September 11 Commission Report - Gnostic Liberation Front

“Often called a "state within a state," Gazprom controls a quarter of the world's natural gas reserves
with eight times the energy reserves of Exxon Mobil Corp. Gazprom accounts for 7 percent of Russia's
economy. It also represents the most visible symbol of the struggle to establish Western-style rules of
corporate governance and investor rights a decade into Russia's experiment with capitalism. Minority
shareholders complain that Gazprom insiders benefit from shady deals while the company has been
stripped of valuable properties.” [A 'Crossroads' Battle in Russia: Fight for Gas Firm Seen as Test for
Putin and Reform, Peter Baker, Washington Post, May 21, 2001]
“Outspoken Gazprom board member and critic Boris Fyodorov, a former finance minister, said that by
his estimation some "$2 billion to $3 billion disappears from Gazprom each year through corruption,
nepotism and simple theft." He was quoted by Itar-Tass as saying in Washington this week that when
he first demanded an independent audit of Gazprom last year, Gazprom management threatened to
throw him in jail.” [Gazprom Assets A Family Affair, Florian Hassel, Moscow Times, May 21, 2001]
It is important to remember that the World Trade Center was destroyed to cover up and
terminate investigations in a wide array of illegal banking transactions linked to the
policy and programs of George HW Bush Sr. Transactions at Altalanos Ertekforgalmi
Bank (AEB) would/should have been a target for investigation, linking Bush to the Bank
of New York Money Laundering scandal.
Westdeutsche Landesbank
Similarly, another bank that was a recipient of Wanta controlled funding - Westdeutsche
Landesbank, had moneys routed to the Khodorkovsky group, and found itself with
difficulty trying to collect that loan.
Khodorkovsky's group urged the foreign banks to accept a three-year repayment plan, secured by oil
exports rather than Yukos shares. But the two largest creditors, Daiwa Bank and West Merchant Bank
(a subsidiary of Westdeutsche Landesbank), refused. [The World's Billionaires: The Oligarch Who
Came in from the Cold, Paul Klebnikov, Forbes, March 18, 2002]
“It began after the ruble's collapse last summer, when one of Russia's key financial institutions,
Menatep, defaulted on $236 million in loans to Germany's Westdeutsche Landesbank, Daiwa
Securities of Japan and Standard Bank of South Africa. The loans had been collateralized by a pledged
30 percent stake in the enormous oil company Yukos that was also controlled by Menatep's billionaire
owner, Mikhail Khodorkovsky. But before the foreign institutions could act, Yukos — whose reserves
are considered by some to be equal to Texaco's — received local court approval to bar minority
investors from shareholders meetings of its key subsidiairies. Meetings were then held where the
subsidiaries were transferred almost free of charge to obscure offshore companies also suspected to be
part of Khodorkovsky's empire. That left the foreign banks with nothing more than shares in a holding
company that suddenly had no holdings — and thus was almost worthless.” [Corporate Governance
Goes Global: Riding the Rising Tide, Rob Wright, IFC Corporate Relations Unit, Impact, Summer
1999]
It is also clearly reported that the Landesbank was included into the investigation of the
Bank of New York activities.
“Though the exact figure has not been determined, this vast sum not only lined the pockets of the new
Russian kleptocracy, but also flowed into the coffers of US and European financial institutions. (The
BNY case may well involve a number of major European banks. On Tuesday, the Wall Street Journal,
THE SEPTEMBER 11 COMMISSION REPORT Page 231