Tag Archives: Cuba
19 July 2013
The Panamanian Foreign Ministry announced that a five-member team of UN experts will inspect the Cuban weapons shipment that was seized last week in Panama on suspicion of carrying weapons to North Korea in violation of the UN arms embargo.
Although Panama has claimed to have acted on its own, American sources have reportedly confirmed that US intelligence was used, and the seizure has received strong support from the US. The US, operating the Panama Canal until 1999, has declined to comment on the details of the case, but security experts say the US likely assisted Panama in the operation.
Source: Reuters | U.S. concerned over North Korean arms ship, Panama awaits U.N.
18 July 2013
It was reported on Tuesday that Panama has seized a North Korean cargo ship carrying weapons from Cuba. Cuba confirmed late on Tuesday that the arms were bound for North Korea but claimed that the missiles, fighter jets and other arms were obsolete defensive weaponry being sent away for repairs.
The seizure came after a violent stand-off between Panamanian marines and North Korean crew members. The vessel is currently held by Panamanian authorities over suspected breach of UN sanctions on North Korea, and Panama has asked UN investigators to inspect the shipment.
Source: The New York Times | Panama Seizes Korean Ship, and Sugar-Coated Arms Parts
Source: The Guardian | Cuba confirms arms bound for North Korea on ship seized in Panama
Source: Fox News | Panama says North Korean arms shipment a matter for the UN
9 January 2013
In a column published in the New York Times, Robert Mazur argues that making bankers more easily punishable under the law would help in the fight against professional money laundering.
Banks have laundered money for drug cartels and used schemes in order to move hundreds of millions of US Dollars to States that are subject to trade sanctions, such as Sudan, Cuba and Iran. Since 2006, more than a dozen banks have reached settlements with the Justice Department in the United States concerning violations related to money laundering. Mazur argues that ‘without the ability to “wash” billions of dollars of money from illicit sources each year and bank the untraceable profits’ both drug trade and terrorism as being criminal enterprises ‘would falter.’
Source: The New York Times | How to Halt the Terrorist Money Train