Viktor Bout´s Money Launderer Plead Not Guilty

FROM THE - JOURNALS of Monte Friesner – Criminal & Intelligence Analyst and Consulaire for WANTED SA ~

RICHARD CHICHAKLI ENTERS PLEA OF NOT GUILTY IN NEW YORK FEDERAL CASE

Update: The court docket in United States vs. Viktor Bout, et al*, the case pending against the extradited Richard Chichakli, indicates that he entered a plea of not guilty to the charges pending against him. Needless to say, the Court did not release him on bond;  Chichakli has been a fugitive since the criminal action was filed four years ago, and he lived openly in Moscow much of that time.

What is more interesting is the fact that no criminal defence attorney has filed a Notice of Appearance** on his behalf, Federal Defender Sabrina Shroff, who has represented several high-profile terrorists, as well as Russians, and Iranians, appeared for Chichakli, but only for the strictly limited purpose of bail. the question remains: will he change his plea, and work out a deal with the prosecutors ?

His precise role during his association with Bout remains a mystery; some claim that Chichakli, who served in the United States Army after he emigrated to America, has been an intelligence agent, but for which country ? Russia has been mentioned as a possibility. Then we have the aviation assignments Viktor Bout reportedly did for the Central Intelligence Agency. Who were Bout & Chichakli collecting intelligence for ? That is one reason why many court watchers are hoping that this case actually goes to trial, which would give his defence counsel the opportunity to explore these issues in a public forum.

In a public comment to the media about the Richard Chichakli case, Viktor Bout accused the United States of manufacturing the criminal charges. Bout declined to detail his relationship with his former associate, explaining that it required clearance form his counsel.

We shall continue to follow all developments in this case as they occur.

______________________________________________________________________

* 09-cr-01002-WHP (SDNY). Viktor Bout, through a named defendant and presently serving a Federal sentence in another case, cannot be tried, as one can only be tried for the charges which one was extradited for, and no other.

** Under local rules in effect in the Southern District of New York, attorneys filing an appearance are required to remain as counsel, through trial, and generally cannot withdraw. This is known as a Permanent Appearance.

READ MORE ON : www.wantedsa.com

MEK RENEGES ON PROMISE TO LEAVE IRAQ, SHOULD BE DISBANDED

FROM THE - JOURNALS of Monte Friesner – Criminal & Intelligence Analyst and Consulaire for WANTED SA

~Contributed & Written by Kenneth Rijock ~

MEK RENEGES ON PROMISE TO LEAVE IRAQ, SHOULD BE DISBANDED

The Mujahedeen Khalq, the Marxist/Islamist militant cult group more commonly known in the West as the MEK, is not cooperating in the orderly departure of its members, from camps in Iraq, to resettlement sites in Europe. This far, only a dozen of the expected 3100 members have been transported out of Iraq, to their new homes.

The MEK, who opposes the regime in Iran, but has a history of violence to Americans, was delisted as a terrorist group in the US, after extensive lobbying efforts in Washington. It promised the United States it would agree to resettlement, but its leadership has proven to be uncooperative, notwithstanding the danger to MEK members, should they remain in Iraq, whose Shiite militants have attacked them several times, since they disarmed after the Second Gulf War.

Perhaps now all those who expressed reservations to the US delisting of the MEK can now remind the American Government that the presence of the MEK, which is not well-regarded in Iran, has no place in the current political situation in the Middle East, and it should be disbanded forthwith. The many prominent former US military officers and retired politicians on its lobbying payroll notwithstanding.

The US & Iraq need to dissolve the MEK, lest it cause trouble again in the region. It has been  described by its detractors as a fanatical cult that requires absolute loyalty from its members; non-democratic, and employs a cult of personality in its leadership. It has no place in the Arab (or Persian) Spring.

READ MORE: www.wantedsa.com

TERRORIST LIVING AND WORKING IN THE U.S AND ONLY FBI KNOWS

FROM THE - JOURNALS of Monte Friesner – Criminal & Intelligence Analyst and Consulaire for WANTED S.A ~Contributed & Written by Kenneth Rijock ~

NEEDLESSLY CLASSIFYING TERRORISTS' NAMES HINDERS TERRORIST FINANCING IDENTIFICATION

A South Florida media source recently obtained a number of documents about a Saudi family who vacated their Sarasota, Florida home in a hurry just prior to 11 September, leaving behind their three automobiles, furniture and furnishings. One of the residents* was linked, in Venice, Florida, to two of the hijacker/pilots who flew one passenger jet into the World Trade Centre, and another into the ground in Pennsylvania.

What is bothering me about this matter is this :

(1) Apparently the FBI stated, back in 2002, that there was no connection with the 9/11 disasters. This was obviously an attempt to conceal details of an ongoing investigation.

(2) In releasing the documents to the media, a decade later, all names have been redacted (deleted). Only through other references, and the background knowledge of the journalist, were the identities of the hijackers, and the resident of the home, apparent.

(3) the names, addresses, and dates of birth, in the documents, are classified until 14 March, 2038, twenty five years from now. How can one justify this ? We are in the dark about a major suspect.

Bankers in Florida may have handled terrorist financing transactions for Al-Hijji, since 9/11, without knowing that he was a close associate of the hijackers. Inasmuch as the financial community is, for better or worse, part of the law enforcement effort, due to the USA PATRIOT ACT, we need to know who to watch out for; That is no too much to ask. Perhaps those career bureaucrats who classify such information should take into account the real-life problems faced by the banks that these suspects utilise.

___________________________________________________________________________

*Abdulaziz al-Hijji.

                      READ MORE : www.wantedsa.com