[ddj] New Zealand List Followers
nate thayer
thayernate0007 at gmail.com
Wed May 9 15:46:03 UTC 2012
Stephan,
Austria was where North Korea had their only overseas branch of a NK bank
until it was shut down in 2006 (?) called the Gold Star bank. The Austrian
Interior Ministry determined they were laundering money from the sale
transfer of weapons drugs etc through there and staffing it with NK
intelligence operatives. I have the report. They had a wide network of
shell companies in as you say "less rough' countries to purchase components
and material neccesary to create their nuclear and ballistic missile
program and launder money through the finacial systems of sales back to NK.
Germany, Switzerland, Slovakia, Poland etc all were active countries. Then
they move on once suspected.
Also Austria was where NK major nuclear proliferaters were based as
diplomatic representatives for the IAEA. And a number of other centers. Do
you have the names of any of the NK who were registered with the company
you mention? I would bet you they match official NK who are part of the
international crime syndicate. They used Austria to create corporate shell
companies with diplomats accredited to other Eastern European countries. It
is a complex network. If you send me the Company details or names of the
listed board of directors, I will be able to shed some light on what is
really behind the companies activities I would guess. Your message is
exactly the kind of details I am looking for
Cheers,
Nate
On Wed, May 9, 2012 at 9:29 AM, <stephan at blancke.de> wrote:
> Nate,
> interesting to read you are mentioning Austria - beside more "rough"
> countries as Syria or Iran. Shouldn´t you get especially in Austria
> informations you are looking for?
> I did some research about a North Korean company and found mostly good
> contacts or sources in Austria (e.g. the so called "Handelsregister").
>
> Regards from Berlin
> Stephan
>
>
>
> > Thanks Dan: I have already contacted both site. It is indeed a great
> > outfit, but almost all the site links require payment. And frustratingly
> > most of them only deal with US and UK registered companies--the two
> places
> > these sorts stay away from. I have messaged the research desk and they I
> > expect will get back to me. I really need mainly a data base to run names
> > of people to see what companies they show up affiliated with, and names
> of
> > companies to see what people show up affiliated with them. But they are
> in
> > places like China, UAE, Ethiopia, as well as Singapore, Malaysia Hong
> Kong
> > Jordan Iran, Lebanon Syria, Austria etc etc. I actually did check Panama
> > and came up with ships named under companies clearly the same as same
> cone
> > who run everything from nukes to drugs. But the registration were clearly
> > front names and local addresses--which is why I guess the reall owners
> > registered there in the first place.
> >
> > Keep up the good work
> >
> > Cheers,
> >
> > Nate
> >
> > On Wed, May 9, 2012 at 7:22 AM, Dan <daniel at ohuiginn.net> wrote:
> >
> >>
> >> Nate,
> >>
> >> I'm aware of one _very_ good resource for this, aimed at journalists in
> >> precisely your position:
> >>
> >> http://www.investigativedashboard.org
> >>
> >> It's run by the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project, a
> >> network of investigative journalists. They have a bunch of links to
> >> databases on the site. More importantly, they operate a free 'research
> >> desk' -- i.e. you can send them a description of what you're looking
> >> for, and they'll do what they can to help you. This includes funding for
> >> paid databases, and asking lawyers/journalists on the ground to help
> >> out.
> >>
> >> For purely company-related information, do try OpenCorporates. I
> >> understand they are particularly keen to have journalists using the
> >> site, to demonstrate the public value of their work. i.e. it's very
> >> worth emailing them, either for advice or with thanks.
> >>
> >> And should your networks ever get as far as Panama, my own baby is a
> >> company-record search there: http://ohuiginn.net/panama.
> >>
> >> best,
> >> Dan
> >>
> >> On Wed, 2012-05-09 at 06:59 -0400, nate thayer wrote:
> >> > Thanks for the comments all re: NZ data research comments. Actually, I
> >> > could use advice on a broader front.
> >> >
> >> > I have spent 25 years as an investigative journalist covering wars
> >> > organized transnational crime, organized criminal syndicates, arms
> >> > drugs and other illict trafficking, human rights, asymmetrical warfare
> >> > and money laundering. Much of it was spent in jungles of southeast
> >> > Asia--a lot in Cambodia in the jungles trying to access Pol Pot and
> >> > his Khmer Rouge. It was the antithises of today's research methods. It
> >> > wasn't unusual for me to walk for weeks to access information. And
> >> > paper documents were the norm. The point being this is a whole new
> >> > world for me. I have spent much of the last year educating myself on
> >> > the amazing ability to collect and extract data online. But either I
> >> > am an idiot or I have a lot more work to do to learn the ropes.
> >> >
> >> > I have spent a year collecting hundreds of names, registered
> >> > companies, front companies, financial systems and banks, shipping
> >> > records etc. This all is related to a very sophisticated web of North
> >> > Korean trafficking in nuclear and missile components and technology,
> >> > counterfeit money, heroin,methamphetamine and then organizing the
> >> > return of the proceeds through the international financial systems to
> >> > North Korea.
> >> >
> >> > The problem is not so much that they are constantly setting up and
> >> > dissolving companies and paper banks and reconstituting them with new
> >> > names etc. The problem is accessing the list of registered directors
> >> > and managers of these companies. I am convinced if I can access the
> >> > more detailed corporate and banking records (most public records or
> >> > accessible with the right search knowledge and tools) required by
> >> > national laws to be filed, I can expose a very large international
> >> > criminal syndicate run by a core of top North Korean government
> >> > leaders and their patronage networks of managers.
> >> >
> >> > They involve many countries, from the middle east to Asia, to Europe
> >> > to Africa, Russia etc. Hong Kong , Singapore, United Arab Emirates,
> >> > Lichtenstein, China, Lebanon Ethiopia, Austria Malaysia are examples.
> >> >
> >> > One main problem I am sure many can relate to is I am not currently
> >> > affiliated with an institution--I am freelance. And many of the data
> >> > bases that list the names of directors of companies and banks and
> >> > shipping cargo records are very expensive.
> >> >
> >> > I have date of birth and even passport numbers for many of these
> >> > managers of the network.
> >> >
> >> > Any advice on what data search tools that are free (or someone who has
> >> > access to such data bases) would be immensily appreciated. I am all
> >> > ears. Thanks in advance for any thoughts, suggestions, and assistance.
> >> > I should be honest and admit one of my problems is I appear to be a
> >> > computer idiot :)
> >> >
> >> > Best regards to all involved in what seems to be a really brilliant
> >> > collaborative effort,
> >> >
> >> > Cheers,
> >> >
> >> > Nate Thayer
> >> >
> >> > On Wed, May 9, 2012 at 5:34 AM, Innes <innes at quantumdata.co.nz>
> wrote:
> >> > Thanks Tim,
> >> >
> >> > Will check out the Open Government ninjas website and register
> >> > to get involved.
> >> >
> >> > Will be up in Auckland later this month. Would be interested
> >> > to have a coffee and talk about what is happening in NZ.
> >> >
> >> > Cheers, Innes
> >> >
> >> > Sent from my iPad
> >> >
> >> > On 9/05/2012, at 8:58 PM, Tim McNamara
> >> > <paperless at timmcnamara.co.nz> wrote:
> >> >
> >> > > Innes -
> >> > >
> >> > > Most Kiwis in this space are part of the Open Government
> >> > ninjas list:
> >> > > http://groups.open.org.nz/groups/ninja-talk. There are many
> >> > of the NZ
> >> > > DDJ leaders there: Juha Saarinen, Keith Ng, etc.
> >> > >
> >> > > I'm based in Auckland (Symonds St) and am always up for a
> >> > coffee.
> >> > >
> >> > > On 9 May 2012 20:51, Innes Fisher <innes at quantumdata.co.nz>
> >> > wrote:
> >> > >> Hi Nate,
> >> > >>
> >> > >>
> >> > >>
> >> > >> Well if I can help and do something in my spare time, let
> >> > me know. Sometimes
> >> > >> having someone on the ground makes things a bit easier. I
> >> > won’t have a lot
> >> > >> of time immediately but could possibly squeeze some time
> >> > out of my busy
> >> > >> schedule.
> >> > >>
> >> > >>
> >> > >>
> >> > >> Personal banking records in NZ will be covered by the
> >> > Privacy Act 1993 so it
> >> > >> would be difficult to acquire anything without breaking the
> >> > law unless they
> >> > >> were released either officially or by the individual(s)
> >> > concerned.
> >> > >>
> >> > >>
> >> > >>
> >> > >> I believe The NZ Companies Office has an API to allow you
> >> > to search the
> >> > >> company registrations and associated information (like
> >> > Directors and
> >> > >> Shareholders). You probably already know that. It might be
> >> > possible to do an
> >> > >> extract to create a more useful dataset though.
> >> > >>
> >> > >>
> >> > >>
> >> > >> Cheers,
> >> > >>
> >> > >> Innes
> >> > >>
> >> > >>
> >> > >>
> >> > >>
> >> > >>
> >> > >> From: data-driven-journalism-bounces at lists.okfn.org
> >> > >> [mailto:data-driven-journalism-bounces at lists.okfn.org] On
> >> > Behalf Of nate
> >> > >> thayer
> >> > >> Sent: Wednesday, 9 May 2012 11:41 a.m.
> >> > >> To: List about Data Driven Journalism and Open Data in
> >> > Journalism.
> >> > >> Subject: Re: [ddj] New Zealand List Followers
> >> > >>
> >> > >>
> >> > >>
> >> > >> Hi Innes:
> >> > >>
> >> > >> I am from the US (although lived in Asia for 25 years) but
> >> > I am working on a
> >> > >> story that involves New Zealand. It is exactly what good
> >> > data journalism
> >> > >> works for: The use of NZ based paper front companies to
> >> > hide real ownership
> >> > >> for the international transport of corrupt money arms drugs
> >> > etc. Their are
> >> > >> hundreds of fake companies registered to a single Aukland
> >> > address to ship
> >> > >> products rent airplanes, set up fake companies registered
> >> > in other countries
> >> > >> for bank transfers etc. SP Trading is its name and it
> >> > briefly hit the news
> >> > >> in December 2010 when an arms shipment was intercepted from
> >> > North Korea to
> >> > >> Iran in Bangkok. I am trying to track real ownership. If
> >> > you or anyone else
> >> > >> knows how to best mine company and bank records to trace
> >> > the very
> >> > >> complicated web I would love to know.
> >> > >>
> >> > >> Best
> >> > >>
> >> > >> Nate Thayer
> >> > >>
> >> > >> On Tue, May 8, 2012 at 4:26 PM, Innes Fisher
> >> > <innes at quantumdata.co.nz>
> >> > >> wrote:
> >> > >>
> >> > >> Hi,
> >> > >>
> >> > >>
> >> > >>
> >> > >> Anyone from New Zealand following this list?
> >> > >>
> >> > >>
> >> > >>
> >> > >> Would be interested in finding out what is going on in NZ
> >> > in Data Journalism
> >> > >> at present.
> >> > >>
> >> > >>
> >> > >>
> >> > >> Cheers, Innes
> >> > >>
> >> > >>
> >> > >> _______________________________________________
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> >> > >>
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> >> > >>
> >> > >>
> >> > >>
> >> > >> ________________________________
> >> > >>
> >> > >> No virus found in this message.
> >> > >> Checked by AVG - www.avg.com
> >> > >> Version: 2012.0.1913 / Virus Database: 2425/4985 - Release
> >> > Date: 05/08/12
> >> > >>
> >> > >>
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