK, msn 5342802) put in storage by Grixona·
• An-12V (ER-ACY, msn 347306) put in storage by Grixona·
• An-12V (ER-ACS, msn 347401) put in storage by Grixona·
• An-12V (ER-ACO, msn 5343204) put in storage by Tiramavia·
• An-12V (ER-ACR, msn 6343810) put in storage by Tiramavia·
• An-26B (ER-AFE, msn 17310905) put in storage by Jet Line International·
• An-26B (ER-AFL, msn 17311705) put in storage by Jet Line International·
• An-72 (A) (ER-AVG, msn 36572095909) put in storage by Pecotox-Air·
• Il-76TD (ER-IBK, msn 53460790) put in storage by Jet Stream Airlines· Il-76TD (ER-IBY, msn 53460832) put in storage by Tiramavia·
• Il-76T (ER-IBV, msn 3423699) put in storage by Jet Line International·
• Il-76T (ER-IBF, msn 73410300) put in storage by Jet Line International·
• Il-76T (ER-IBH, msn 73411331) put in storage by Tiramavia·
• Il-76T (ER-IBD, msn 73411338) put in storage by Jet Stream Airlines·
• Il-76T (ER-IBG, msn 93418548) put in storage by Tiramavia·
• Il-76T (ER-IBP, msn 93418556) put in storage by Jet Stream Airlines·
• Il-76MD (ER-IBC, msn 83489683) put in storage by Tiramavia

It's good to see the back of the firm that brought the missing 99 tonnes of guns in Iraq, to say nothing of the mysterious "Air Bridge Group" of Australia.

Labels: 4GW, aviation, Operation Firedump, Viktor
LINK and Comments posted by Alex : 4:05 PM
Comments: Post a Comment

The Rest @ the Yorkshire Ranter

also Richard Chichakli appears to be backonline from Moscow

Russia Trying To Buy Merchant of Death's Freedom With Weapons Sales

Russia has been doing everything within its power to free Vkitor Bout.
TBDA suggests that arms are, or continue to be shipped out of Romaina, Moldova and bulgaria toward Africa, possibly through Sudan, many using Viktor Bout's airline connections.

I am suggesting that the GRU wants their primary arms transporter, with his African connections, out of Jail to go to work.

Keep this in mind as you read this 19/10/09 Story from the US Neewsweek.

-Shimron Issachar



U.S. intelligence officials are increasingly nervous that notorious Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout may soon be released from a Thai jail due in part to a pressure campaign by the Russian government aimed at blocking his extradition to the U.S. to stand trial on weapons trafficking charges.

The 42 year old Bout, a former Soviet military officer, has long been regarded by many veteran U.S. counter-terrrorism and intelligence officials as the ultimate "transnational criminal" – a character straight out of a James Bond novel who eluded capture for years as he allegedly supplied weapons of war to the Taliban, Liberian dictator Charles Taylor and a host of other rogue regimes, drug traffickers and criminal organizations.

In what was once viewed as a major coup for U.S. law enforcement, Bout was nabbed by Thai police in a Bangkok luxury hotel last year as part of an elaborate Drug Enforcement Administration sting operation. Bout has been indicted in a New York federal court for conspiring to supply the Colombian FARC, a State Department designated terrorist organization, with 700 surface to air missiles, thousands of guns, and airplanes outfitted with grenade launchers and missiles. Under U.S. law supplying weapons to any such organization can be prosecuted in American courts.

But Justice and State Department officials have been jolted by recent setbacks to their efforts to have Bout (often dubbed "the merchant of death") extradited.

"We may be having our worst nightmare realized -- one of the world's worst arms dealers is going to be let go," said Juan Zarate, the former White House counter-terrorism adviser under President Bush who had encouraged the DEA to launch the Bout sting and has continued to follow the case closely.

The most stunning defeat came in August when a Thai criminal court rejected the U.S. government's extradition request -- on what U.S. officials viewed as the ludicrous grounds that the FARC, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, was a legitimate political organization and not a bona fide terrorist group. The ruling prompted the burly mustachioed Bout to stand up in court and flash a victory sign. Bout, for his part, has maintained his innocence and his associates maintain a website, that calls the charges against him "ficticious" and "propaganda."
The U.S., working with the Thai attorney general's office, immediately appealed. But late last month, officials in Washington were jolted anew when they got an alarming cable from the U.S. Embassy in Bangkok. The cable reported that the judges on the Thai appellate court had secretly met with the arms dealer, his lawyer and translator on Sept. 15 - without anybody from the U.S. Embassy or the Thai attorney general's office being notified of the session, according to two U.S. law enforcement officials familiar with the cable who discussed its contents with Newsweek but declined to be identified talking about sensitive matters. An official at the Thai embassy in Washington emailed Newsweek a statement saying, "The Court is independent from the government. The government cannot issue a statement or intervene in the process in anyway which affect the outcome of the Court's decision."

(What has been especially infuriating, to U.S. officials, are repeated intelligence reports described to Newsweek by the officials, that the Russian government has been pulling out all stops to prevent Bout's extradition-including offering sweetheart oil deals --- apparently because of fears that if sent to the United States and confronted with the prospect of decades in federal prison, he may tell what he knows about the complicity of high level members of the Russian military and security services in his activities.

U.S. officials say it is no accident that the Russian Duma, controlled by former Prime Minister Vladimer Putin's party, passed a resolution last year officially denouncing Bout's "illegal prosecution" and that last February, Thailand made its first purchase ever of Russian helicopters, buying six mi-17 choppers for $9 million a piece.

"It's amazing the lengths to which [the Russians] are going," said one U.S. law enforcement official who is directly following the case. "The guy knows a lot. His connections go all the way to the top." (Officials at the Russian Embassy in Washington last week did not respond to a request for comment.)

All this has recently gotten the attention of top Obama administration officials. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Attorney General Eric Holder have both raised the issue with Thai government officials. And last week Deputy Attorney General David Ogden made the Bout case the prime topic of a meeting with Thailand's Minister of Justice in Bangkok, telling him and other Thai officials that Bout's extradition is "a matter of great importance to the United States."
The question for U.S. intelligence and law enforcement officials, however, is whether the high level attention from Washington may be too little-- and too late.

intelligence, foreign relations, State Department

The Rest @ Newsweek

Ria Novosti Reveals Viktor Bout & Russia's next Legal Moves

Ria Novosti, a public relations mouth piece for Russian Government Propaganda and its leaders, recently published the following article in it's English Language Online journal.

The helpful article reveals the next tactics Bout's lawyers may use:

• They have managed to get testimony by US businessman and former Bout Associate Richard Chichakli admitted to the record. Chichakli, now living under Russian protection in Moscow tells a horror story of how he has been personally persecuted by the US government and testifies to what a wonderful human being Viktor Bout has always been. (Chichakli was living in Richardson, TX in 2007 He was Bouts's accountant and ran an airfield used by the Planes transporting arms to Africa).
• They Intend to demonstrate that the FARC is not (technically) a terrorist group to the country of Thailand, and there was technically no breaking of Thai law
• This Russian mouth piece article threatens retaliation against Thaind should they turn Bout over the the US.
• Watch for Bout-friendly articles to appear in Western media (note the authors for future reference)

-Shimron Issachar

MOSCOW, April 30 (RIA Novosti) - Lawyers for an alleged Russian arms dealer arrested in Thailand have asked a fugitive U.S. businessman to testify for their client, a Russian paper said on Wednesday.

Former Russian army officer Viktor Bout, 42, was arrested in Bangkok in March last year during a sting operation led by U.S. agents. The United States accuses Bout of conspiring with others to sell millions of dollars' worth of weapons to the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), among other illegal arms dealings.

Bout, who has spent over a year in a Thai prison, is facing extradition and trial in the U.S. after Thai authorities earlier announced that they would not press charges against the man dubbed "The Merchant of Death' by world media.
The Russian businessman has consistently denied the accusations and recently said his case was fabricated by the U.S. government.

Russian business daily Kommersant said that during Wednesday's hearings, the presiding judge adjourned the proceedings until May 19 so that a Thai Foreign Ministry official with legal expertise could answer questions regarding the existing extradition treaty between Thailand and the U.S. and whether the FARC rebel group is considered a terrorist organization by Thailand.

The judge also attached to the case on Wednesday testimony by Bout's friend and former business adviser, U.S. businessman Richard Chichakli, who is currently residing in Moscow.

Chichakli, whose business in the United States was seized in 2005 in connection with involvement in Bout's alleged illegal arms trade, insists that the U.S. government officials attempted to force him to testify against Bout, and when he refused the FBI raided his house and seized his computer, documents, and over $1 million in assets as part of an investigation into his friend's financial empire.
According to Kommersant, the witness said in his written testimony that the U.S. authorities had launched a "witch hunt" against Bout for a number of economic and political reasons.
The first of these was that Bout had undermined the Western monopoly on the control over natural resources in Africa by setting up a network of more than 50 cargo aircraft around the world as an alternative to transportation provided by the West.
However, UN reports say that Bout used his cargo fleet to facilitate his arms dealings.

Secondly, in Chichakli's opinion, the case is a U.S. attempt to indirectly accuse Russia of providing international terrorists, such as the Taliban, al-Qaeda and Colombian rebels, with weaponry.

Thai authorities are facing a tough choice, as whichever way they rule is likely to harm relations with either Moscow or Washington. Russia has consistently said that Bout should be freed.

The Rest @ Ria Novosti

Richard Chichakli and Viktor Bout - From Richard's Own Web Site:

What follows is a direct quote from Richard Chichakli's web site. He is, or has been, by his own testimony, a close associate of Viktor Bout.

I will not challenge Richard's assertions in this post, but suffice it to say that:

• I believe Richard, as far as his testimony goes, that is to say that at least the relationship he says exists or existed, perhaps more
• His statement provides a plethora of information about Viktor Bouts operations.

I will provide the quote in its entirety, then will add coments:

-Shimron Issachar

...."Richard and Victor had professional relation on three encounters as follows:

Richard Chichakli first introduction to Victor Bout took place about 14 years ago, in August of 1995, in the state of Sharjah, one of the seven states in the United Arab Emirates. At that point of time Richard was an employee of the government of Sharjah, serving as the commercial manager of Sharjah Airport International Free Zone and Victor Bout was one of the hundreds of investors who were interested in setting up a business in that free zone.

Similar to meeting all potential customers, Richard, in his capacity as the commercial manager of the free zone met Victor and his accompanied party and received from him a copy of the business plan for the company he wanted to create in the free zone and which was an airline by the name of Aircess.

The standard plan included the usual financial details, projections, and all other related information, and Richard's duty was to assess the feasibility of the proposed business venture in meeting the objectives of the free zone. This is where and when Richard acquired the knowledge he possesses about Aircess.

Companies operating in the free zone were further required submitting periodic reports regarding their activities, and therefore updated information about Aircess was periodically available to Richard until July of 1996, when his contract ended and he returned with his family to the United States.

As the employment relation between Sharjah Free Zone and Richard ended, so were the relations between the companies operating in the free zone and Richard Chichakli.

Shortly after returning to the US from UAE in July 1996, Richard started a management consulting company while working toward receiving licensing to open a public accounting practice in the state of Texas.

About the second quarter of 1998, Victor who had moved from UAE to South Africa called Richard in Texas asking for his professional help in assessing the ability of Aircess to go public.

As a management consultant in finance and aviation, Richard accepted the job and quoted Mr. Bout a fee for the service, upon which acceptance Richard travelled to South Africa to assess the ability of Mr. Bout’s company to go public.

The job lasted for about 10 working days. In the course of doing the assessment, Richard was exposed to all details related to the structure and finance of Aircess and its related entities, and developed an understanding of the company’s operations.

In conclusion, Richard informed Mr. Bout that in his opinion the company cannot successfully initiate an initial public offering, an opinion that was equally shared by Aircess lawyers and public accountants in South Africa. That was the second encounter between Richard Chichakli and Victor Bout, and during that time there were no sanctions against Victor Bout and no reasons whatsoever not to accept the assignment.

The third encounter between Richard Chichakli and Victor Bout occurred about June of 2000, just upon the collapse of Victor’s business in South Africa. Victor called Richard and conveyed to him that his business was in dire financial trouble and he is not sure about what to do or where to go.

Richard advised Victor to settle and start a manufacturing business in the United States, where incentives, credit, and market are available. Victor agreed and asked Richard to start the process for business immigration for him, and so it was until Victor’s application for a US visa was rejected.

This occurrence took place in June of 2000 while Victor Bout was not under any sanctions, nor were there any publications against him or any reason to prevent transacting with him.

At the end of 2004 the United States government placed sanctions against Victor Bout, and on or after that point of time there was no business relation between Richard Chichakli and Victor Bout.

See the chronicle of events".........



...."Richard and Victor had professional relation on three encounters as follows:

Richard Chichakli first introduction to Victor Bout took place about 14 years ago, in August of 1995, in the state of Sharjah, one of the seven states in the United Arab Emirates. At that point of time Richard was an employee of the government of Sharjah, serving as the commercial manager of Sharjah Airport International Free Zone and Victor Bout was one of the hundreds of investors who were interested in setting up a business in that free zone.
Similar to meeting all potential customers, Richard, in his capacity as the commercial manager of the free zone met Victor and his accompanied party and received from him a copy of the business plan for the company he wanted to create in the free zone and which was an airline by the name of Aircess.

• As Commercial Manager o the Free zone Richard was in a position to faciliate Shipping documents and flight plans for all the cargo coming trhough the airport. While he would see these documents day to day, he was in a position to see that the paperwork was processed without question. I do not know if he did, but he was in a position to see cargos and expidite paper work.

The standard plan included the usual financial details, projections, and all other related information, and Richard's duty was to assess the feasibility of the proposed business venture in meeting the objectives of the free zone. This is where and when Richard acquired the knowledge he possesses about Aircess.

• Richard knew the business plan of Aircess, knew where the planes would be operating, and the gartet markets. Richard is a US miltiary veteran and knew what was going on in those countries.

Companies operating in the free zone were further required submitting periodic reports regarding their activities, and therefore updated information about Aircess was periodically available to Richard until July of 1996, when his contract ended and he returned with his family to the United States.

• While it is true that Viktor Bout is infamous for creating dummy reports, I find it hard to believe that He was not aware of the massive Arms being shipped through the airport.

As the employment relation between Sharjah Free Zone and Richard ended, so were the relations between the companies operating in the free zone and Richard Chichakli.

• Quite possibly true

Shortly after returning to the US from UAE in July 1996, Richard started a management consulting company while working toward receiving licensing to open a public accounting practice in the state of Texas.

• This is true, on rcpord
  

About the second quarter of 1998, Victor who had moved from UAE to South Africa called Richard in Texas asking for his professional help in assessing the ability of Aircess to go public.

• Why did Viktor Bout move to South Africa? perhaps because he no longer had a "facilitator" in UAE, and business was picking up in Africa.
• Why would Viktor trust his entire nefarious arms, drugs and diamond dealing operations to Richard?

As a management consultant in finance and aviation, Richard accepted the job and quoted Mr. Bout a fee for the service, upon which acceptance Richard travelled to South Africa to assess the ability of Mr. Bout’s company to go public.

The job lasted for about 10 working days. In the course of doing the assessment, Richard was exposed to all details related to the structure and finance of Aircess and its related entities, and developed an understanding of the company’s operations.

• He acknowledges a deeper understanding of the financail structures of the company and concluded that it could not go puclic. Typically, this is for three possible reasons:
• The Business itelf was not financially sound- this is possible, since the company was a shell through which money flowed, and was therefore itself financially unstable.
• The Business was profitable, but would not stand the scruitney of regulators that would look more closely into business operations
• The names of the keystakeholders woould not hold up to public scruitiny. For example, if Aircess has a key relationship as the primary African transit company for a hughe arms company like beltechexport in Belorus, this is a highly profitibale business relationship that makes the company alot of money. However, since neither Beltech nor Belorus wants this relationship listed in a Initial Public Offering floating around the world. it could not be listed.

In conclusion, Richard informed Mr. Bout that in his opinion the company cannot successfully initiate an initial public offering, an opinion that was equally shared by Aircess lawyers and public accountants in South Africa. That was the second encounter between Richard Chichakli and Victor Bout, and during that time there were no sanctions against Victor Bout and no reasons whatsoever not to accept the assignment.

• Therefore, Richard Chichakli would have explained to Viktor Bout that his key financail relationships could not be listed in an IPO, and recommeded that the IPO could not happen.
• In any of these situations, Richard Chichakli would have been fully ware of what was going on, that therfore complicit ( an assessroy ) in the arms trade.

The third encounter between Richard Chichakli and Victor Bout occurred about June of 2000, just upon the collapse of Victor’s business in South Africa. Victor called Richard and conveyed to him that his business was in dire financial trouble and he is not sure about what to do or where to go.

• Viktor knew he was in trouble, that his arms business in Africa waws being exposed, and that he had to close it down.
• Also, the wars he had fueled had accelerated to a point that some of Viktor's customers had become unlreliabile, unable to pay for their arms, dead or out of power.

Richard advised Victor to settle and start a manufacturing business in the United States, where incentives, credit, and market are available. Victor agreed and asked Richard to start the process for business immigration for him, and so it was until Victor’s application for a US visa was rejected.

• Viktor Bout already had a relationship with some people in the US, and they did not want him living here
• It is possible Richard was unaware of Viktor's business with the US.

This occurrence took place in June of 2000 while Victor Bout was not under any sanctions, nor were there any publications against him or any reason to prevent transacting with him.

At the end of 2004 the United States government placed sanctions against Victor Bout, and on or after that point of time there was no business relation between Richard Chichakli and Victor Bout.

• Just before this time Richard was the point man for an Italian Journalist who was trying to find and interview the infamnous arms dealer Viktor Bout, who was in hiding. Richard Chichakli alegedly arranged the interview.
• Besides the professional relationship, Ricahrd claims that Viktor's Family and his family wer close, and he called VIktor a "Friend and a Brother"

This account demonstrates that Richard Chichakli and Viktor Bout had a relationship, both personal and professional. I do not know if Richard Chichakli commited a crime, but since Richard claims to be a US Armky Veteran ( I have not Personally check this fact), and is a Certified Public Accountant, I find it unbelievable for him not to have known that Viktor Bout was selling arms to fuel African wars, paid for by illeaglly obtained diamonds mined by Child soldiers.

One of these things must be true:

• Richard Chichakli is misrepresenting what he knew
• His dear friend Viktor Bout made a fool of him

I did not contact Richard Chichkli for his comment, since I am an analyst and a commentator, and make no claims to be a journalist. However, I will print any response he cares to make.

Richard Chichakli Still Denying that he is Viktor Bout's Accountant

Wednesday, October 1, 2008
Litigation against OFAC, Connection to Viktor Bout had been Alleged

Editor's Note: Mr. Chichakli maintains a http://www.chichakli.com information about his case.


On September 26 the Fifth Circuit vacated in part an Order freezing the assets of Richard A Chichakli by the Office of Foreign Asset Control.

[ Keep in Mind that the original source for the following Information is Richard A Chichakli's personal website. It is his habit to deny the truth, even in the face of overwhelming evidence. An Italian Journalist, published in a local paper reported that Richard A Chichakli set up his interview with Viktor Bout, and told him that he handled his finances. While this is hearsay evidence, it is true that the Italian author actually did interview Viktor Bout at a time when he was living underground.

-Shimron]



"Richard Chichakli had challenged a “Blocking Notice” issued by the Office of Foreign Assets Control (“OFAC”). He asserts the Blocking Notice was unconstitutional and the evidence was insufficient to support entry of the Notice against him. The district court granted summary judgment on all claims in favor of Defendants. We affirm the district court except for the ruling regarding a taking. We vacate that part of the judgment, as explained below."

In July 2004, President Bush issued an Executive Order, which declared a national emergency with respect to Liberia. The Order authorized the freezing of the assets of 28 individuals, including Viktor Bout, who were deemed to be contributing to the unstable situation in Liberia as well as anyone found “acting or purporting to act for or on behalf of, directly or indirectly, any person whose property and interests in property are blocked pursuant to this order.”

OFAC later claimed that Chichakli was acting on behalf of Bout. A Blocking Notice was issued, subjecting Chichakli to the sanctions set out in the Executive Order. After OFAC denied reconsideration of the denial, Chichakli filed this suit, asserting violations of his due process rights, of the Takings Clause, and of the Administrative Procedures Act.

The Fifth Circuit did not find any violation of due process for having been denied an opportunity to challenge the freeze prior to its having gone into effect.


The district court had held (1) that the pre-notice deprivation was necessary to secure an important government interest as demonstrated by the Executive Order that declared conditions in Liberia to be a serious threat to the foreign policy of the United States, (2) that there was a special need for prompt action to protect against the transfer of the assets that were subject to the Executive Order, and (3) that the Executive Order narrowly set out the criteria that the Treasury Department could use to identify affected individuals to ensure that the deprivation was not baseless.

Chichakli's also claimed that the Government's actions in freezing his assets constituted an unconstitutional taking without compensation in violation of the Fifth Amendment. The district court held that OFAC's blocking action was not a taking within the meaning of the Fifth Amendment because title to the property never vested in the government.

The Court also ruled that Chichakli's claims were in excess of $10,000 and therefore falls under the exclusive jurisdiction of the Court of Federal Claims. Because the district court did not have jurisdiction to decide this issue, we vacate the district court's judgment as it relates to Chichakli's takings claim under the Fifth Amendment.

Chichakli's also challenged the sufficiency of the evidence that he was purporting to act on behalf of Viktor Bout. We review OFAC's designation of him as someone who was assisting Bout for whether the determination was “arbitrary and capricious, an abuse of discretion, or otherwise not in accordance with law.”

Chichakli's specific challenge is to the relevance and reliability of certain information utilized by OFAC to justify the blocking order. The district court pointed out that the evidence supports the conclusions that Chichakli held senior level positions in several businesses connected with Bout, that Chichakli had a close relationship with Bout, and that he had intimate knowledge of Bout's businesses. Therefore, the district court correctly held that OFAC did not act in an arbitrary and capricious manner in determining that Chichakli acted for or on behalf of Viktor Bout.

Posted by Linda Friedman Ramirez at 5:31 AM

The Rest @ The Extradition and Foreign Evidance Web site

You can read more about him here at the center for public integrity and the Dallas Morning News