There are times when a manual earth-restructuring implement is best referred to as a spade, so let us speak plainly. A summit on corruption will be held on Thursday in a city that is internationally recognised (by the IMF, among others) as a tax haven. It is being hosted by a politician who admitted last month that he has personally profited from offshore finance and whose party is bankrolled by an industry that makes extravagant use of those same tax havens. Not only that, he has intervened to aid tax avoiders. That’s right, David Cameron is holding a meeting on corruption.

The prime minister is not personally corrupt – but he is certainly guilty of epic hypocrisy. So, for that matter, are Britain and the west. They have spent decades ordering poor countries and failed states to sort out their problems with dodgy money, even while taking much of that dodgy money and ploughing it through their banks, their ritzy stores, their estate agents, and their offshore tax havens – with barely any questions asked or eyebrows raised.

WhenMr Cameron was caught on camera on Tuesday boasting to the Queen of the “fantastically corrupt countries” turning up at Lancaster House this week, he might have mentioned that Afghanistan is a failed state that did not get any less failed over 13 years of British intervention. And he should certainly have mentioned that the president of Nigeria, Muhammadu Buhari, is coming to London to lobby it to sort out the tax havens in its own backyard. Indeed, Mr Cameron might have quoted a letter sent to him a fortnight ago by campaigners in Nigeria.


“We are embarked on a nationwide anti-corruption campaign,” the letter said. “But these efforts are sadly undermined if countries such as your own are welcoming our corrupt to hide their ill-gotten gains in your luxury homes, department stores, car dealerships, private schools and anywhere else that will accept their cash with no questions asked. The role of London’s property market as vessels to conceal stolen wealth has been exposed in court documents, reports, documentaries and more.”

So the president of the Nigerian senate, Bukola Saraki, currently facing allegations that he failed to declare his assets, owns a property in London’s Belgravia in his own name. But last month’s Panama Papers revealed that the £5.7m property next door is owned by companies incorporated in the Seychelles and British Virgin Islands, whose respective shareholders are Saraki’s wife and former special assistant. And a £1.65m townhouse in Kensington is shown as belonging to a BVI company whose sole shareholder is Folorunsho Coker, former head of the number plate production authority of the state of Lagos and currently business adviser to the governor of Lagos. None of these individuals may have done anything wrong, but the charge from those campaigners is hard to duck. Under successive governments, from Thatcher to Blair to Cameron, London has become the financial centre for the world’s dirty money.


A third of all the trillions hiding offshore are sitting in tax havens linked to the UK, according to Oxfam. These havens rely on Britain for security and protection. The Jersey pound note features the Queen. On the Caymans, they sing as the national anthem God Save the Queen. Yet Whitehall persists in pretending they are autonomous – even though London has overridden them before, on the abolition of capital punishment, say, or the decriminalising of homosexual acts. It will not do so on shady finance, however. The result is that Britain will soon bring in a public register of who ultimately owns the companies listed here – even while its overseas territories won’t. The Caymans and the rest claim that this is because they are home to perfectly legitimate operations – in which case, what have they got to hide?

http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/may/10/the-guardian-view-on-corruption-david-cameron-should-look-closer-to-home

Cc Mynd44 lalasticlala ...

A third of all the trillions hiding offshore are sitting in tax havens linked to the UK, according to Oxfam.

Nothing as insulting as the accessory (receiver+keeper of stolen items) of an inside job home bulgrary castigating & mocking the home owners !!!

If there isn't a store house there would be no reason to take what isn't even needed!!

Great that Buhari didn't throw childish tantrums, He created a PR nightmare for UK/Cameron.... Now they can't shy away from reparation of identified stolen funds..

Too late for damage limitation, Bubu just confirmed what Cameron said.

[size=15pt]Nigerian President: 'Yes' My Country Is Corrupt[/size]
Muhammadu Buhari was speaking in London after David Cameron described his country, and Afghanistan, as "fantastically corrupt".
The President of Nigeria has admitted to Sky News that his country is corrupt, after David Cameron was caught on camera making the same point.

Asked by Sky News' Diplomatic Editor Dominic Waghorn whether his country was corrupt, he answered: "Yes."

Speaking in London at an anti-corruption event hosted by the Commonwealth Secretariat, Muhammadu Buhari said he would not be expecting the Prime Minister to say sorry.

"I am not going to demand any apology from anybody," he said.


http://news.sky.com/story/1694123/nigerian-president-yes-my-country-is-corrupt

TippyTop:
Its too late for any damage limitation, Bubu just confirmed what Cameron said.

Why deny the obvious? ONLY foolish people leave leprosy to pay attention to Ringworm!!

Are Nigerian public purse trustees not corrupt?

However things are going to fall in their right places... unlike the past ineffectual Federal government..

Which is a lot of the fantastically corrupt are being made to face consequences of actions and your type go on wailing spree about Persecution & witch hunting, Aint seen nothing yet..

One thing is sure, winning this war against corrupt practices is no negotiable, just must be done...

David Cameron has inadvertently tightened the noose around some people's necks, they will sweat and cry blood..


Cc ; Beremx Seunmsg, Tuale4u, Malton, Ratello , Omenka, Passingshot, THEVOICE, Dropshot, Fulanimafia, Aresa, keneking Fizznation.....

Modath's thread?? I'd I don't comment, who will??

A third of all the trillions hiding offshore are sitting in tax havens linked to the UK, according to Oxfam. These havens rely on Britain for security and protection.

When our guy Dave was making that comment, he certainly never knew he was within earshot, now he'd have to make restitution and prove himself worthy of the position he occupies by relinquishing our stolen assets stashed away in the UK.

That is the fastest way he can make this go away.

Regardless, what he said wasn't untrue given where we are coming from, only problem is the moral ground upon which he stands is very fragile and shaky so much so that it collapsed completely under the weight of his remark.

Cameron goofed big time and I like how PMB threw shades at him by saying "you help them keep their loots. Return them to us and stfu".

Keneking, abeg come call your friend for us. He be like na your voice dey loud pass.

Why are we blaming UK instead of the people who took money to their banks, misplaced priority.

Blame nigerian politicians and stop being stooges for criminals.

Kundagarten:
Why are we blaming UK instead of the people who took money to their banks, misplaced priority.

Blame nigerian politicians and stop being stooges for criminals.

Did you read the article? The article's salient points were highlited nah!!

How did you arrive at blaming UK?, UK's blame is safekeeping of proceeds of corruption, everyone knows that already..

Cameron probably didn't know he was being audibly recorded though.

Kundagarten:
Why are we blaming UK instead of the people who took money to their banks, misplaced priority.

Blame nigerian politicians and stop being stooges for criminals.

Because the corrupt stashing their loots there is an indictment of the UK.

What's annoying is that her aiding of corruption makes her a party to it, yet, she goes about playing saint.

By providing them a safe haven, the UK claims power to reward the corrupt.

modath:




Nothing as insulting as the accessory (receiver+keeper of stolen items) of an inside job home bulgrary castigating & mocking the home owners !!!

If there isn't a store house there would be no reason to take what isn't even needed!!

Great that Buhari didn't throw childish tantrums, He created a PR nightmare for UK/Cameron.... Now they can't shy away from reparation of identified stolen funds..

na God epp us probably because of PMB's sincere efforts , clear cut visions and guts unlike some ....hence Cameron even while being in camera was caught off ! Before the coming of Cameron ,shameless Nigerian politicians have been stealing and hiding it overseas where the people dey on there own jeje ooo. Cameron and Uk institutions are UK ambassadors whose interest they took an oath to protect and can even diplomatically refuse to give us a dime.....they can just spew some diplomatic jargons ,bribe some PDP rogues to even sue Nigerian government for driving away international investors and for disrespecting our colonial masters! haaa PDP ! Just imagine the kind of ridicules we get behind diplomatic curtains and off cameras?

If corruption was hard drugs, Britain would be a baron.

Corruption is a global problem made worse in Nigeria by ineffectual b..