The United States gets to do whichever it wants within the world. The nation’s influence without doubt extends into the sphere of international finance, where it has thrown its considerable weight into bringing charges against England’s Barclays Bank. The Washington Post reports that federal prosecutors accused Barclays of violating U.S. sanctions against Cuba, Iran, Libya, Sudan and Burma for more than a decade, from March 1995 to September 2006. The New York branch cleared through Barclays over $ 500 million that went to all of the nations that are enemies to the U.S.. Reuters indicates that Barclays Bank has already agreed to pay $ 298 million to settle U.S. criminal charges, and hence has admitted to wrongdoing.
Prosecutors think Barclays tried hiding what happened
The banks that were sanctioned in other countries weren’t named within the Barclays documents. To make the connection to the other countries obscure, payments went through internal accounts. Counts against Barclays Bank include violation of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act and trading with the enemy, according to Jennifer Calvery, chief of the U.S. Justice Department’s asset forfeiture and money-laundering division.
U.S. sanctions against Cuba have been in existence since the Kennedy presidential administration, when Libya (1986), Iran (1995), Sudan and Burma (1997) came later.
Barclays has disclosed some of the prohibited transactions
According to Reuters, all related documents are being given to the U.S. government investigators by Barclays Bank in cooperation. Barclays hasn’t given all these documents up yet. The settlement of $ 289 million is split into two payments of $ 149 million which could be distributed right away and then later.
Americans violate human rights in the same way
The past has shown Cuba, Iran, Libya, Sudan and Burma all having human rights violations against them in history. Barclays Bank should have known better than to try to support U.S. enemies through their branches on U.S. soil, yet Barclays’ infraction is not likely unique among foreign businesses that operate in America. The United States likes to make things happen the way they’ve planned. It is said by The Decemberists’ song “Sixteen Military Wives”,
Cheer them on to their rivals
Cause America can, and America can’t say no
And America does, if America says it’s so
It’s so!
More on this topic available at these sites
Reuters
reuters.com/article/idUSTRE67F36J20100816?utm_source=feedburner and amp;utm_medium=feed and amp;utm_campaign=Feed%3A+reuters%2FtopNews+%28News+%2F+US+%2F+Top+News%29
Washington Post
washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/08/16/AR2010081602955.html
Barclays was previously fined £ 2.45 million ($ 3.8 million) for “poor reporting systems”
youtube.com/watch?v=zqsf3XswX4Q
