Financial frauds will always be an ongoing battle between the authorities and the individuals and companies that perpetuate and advise on how to avoid tax, conceal and launder great wealth. This has gone on for many decades, with crooked banks, bankers, businessmen, lawyers & accountants, all looking to get their noses in the trough. Switzerland was the most well known safe haven for money but in reality, many places around the world have greater banking secrecy. It says a lot when a government minister, in this case, Vince Cable, dismissed offshore tax havens as "Sunny spots for shady characters!" Really? So why do many criminal organisations funnel their illicit monies through these "sunny spots?" Why do dictators and despots do the same thing? Why do criminals employ said bankers, accountants, businessmen and lawyers to launder their booty? It was a ridiculous answer simply to side step a question.
Stealing pension funds was not the sole preserve of Robert Maxwell. One local firm here had it`s pension fund mysteriously disappear. Also, a pension fund in Ellesmere Port vanished without trace. As far as I am aware, the only people who could make funds vanish are those with access to it. Where would it vanish to? Simple. An offshore tax haven, with probably a couple of individuals able to dip into it at will, and live the high life for the rest of their days. As for the poor suckers who spent years paying into these funds, well, you can work out what these crooks think of them.
What about the scandal of Bernie Madoff and his multi-billion dollar frauds? Despots such as Marcos, Duvalier, Noriega and many more. Bleeding their own countries dry and putting everything through these "sunny spots." Luxembourg & Lichenstein becoming more favourable than good old Switzerland, the Carribean, Cayman Islands, British Virgin Islands, Channel Isles, oh so many places. Some have tightened up their laws and controls, others have pretended to or just simply have not bothered.
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