buzzfeed--2020-09-23--Deadly Terror Networks And Drug Cartels Use Huge Banks To Finance Their Crimes. These Secret Documen

Deadly Terror Networks And Drug Cartels Use Huge Banks To Finance Their Crimes. These Secret Documents Show How The Banks Profit.

Thousands of secret “ suspicious activity reports ” offer a never-before-seen picture of corruption and complicity — and how the government lets it flourish .
A huge trove of secret government documents reveals for the first time how the giants of Western banking move trillions of dollars in suspicious transactions , enriching themselves and their shareholders while facilitating the work of terrorists , kleptocrats , and drug kingpins .
And the US government , despite its vast powers , fails to stop it .
Today , the FinCEN Files — thousands of “ suspicious activity reports ” and other US @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of global financial corruption , the banks enabling it , and the government agencies that watch as it flourishes .
BuzzFeed News has shared these reports with the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists and more than 100 news organizations in 88 countries .
These documents , compiled by banks , shared with the government , but kept from public view , expose the hollowness of banking safeguards , and the ease with which criminals have exploited them .
Profits from deadly drug wars , fortunes embezzled from developing countries , and hard-earned savings @ @ @ @ @ @ @ allowed to flow into and out of these financial institutions , despite warnings from the banks ’ own employees .
Money laundering is a crime that makes other crimes possible .
It can accelerate economic inequality , drain public funds , undermine democracy , and destabilize nations — and the banks play a key role .
“ Some of these people in those crisp white shirts in their sharp suits are feeding off the tragedy of people dying all over the world , ” said Martin Woods , a former suspicious transactions investigator @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to stop financial crime have instead allowed it to flourish .
So long as a bank files a notice that it may be facilitating criminal activity , it all but immunizes itself and its executives from criminal prosecution .
The suspicious activity alert effectively gives them a free pass to keep moving the money and collecting the fees .
The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network , or FinCEN , is the agency within the Treasury Department charged with combating money laundering , terrorist financing , and other financial crimes .
It collects millions of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ SARs .
It makes them available to US law enforcement agencies and other nations ’ financial intelligence operations .
It even compiles a report called “ Kleptocracy Weekly ” that summarizes the dealings of foreign leaders such as Russian President Vladimir Putin .
What it does not do is force the banks to shut the money laundering down .
In the rare instances when the US government does crack down on banks , it often relies on sweetheart deals called deferred prosecution agreements , which include fines but no high-level arrests .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to hold executives personally accountable , under guidance by former deputy attorney general Rod Rosenstein that warned government agencies against “ piling on.
” But the FinCEN Files investigation shows that even after they were prosecuted or fined for financial misconduct , banks such as JPMorgan Chase , HSBC , Standard Chartered , Deutsche Bank , and Bank of New York Mellon continued to move money for suspected criminals .
Suspicious payments flow around the world and into countless industries , from international sports to Hollywood entertainment to luxury real estate to Nobu @ @ @ @ @ @ @ companies that make familiar items from people ’ s lives , from the gas in their car to the granola in their cereal bowl .
The FinCEN Files expose an underlying truth of the modern era : The networks through which dirty money traverse the world have become vital arteries of the global economy .
They enable a shadow financial system so wide-ranging and so unchecked that it has become inextricable from the so-called legitimate economy .
Banks with household names have helped to make it so .
Information from millions of these @ @ @ @ @ @ @ through which law enforcement officers can summon detailed financial information with a few keystrokes .
The FinCEN Files opens a rare window into this vast system of financial intelligence , unmatched in the world but all but unknown to the public .
The SARs themselves are so closely held that members of the public can not obtain them through records requests or subpoenas , and banks are not allowed even to confirm their existence .
Prior to this reporting , very few SARs had ever been revealed .
The FinCEN Files encompass more @ @ @ @ @ @ @ year , BuzzFeed News and its partner news organizations across the world mined the information on these tens of thousands of pages to map more than 200,000 transactions .
( Here ’ s an explanation of how we did it . )
In all , suspicious activity reports in the FinCEN Files flagged more than $ 2 trillion in transactions between 1999 and 2017 .
Western banks could have blocked almost any of them , but in most cases they kept the money moving and kept collecting their fees .
Suspicious activity reports @ @ @ @ @ @ @ crime watchdogs , or compliance officers , who are often parked in remote offices and left to make sense of a vast number of transactions with very few resources , writing SARs with little research or verification .
BuzzFeed News ’ research went much further , including reams of internal bank data , thousands of pages of public records , hundreds of interviews with sources across the globe , dozens of Freedom of Information Act filings , five public records lawsuits , and requests for three federal courts to unseal records — all @ @ @ @ @ @ @ financial system that is largely hidden .
BuzzFeed News is not publishing the SARs in full because they contain information about people or companies that are not under suspicion , but who were swept up in the banks ’ searches .
A subset of the documents is being published , with redactions , to support reporting in specific stories .
After the Treasury Department received detailed questions about the FinCEN Files investigation , the agency released a statement saying that it was “ aware that various media outlets intend to publish a series @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Activity Reports ( SARs ) .
” It continued , “ the unauthorized disclosure of SARs is a crime that can impact the national security of the United States , compromise law enforcement investigations , and threaten the safety and security of the institutions and individuals who file such reports.
” The agency announced that it was referring the matter to the Department of Justice and the Treasury Department ’ s Office of Inspector General .
In a subsequent letter , FinCEN ’ s general counsel said that disclosure of SARs can make @ @ @ @ @ @ @ which “ could mean law enforcement has fewer potential leads to stop crimes like human trafficking , child exploitation , fraud , corruption , terrorism , and cyber-enabled crime.
” FinCEN did not respond to repeated invitations to discuss security concerns .
Sen. Ron Wyden , a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee , which requested some of these SARs , said the FinCEN Files investigation “ reinforces the fact that we now have two systems of law enforcement and justice in the country.
” Drug cartels move millions through US banks ; @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ If you 're wealthy and well-connected , you can figure out how to do an enormous amount of harm to society at large and ensure that it accrues to enormous financial benefit for all of you.
” Robert Mazur , a former federal special agent and an expert in money laundering , said that making this material public `` could enhance national security , aid future investigations , and encourage institutions to more consistently adhere to SAR filing requirements , ” and `` will hopefully get people who are in a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ systemic failure.
” Based in the United Arab Emirates , Mazaka General Trading presented itself to the world as a wholesaler .
But between March 2013 and April 2014 , the company received nearly $ 50 million from five companies involved in a Russian money laundering ring that manipulated international stock trades .
In May and June 2014 , it received more than $ 4 million from a Singapore company that appears barely even to exist .
It was also sending and receiving money from British firms located at 175 Darkes Lane , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ addresses for shell companies , which are a common tool to hide ownership .
These transactions by Mazaka General Trading — which the Treasury Department later declared to be a part of the Khanani money laundering network , a group that has financed terrorism and drug cartels around the globe — involved businesses and people far from the shores of the United States .
But as the money pinged around from one bank to another , it was all being tracked and it would all be reported to the Treasury Department .
Because @ @ @ @ @ @ @ international finance , the common denominator between the world ’ s disparate currencies , banking customers around the world need access to it .
But only select banks are licensed to conduct dollar transactions .
So smaller banks in other countries partner with larger institutions , which exchange their customers ’ pesos , yuan , or dirham for greenbacks .
For a fee , the arrangement , known as correspondent banking , helps keep the global economy humming .
As they pass through US banks , these transfers give the Treasury Department a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ It shares some of that information through the Egmont Group , a little-known coalition of financial intelligence units from more than 150 countries and territories .
SARs have provided Egmont members with financial details that would be otherwise unattainable , such as those concerning former Olympic Committee member Lamine Diack , who has been sentenced to prison for crimes connected to the Russian doping scandal , and the Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska , who was sanctioned by the US two years ago .
( Deripaska has sued the US government , maintaining that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ . )
But if the database is a powerful asset to law enforcement investigations , to privacy advocates , it is a nightmare of overreach .
Congress created the current SAR program in 1992 making banks the frontline in the fight against money laundering .
But Michael German , a former FBI special agent who is a national security and privacy expert , said that after 9/11 , `` the SAR program became more about mass surveillance than identifying discrete transactions to disrupt money launderers.
” Today , he said , `` the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ other mass surveillance programs .
Find someone you want to get for whatever reason then sift through the vast troves of data collected to find anything you can hang them with . ''
In 2017 , when US congressional committees began investigating the last presidential election and other matters , they , too , turned to the Treasury Department database .
They requested SARs on Deutsche Bank , which had loaned Trump money ; Christopher Steele , the former MI6 agent who wrote the so-called Trump dossier ; an array of Russian oligarchs @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Paul Manafort ; and even a small casino in the Pacific run by a former Trump employee .
All told , they were looking for information on more than 200 entities .
FinCEN unearthed tens of thousands of pages of documents .
Those documents , along with a few additional SARs requested by federal law enforcement authorities , make up the majority of the FinCEN Files .
Some were never turned over to the committees that requested them .
A person familiar with the matter blew the whistle to multiple members of Congress @ @ @ @ @ @ @ SARs about Trump ’ s finances .
( A source familiar with the matter told BuzzFeed News that FinCEN ’ s database did not contain SARs on either Trump or the Trump Organization . )
And though the documents show suspicious payments to people in Trump ’ s orbit before and after key moments in the 2016 presidential campaign , they do not provide direct information on any election interference .
Because the searches were so broad , however , they revealed something that most in Congress hadn ’ t even been looking @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s biggest banks kept doing business with clients that they themselves suspected were facilitating terror and corruption .
The information was laid out in transaction by transaction .
And it had been there all along .
FinCEN received more than 2 million SARs last year .
That number has nearly doubled over the past decade , as financial institutions have faced mounting pressure to file and the volume of international transactions has grown .
Over the same period , FinCEN ’ s staff has shrunk by more than 10 % .
Sources there @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , let alone acted upon .
Meanwhile , experts say , some banks treat SARs as a kind of get-out-of-jail-free card , filing alerts about a huge array of transactions without actually moving to halt them .
In some cases , banks filed numerous reports on the same clients , detailing their suspected crimes over the course of years while continuing to welcome their business .
By December 2013 , JPMorgan Chase had filed at least eight SARs on accounts and companies controlled by Manafort , flagging more than $ 10 million , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Manafort , who went on to become Trump ’ s campaign chair , was convicted of bank and tax fraud in 2018 .
Paul Pelletier , a former senior Justice Department lawyer who once led the agency ’ s fraud unit , said that approach makes a mockery of the system .
“ You ca n't just file SAR after SAR after SAR without eventually violating the money laundering laws , ” he said .
“ You cut them off and drop them as clients .
But you do n't keep taking their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sweeping powers to investigate account holders , the FinCEN Files investigation reveals that major financial institutions often fail to perform the most basic checks on their customers , such as verifying where a business is located when someone opens a new account .
The lapses allow criminal groups to hide behind shell corporations , registered with no identifying details about their ownership , and slide the proceeds of their crimes into the global financial system .
In many cases , the banks appear to have no idea whatsoever whose money they are moving @ @ @ @ @ @ @ American operations asked their colleagues in Hong Kong for the name of the person who owned Trade Leader , a company that had moved more than half a billion dollars through the bank in less than two years , the answer they got was “ None available.
” The company would reportedly emerge as an important hub in the so-called Russian Laundromat , a sprawling scheme in which wealthy Russians , facilitated by banks , secretly moved their money into the West .
After scandals like the Russian Laundromat , federal prosecutors have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Addressing an anti–money laundering conference in 2015 , Leslie Caldwell , then the head of the Justice Department 's criminal division , said that when it came to getting banks to clean up their acts , deferred prosecution agreements , which typically involve a fine and a probationary period , “ can often accomplish as much as , and sometimes even more than , we could from a criminal conviction.
” But the FinCEN Files investigation shows something very different .
Banks often get to the end of their agreement without actually @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of getting the prosecution that they had been threatened with , they just get another chance .
And sometimes another .
In 2012 , HSBC faced a historic crisis .
After permitting narcotraffickers to launder money and conducting business in off-limits countries such as Sudan and Myanmar , the bank was fined $ 1.9 billion .
It promised to change its ways , and to hold it to that promise , the government installed an independent monitor to keep close watch .
But the FinCEN Files investigation shows HSBC continued banking , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ customers that got it in trouble in the first place , such as a Panamanian import-export firm that the Treasury Department later said was laundering money for drug kingpins .
JPMorgan Chase got a deferred prosecution deal of its own .
For years , it was the primary bank of the world ’ s biggest Ponzi schemer , Bernie Madoff .
Despite multiple warnings from its own employees , the bank never filed a suspicious activity report on him and allegedly collected $ 500 million in fees .
For punishment , the bank @ @ @ @ @ @ @ billion fine and promise to improve its money laundering defenses .
But after it settled the Madoff case , the bank ’ s own investigators said they suspected it had opened its accounts to an alleged Russian organized crime figure who is known for drug trafficking and contract murders , as well as businesses tied to the repressive North Korean regime , which the US has placed off-limits .
It happened at Standard Chartered , too .
Last year , the government amended its 2012 deferred prosecution agreement after the bank was found @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and businesses in off-limits countries , primarily Iran .
The bank paid fines totaling $ 1.1 billion to US and UK authorities , and extended the terms of the deferred prosecution agreement for the sixth time in the space of seven years .
The bank apologized for its “ violations and control deficiencies ” but promised that none had occurred after 2014 .
The FinCEN Files documents show Standard Chartered processed hundreds of millions of dollars for companies it suspected were circumventing sanctions against Iran until at least 2017 .
Since 2010 , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ deferred prosecution agreements for anti–money laundering or sanctions violations , according to an analysis by BuzzFeed News .
Of those , at least four went on to break the law again and get fined .
Twice , the government responded to this kind of repeat offense by renewing the deferred prosecution agreement — the very tool that failed the first time .
If the government wanted to , experts in financial crime say , it could stop the dirty money coursing through the big banks , as well as the vast array of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ would be to require companies to disclose their owners to the Treasury Department , rather than allowing people to hide behind a shell company .
Lawmakers are debating a bipartisan bill that could address that for small companies .
The National Federation of Independent Business has opposed it , saying it raises privacy issues and would increase costs .
Sen. Sherrod Brown , who cosponsored the bill , told BuzzFeed News , “ Congress must act soon because criminals have long been revising , adjusting , and amending their tactics to circumvent our @ @ @ @ @ @ @ make a difference .
HSBC has fought to keep secret the final report by the monitor that the government installed to watch over the bank during the years of its deferred prosecution agreement .
It even took the unusual step of weighing in on a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit , when BuzzFeed News sued the Justice Department to release the report .
The knowledge that negative reports could become public , and potentially damage share prices , could impel wayward banks to clean up their acts .
Others say the SARs themselves @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the former FBI special agent , called the idea behind them `` naive '' because `` the largest money laundering operations occur with the cooperation of the financial institutions , or at least some officers within those institutions .
The lack of money laundering enforcement had nothing to do with a lack of evidence of suspicious transactions , but a lack of interest by political and law enforcement leadership.
’ ’ The most powerful way to fix the problem might be the simplest : Arrest the executives whose banks break the law @ @ @ @ @ @ @ until you start putting silver bracelets on people , '' Pelletier said .
`` Think of the message you 're sending to repeat offenders . ''
`` These guys know what they 're doing , ’ ’ said Thomas Nollner , a former regulator with the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency .
“ You break the law , you should go to jail , period . ''
That approach was once the norm .
“ Back in the 1980s and 90s and even into the early 2000s , the government went @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said US District Judge Jed Rakoff , who has been an outspoken critic of weak penalties for white-collar criminals .
In the past , the CEOs of Enron , WorldCom , and Tyco were all sent to jail for what they did , he pointed out .
“ Now that ’ s deterrence.
” Rakoff went further : “ Under US law , a bank that engages in money laundering can literally be forced out of business by the government , and it is kind of surprising that government hasn ’ t taken @ @ @ @ @ @ @ effect it would have.
” Ultimately , the power to keep criminal profits from being laundered through the US financial system may not reside in the actions of a bank ’ s compliance office or its computer systems or even its executive tier .
It may not reside with banking regulators or federal prosecutors or FinCEN .
It may not even be a matter of national policy alone .
Shutting down wayward banks could have an impact on the whole economy — for the US , its major trade partners , and beyond @ @ @ @ @ @ @ under US scrutiny , they step in .
In 2012 , Standard Chartered and HSBC were facing criminal prosecution .
George Osborne , at that time the UK ’ s chancellor of the exchequer , wrote to the chairperson of the US Federal Reserve , Ben Bernanke , and Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner to discuss his “ concerns ” that a heavy-handed response could have “ unintended consequences.
” He warned of a “ contagion.
” The implication : Close one bank and the whole economy could suffer .
Mazur , the former @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , says there are a “ mosaic ” of reasons why US authorities let the money keep running , but one of them may just be that it finds its way into too many pockets .
“ Even if it 's bad wealth , it buys buildings , ” he said .
“ It puts money into bank accounts .
It enriches the nation.
” ● Sophie Comeau , Waylon Cunningham , Sam Feehan , Nancy Guan , Kristy Hutchings , Kylie Storm , Felicia Tapia , Karen Wang , Abby Washer , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ School for Communication and Journalism contributed reporting .

Paul Pelletier, a former senior Justice Department lawyer who once led the agency’s fraud unit, said that approach makes a mockery of the system. “You can't just file SAR after SAR after SAR without eventually violating the money laundering laws,” he said. “You cut them off and drop them as clients. But you don't keep taking their money."
Despite the banks’ sweeping powers to investigate account holders, the FinCEN Files investigation reveals that major financial institutions often fail to perform the most basic checks on their customers, such as verifying where a business is located when someone opens a new account. The lapses allow criminal groups to hide behind shell corporations, registered with no identifying details about their ownership, and slide the proceeds of their crimes into the global financial system.
In many cases, the banks appear to have no idea whatsoever whose money they are moving.
When investigators for HSBC’s American operations asked their colleagues in Hong Kong for the name of the person who owned Trade Leader, a company that had moved more than half a billion dollars through the bank in less than two years, the answer they got was “None available.” The company would reportedly emerge as an important hub in the so-called Russian Laundromat, a sprawling scheme in which wealthy Russians, facilitated by banks, secretly moved their money into the West.
After scandals like the Russian Laundromat, federal prosecutors have made big pronouncements about forcing meaningful change.
Addressing an anti–money laundering conference in 2015, Leslie Caldwell, then the head of the Justice Department's criminal division, said that when it came to getting banks to clean up their acts, deferred prosecution agreements, which typically involve a fine and a probationary period, “can often accomplish as much as, and sometimes even more than, we could from a criminal conviction.”
But the FinCEN Files investigation shows something very different. Banks often get to the end of their agreement without actually fixing the problems. Then, instead of getting the prosecution that they had been threatened with, they just get another chance. And sometimes another.
In 2012, HSBC faced a historic crisis. After permitting narcotraffickers to launder money and conducting business in off-limits countries such as Sudan and Myanmar, the bank was fined $1.9 billion. It promised to change its ways, and to hold it to that promise, the government installed an independent monitor to keep close watch. But the FinCEN Files investigation shows HSBC continued banking, and profiting from, the same kinds of customers that got it in trouble in the first place, such as a Panamanian import-export firm that the Treasury Department later said was laundering money for drug kingpins.
JPMorgan Chase got a deferred prosecution deal of its own. For years, it was the primary bank of the world’s biggest Ponzi schemer, Bernie Madoff. Despite multiple warnings from its own employees, the bank never filed a suspicious activity report on him and allegedly collected $500 million in fees. For punishment, the bank was required to pay a $1.7 billion fine and promise to improve its money laundering defenses. But after it settled the Madoff case, the bank’s own investigators said they suspected it had opened its accounts to an alleged Russian organized crime figure who is known for drug trafficking and contract murders, as well as businesses tied to the repressive North Korean regime, which the US has placed off-limits.
It happened at Standard Chartered, too. Last year, the government amended its 2012 deferred prosecution agreement after the bank was found to have continued clearing transactions for individuals and businesses in off-limits countries, primarily Iran. The bank paid fines totaling $1.1 billion to US and UK authorities, and extended the terms of the deferred prosecution agreement for the sixth time in the space of seven years. The bank apologized for its “violations and control deficiencies” but promised that none had occurred after 2014.
The FinCEN Files documents show Standard Chartered processed hundreds of millions of dollars for companies it suspected were circumventing sanctions against Iran until at least 2017.
Since 2010, at least 18 financial institutions have received deferred prosecution agreements for anti–money laundering or sanctions violations, according to an analysis by BuzzFeed News. Of those, at least four went on to break the law again and get fined. Twice, the government responded to this kind of repeat offense by renewing the deferred prosecution agreement — the very tool that failed the first time.


buzzfeed--2020-09-23--This Is Why People With Vaginas Get Bleached Stains In Their Underwear

The key word here ?
Discharge .
`` Your vagina is an acidic environment , and that ’ s normal @ @ @ @ @ BuzzFeed .
`` It ’ s healthy , and that ’ s because of the @ @ @ @ @ there .
And so , theoretically , if your discharge is slightly acidic , it @ @ @ @ @ of fabric .
I can ’ t say specifically it always does , or it @ @ @ @ @ it varies , but it ’ s certainly possible . ''

The key word here? Discharge. "Your vagina is an acidic environment, and that’s normal," Dr. Lincoln told BuzzFeed. "It’s healthy, and that’s because of the kind of bacteria that live there. And so, theoretically, if your discharge is slightly acidic, it could potentially change the color of fabric. I can’t say specifically it always does, or it doesn’t, or it varies, but it’s certainly possible."


buzzfeed--2020-09-23--Here Is How Banks Have Responded To The FinCEN Files Investigation

“ This is not new information to us or our regulators .
The presented issues which relate to Deutsche Bank date back to the years prior 2016 , we ourselves reported them to our regulators and authorities and they have been to a larger part reported on by the media .
We acknowledged past weaknesses in our control environment , we apologized for this and accepted our respective fines .
Most importantly : we learnt from our mistakes , systematically tackled the issues and made changes to our business perimeter , our controls , and our personnel .
Many of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ which regulators and authorities lauded the bank ’ s cooperation and remediation publicly .
We have engaged in disciplinary consequences including on management board level when the facts warranted it .
We worked and still work constructively together with the authorities .
We have invested almost $ 1 billion in improved controls , trainings and operational processes , and have increased our anti-financial crime team to over 1,500 people .
We plan to continue to increase this number further .
We are a different bank now . ''
On SARs : “ Legal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ discussing potential SARs .
This would be a criminal violation of US ( and other ) law .
Banks file SARs on a regular basis in accordance with our legal obligations and as part of our partnership with regulators and law enforcement to protect the global financial system .
We thus help the authorities to catch and prosecute those engaged in criminal activity .
Deutsche Bank is actively monitoring for suspicious conduct and shares relevant findings with the authorities.
” “ The fight against financial crime , money laundering and capital flight has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ financial institutions alike .
The world ’ s leading financial institutions , including Deutsche Bank , have invested billions of dollars to more effectively support authorities in this effort .
Naturally , this leads to increased detection levels .
At Deutsche Bank we have devoted significant resources to strengthening our controls and we are very focused on meeting our responsibilities and obligations .
This also includes implementing risk mitigants and , where appropriate , off-boarding customers and correspondent banking relationships .
The ICIJ has reported on a number of historic issues .
Those @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to our regulators .
The issues have already been investigated and led to regulatory resolutions in which the bank ’ s cooperation and remediation was publicly recognized .
Where necessary and appropriate , consequence management was applied .
The bank has devoted significant resources strengthening its controls and we are extremely focused on meeting our responsibilities and obligations .
To the extent that information referenced by the ICIJ is derived from SARs , it should be noted that this is information that is pro-actively identified and submitted by banks to governments pursuant to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ potential issues , not proven facts.
” “ We take our responsibility to fight financial crime extremely seriously and have invested substantially in our compliance programmes .
Standard Chartered has nearly 2,000 staff worldwide dedicated to preventing , detecting and reporting suspicious transactions , and all staff are trained in sanctions and anti-money-laundering compliance .
In addition to investing to ensure we meet our regulatory obligations , we are active in public-private partnerships to help fight financial crime and raise industry standards .
As a result of the investments and improvements we have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ publicly acknowledged that the Group has undergone a comprehensive and positive transformation over the last several years .
`` In 2019 we monitored more than 1.2 billion transactions for potential suspicious activity and screened more than 157 million transactions for compliance with applicable sanctions requirements .
The reality of the global financial system is that there will always be attempts to launder money and evade sanctions ; the responsibility of banks is to build effective screening and monitoring systems and we work closely with regulators and law enforcement to bring perpetrators to justice.
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ commenting on most of the details in your inquiry . ''
`` You asked us about our 2014 'How We Do Business ' report and specifically about foreign correspondent banking .
As we noted in that report , we exited several hundred foreign correspondent banks while we upgraded our control environment and systems .
We acknowledged in that 2014 report that our existing AML controls needed improvement , and have since devoted considerable resources to comply with the laws and regulations governing anti-money laundering , terrorist financing and economic sanctions .
Today , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of dollars are devoted to helping support law enforcement and national security efforts .
JPM has taken a leadership role in AML reform to drive the regime towards more proactive intelligence-led investigations and develop innovative techniques to help combat financial crime . ''
“ We do not comment on suspicious activity reporting .
All of the information provided by the ICIJ is historic and predates the conclusion of our Deferred Prosecution Agreement ( DPA ) in 2017 .
Starting in 2012 , HSBC embarked on a multi-year journey to overhaul its ability to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ jurisdictions .
During that period , the Monitor fulfilled his role of identifying issues and making recommendations for improvement , and concluded that HSBC became a safer bank each year as a result of the Bank ’ s efforts .
At the end of 2017 , the Justice Department , having received all of the Monitor ’ s reports , determined that HSBC met all of its obligations under the DPA .
HSBC is a much safer institution than it was in 2012.
” “ In 2012 , we launched our Global Standards @ @ @ @ @ @ @ place the most effective standards to combat financial crime across our operations globally .
As part of this effort , we designed and implemented new , globally consistent policies on AML and sanctions that often extend beyond the requirements of local laws and regulations .
Among other steps , we hired experienced senior personnel to lead the effort and significantly increased our financial crime compliance capabilities ; we put in place a robust investigations capability ; we improved and expanded our financial crime compliance training initiatives ; and we upgraded or replaced key @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 1bn spent since 2015 .
We also increased the number of staff in our financial crime compliance function from a few hundred in 2012 to around 5,000 in 2017 .
In parallel with our reforms , we dramatically reduced our financial crime risk profile , exiting jurisdictions , curtailing business in other jurisdictions and closing the accounts of existing customers .
`` The goal of any financial crime compliance programme is to detect and prevent financial crime .
One way we do that is through transaction monitoring and sanctions screening .
Each month @ @ @ @ @ @ @ across 236 million accounts for signs of money laundering and financial crime .
In addition , we screen approximately 131 million customer records and 40 million transactions monthly for sanctions exposures .
During 2019 , we filed almost 50,000 suspicious activity reports to law enforcement and regulatory authorities where we identified potential financial crime .
`` Though we have made significant improvements in our financial crime compliance programme , we are continually seeking ways to improve .
That includes investing in and developing new technologies that we believe will enable us to make @ @ @ @ @ @ @ financial crime by allowing us to detect potentially illicit conduct with greater precision than traditional technologies allow .
`` Our global social network analytics platform , which we launched in 2018 , enables us to identify links between different customers and transactions , making it easier to see where there might be criminal networks .
In 2019 , the platform won two industry awards : the Celent Model Bank Award for Risk Management and The Banker ’ s Tech Project Award for Compliance .
In August 2019 , we became the first bank @ @ @ @ @ @ @ screen all our trade finance transactions for potential signs of financial crime.
” '' 1 .
Financial crime weakens financial institutions and we have a shared interest , in addition to our legal obligations , to prevent it .
The potential financial , legal , regulatory and reputational damage to any institution from financial crime is intense .
`` 2 .
Suspicious Activity Reports ( SARs ) are a key part of the process by which law enforcement agencies gather evidence on possible financial crime matters .
In common with other banks , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ other similar reports globally each year – this is a common and required practice in the financial services industry .
`` 3 .
Financial institutions must file SARs on any activity that appears suspicious .
SARs are not however themselves evidence of criminal conduct and simply reflect a snapshot taken at a particular point in time of the information then available .
In the majority of cases , we continue to investigate and monitor account activity after SARs are filed , at times working in conjunction with law enforcement agencies .
In most @ @ @ @ @ @ @ SARs are filed .
`` 4 .
Financial crime is , by its nature , complex and difficult to detect .
We analyse information about our clients and their activities over time .
Criminal activity which may seem obvious with hindsight is often only uncovered as a result of careful evidence gathering after the event in question has occurred or after a SAR has been filed .
`` 5 .
If we conclude we have financial crime concerns , we take appropriate action and have done so in numerous cases over the years @ @ @ @ @ @ @ client relationships is not something we take lightly .
Given the filing of a SAR is not itself evidence of any actual wrongdoing , we would only terminate a client relationship after careful and objective investigation and analysis of the evidence , balancing potential financial crime suspicions with the risk of ‘ de-banking ’ an innocent customer and our obligation to treat customers fairly .
`` 6 .
You will be aware that there are various initiatives to improve the degree of transparency around how corporates and other structures hold money around the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by the major banks and they should make the process of due diligence on clients a lot easier .
`` 7 .
U.S. criminal law prohibits the unauthorised disclosure of SARs or information about SARs .
We are therefore not permitted to comment on whether a SAR has been filed , or on the contents of any SAR that may have been filed , even when the SARs in question may have been publicly disclosed .
We are also not permitted to comment on individuals or businesses , including to confirm whether they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ We are therefore unable to comment on the specific points in your letter .
`` 8 .
But for the avoidance of doubt , we believe that we have complied with all our legal and regulatory obligations including in relation to U.S. sanctions .
We would also refer you to the report by the U.S. Senate Permanent Subcommittee of Investigations entitled 'The Art Industry and U.S. Policies that Undermine Sanctions ' , published on 29 July 2020 .
That report covers many of the issues raised in your letter and highlights the extensive @ @ @ @ @ @ @ also our significant cooperation with relevant authorities . ''
“ We can not comment specifically on these matters as they are part of ongoing investigations by the authorities .
However , as we have previously said , it is clear that we should have never had that portfolio of non-resident customers .
It is also clear that we were too slow in realising the extent of the issues and to close it down .
Combating financial crime and money laundering is a key priority for Danske Bank .
Overall , we are now @ @ @ @ @ @ @ combating financial crime and money laundering than when the situation in Estonia developed between 2007 and 2015 and have terminated the non-resident portfolio of customers in Estonia .
We have significantly increased our resources dedicated to compliance and combating financial crime across the bank and have invested heavily in IT systems .
We will continue to invest in the area and strengthen the knowledge and culture of compliance across the bank to continue to improve our financial crime defences.
” '' Please understand that , due to banking secrecy and the Money Laundering @ @ @ @ @ @ @ actual or non-existing customer relationships .
`` Compliance is a high priority at Commerzbank .
Since 2015 , we have invested a total of more than 800 million Euros in the area of compliance , thereby strengthening the global compliance management system in a targeted effort .
We use this to prevent and uncover illegal activities .
At the same time , we have provided targeted training for our employees and significantly increased the number of employees .
`` The fact that we take compliance seriously is also demonstrated by the fact that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ monitor used by U.S. authorities within a short period of time .
`` We use the findings from monitoring transactions and customers to further reduce our risks .
`` Suspicious transactions are reported to the relevant authorities as part of our regular transaction monitoring .
`` As early as 2013 , we discontinued our global banknote trading activities , i.e .
the supply and safekeeping of banknotes , due to business policy considerations .
In addition , we have significantly reduced the number of international partner and correspondent banks since 2015 .
Apart @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , regulatory requirements played an important role in this context .
“ Since 2015 we have invested extensively in our compliance and are implementing the regulatory requirements .
The number of international partner and correspondent banks of Commerzbank is currently in the low four-digit range .
Please understand that we will not comment any further.
” “ First of all , we would like to stress , that VEB.RF Group companies have never been involved in any illegal activities .
We should also note that we have never been approached by U.S. ( @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to the allegations made in your letter , although some of them date back a decade .
`` According to your letter , the investigation is based on 'thousands of suspicious activity reports ' ( SARs ) .
We note that unauthorized disclosure of SARs is a serious crime .
To that end we would point you to a statement by the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network made in response to information about various media intending to publish a series of articles based on unlawfully disclosed SARs and other sensitive US government documents .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ that 'the unauthorized disclosure of SARs is a crime that can impact the national security of the United States , compromise law enforcement investigations , and threaten the safety and security of the institutions and individuals who file such reports ' .
`` Moreover , we can not verify the authenticity of the SARs that you have presented in your request , as there has never been any similar requests from the US authorities , any public or private body .
Given the serious issues raised by the illegal disclosures of the SARs @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for VEB to be involved in the preparation of the article you intend to publish , including by commenting on the allegations made therein .
Nor do we think it is appropriate to publish an article containing these illegal disclosures.
” Bank of China did not respond to requests for comment .
“ Wells Fargo has robust anti-money laundering policies and procedures in place , and we follow all applicable financial crimes-related laws and regulations .
We are unable to provide any further comment.
” “ It does not make sense that the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hid illegal activity consisted solely of Suspicious Activity Reports that those banks filed alerting law enforcement to that very activity .
Clearly , there is more to this story , but unfortunately the reporting failed to unearth it , and the banks are legally prohibited from telling their side .
In some cases , if the past is any guide , that story likely includes law enforcement asking a bank to keep open an account it has identified as suspicious so that law enforcement can track where the money is going and gather @ @ @ @ @ @ @ conviction.
” `` According to the National risk assessment of financial services UK and BSA US , all money service businesses ( MSB ) are providing high risk payment services .
Whether [ Mayzus Financial Services ( MFS ) ] provides remittances , online payment accounts , e-money services , it should expect terrorist financing , money laundering , drug and other illicit trade such as human trafficking , fraud , identity fraud , internal fraud , violation of the sanctions regime , tax evasion , internal fraud , corruption , briberry etc @ @ @ @ @ @ @ any transaction .
MFS being a money service business was naturally exposed to all types of financial crimes possible .
My point being that it was made clear by our regulatory guidance , case studies and training , that a financial institution ( FI ) such as MFS would be inevitably and constantly running into a client or a transaction which will be immediately or retrospectively linked or suspected to be linked to some sort of criminal activity .
Our regulators and partners would routinely check the ability of the company to identify @ @ @ @ @ @ @ along with the data and evidence to the designated Financial Intelligence Unit ( FIU ) , thus mitigating the risk to knowingly or unknowingly facilitate financial crime via company ’ s services .
These processes and controls were described in detail in the Anti-Financial Crime Policy of the company and approved by the Board , CEO , money-laundering reporting officer and chief compliance officer , who were to ensure the rules work .
MFS compliance budget was equal to its IT budget and was about [ one million euros ] by 2017 , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ [ Information Communications Technology ] UK anti-financial crimes diplomas , internally developed transactions monitoring systems , anti-fraud monitoring tool , data sharing API , [ Regulatory DataCorp ( RDI ) ] compliance monitoring tool , online video verification process , Regula forged documents scanning tool etc ...
The company was able to monitor transactions , identify and verify the identity of its customers .
Identified transactions which required [ Enhanced Due Diligence ( EDD ) ] , analyzed results of the EDD , made decisions whether to allow the transfer of funds , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not .
It is a lot of work with an unclear outcome .
There is always a possibility that something would fly under the radar , but your client ’ s crimes should not theoretically ruin your business , if you acted in good faith and compliance with the regulations .
Regulated payment companies were obliged by the [ payment services and anti-laundering directives ] to identify their risks , identify and verify their customers and monitor their transactions to identify suspicious activity and report it to the respective Financial Intelligence Unit , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ National Crime Agency ] UK….MFS helped law enforcements to make few arrests by monitoring transactions , analysing the data and disclosing the data to law enforcement .
MFS have helped to arrest online and offline fraudsters , corrupt remittance agents , money launderers , and apprehend hundreds of millions of dollars worth of illicitly gained assets .
From my perspective MFS has done exactly what it was supposed to be doing . ''

Barclays:
"1. Financial crime weakens financial institutions and we have a shared interest, in addition to our legal obligations, to prevent it. The potential financial, legal, regulatory and reputational damage to any institution from financial crime is intense.
"2. Suspicious Activity Reports (SARs) are a key part of the process by which law enforcement agencies gather evidence on possible financial crime matters. In common with other banks, we typically file thousands of SARs and other similar reports globally each year – this is a common and required practice in the financial services industry.
"3. Financial institutions must file SARs on any activity that appears suspicious. SARs are not however themselves evidence of criminal conduct and simply reflect a snapshot taken at a particular point in time of the information then available. In the majority of cases, we continue to investigate and monitor account activity after SARs are filed, at times working in conjunction with law enforcement agencies. In most cases, accounts are not closed after SARs are filed.
"4. Financial crime is, by its nature, complex and difficult to detect. We analyse information about our clients and their activities over time. Criminal activity which may seem obvious with hindsight is often only uncovered as a result of careful evidence gathering after the event in question has occurred or after a SAR has been filed.
"5. If we conclude we have financial crime concerns, we take appropriate action and have done so in numerous cases over the years. As you will appreciate, terminating client relationships is not something we take lightly. Given the filing of a SAR is not itself evidence of any actual wrongdoing, we would only terminate a client relationship after careful and objective investigation and analysis of the evidence, balancing potential financial crime suspicions with the risk of ‘de-banking’ an innocent customer and our obligation to treat customers fairly.
"6. You will be aware that there are various initiatives to improve the degree of transparency around how corporates and other structures hold money around the world. We think these are supported by the major banks and they should make the process of due diligence on clients a lot easier.
"7. U.S. criminal law prohibits the unauthorised disclosure of SARs or information about SARs. We are therefore not permitted to comment on whether a SAR has been filed, or on the contents of any SAR that may have been filed, even when the SARs in question may have been publicly disclosed. We are also not permitted to comment on individuals or businesses, including to confirm whether they are or have been a client. We are therefore unable to comment on the specific points in your letter.
"8. But for the avoidance of doubt, we believe that we have complied with all our legal and regulatory obligations including in relation to U.S. sanctions. We would also refer you to the report by the U.S. Senate Permanent Subcommittee of Investigations entitled 'The Art Industry and U.S. Policies that Undermine Sanctions', published on 29 July 2020. That report covers many of the issues raised in your letter and highlights the extensive investigative work undertaken by Barclays, and also our significant cooperation with relevant authorities."


buzzfeed--2020-09-23--We Got Our Hands On Thousands Of Secret Documents. Let’s Break Them Down.

Twenty-two thousand pages of never-before-released government documents .
Hundreds of thousands of transactions .
More than $ 2 trillion .
A close accounting of BuzzFeed News ’ unprecedented trove .
More than a year ago , BuzzFeed News received a remarkable collection of secret government documents .
This huge trove had been assembled at the request of law enforcement agencies and congressional committees investigating the 2016 presidential election and other matters .
The documents contained private banking information about public figures and senior government officials around the world — along with suspected criminals and organizations tied to terrorism .
Among @ @ @ @ @ @ @ activity reports , or SARs , which banks and other financial institutions submit to the US Treasury Department ’ s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network , or FinCEN , when they observe transactions that suggest money laundering or other illegal activity .
Such reports can support investigations and intelligence gathering — but by themselves they are not evidence of a crime .
These documents are so closely protected that they are never supposed to be available to the public .
You can ’ t get them through Freedom of Information requests and you can @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Banks are not supposed to admit the existence of a SAR — even to other banks .
Prior to this reporting , very few SARs are known ever to have been revealed .
BuzzFeed News has thousands .
Mostly dating from 2011 to 2017 , although describing some transactions that occurred as early as 1999 , the documents provide an unprecedented glimpse into global money laundering .
To analyze them and crunch the numbers , BuzzFeed News teamed up with the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists and more than 100 partner news @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was a yearlong data analysis collaboration that required thousands of hours of manual data entry , the creation of custom-built digital tools , machine learning , and specialized validation software .
But it all came down to those suspicious activity reports .
The Anatomy of a SAR — and How We Dissected Them All SARs have two parts : a set of data tables and a narrative .
Some narratives are bare bones , while others are in-depth accounts including individual transactions , additional parties , and what the money was purportedly being @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , these narrative elements alone came to more than 8,000 pages — or about 3 million words .
We tried writing computer programs to automatically extract this crucial information , but we quickly discovered that it was not possible .
So with no other choice , we did it the old-fashioned way : We read every last page .
With the help of ICIJ ’ s document-collaboration platform , BuzzFeed News and the partner newsrooms divided the task among more than 80 reporters .
For each document , the reporters captured every set @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ICIJ submitted each “ extraction ” to multiple rounds of validation .
It was a massive effort , but it allowed us to map out more than 200,000 of the transactions in the SARs .
This effort gave reporters access to a greater level of structured , searchable detail than FinCEN itself provides to investigators .
In addition to the written SARs , BuzzFeed News received hundreds of spreadsheets that banks had sent to FinCEN .
Although those files often lack the context of the written reports , they list more than 100,000 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ slightly different way of producing these files .
So ICIJ undertook an effort to standardize the field names and address formats to make them more useful to our partners .
More Than $ 2 Trillion — Yes , With a “ T ” In total , these reports flagged more than $ 2 trillion in transactions .
Here ’ s how it broke down .
The Banks : The FinCEN Files contain reports submitted by nearly 90 banks and other financial institutions .
This particular collection of documents is not a representative sample @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this subset , by far the greatest number of SARs come from Deutsche Bank .
Here are the top 10 banks represented in the FinCEN Files , plus the total value of suspicious transactions they flagged : One report , filed in August 2014 by JPMorgan Chase , identifies more than $ 335 billion in suspicious activity , relating to more than 100,000 wire transfers “ sent , received or processed ” over the course of a decade-plus by MKS , a Switzerland-based company that trades precious metals .
“ We can not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from a half decade ago of which we have no knowledge , ” a spokesperson for MKS told BuzzFeed News and ICIJ .
“ We note , however , that referencing $ 335 billion in purported wire transactions over a twelve-year period creates a false and misleading impression about the scale and scope of our precious metal operations.
” MKS is “ proud of our record of maintaining an industry-leading compliance program , ” the spokesperson said , “ and our long history of maintaining uninterrupted access to financial markets around the world.
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ at least $ 1 billion to the Treasury ; these big-dollar reports account for more than 90 % of all “ suspicious activity ” in these documents .
When banks first encounter suspicious transactions , they are supposed to file a report within 30 days .
But that doesn ’ t mean all of the information is timely : SARs often refer to much older transactions , even some that occurred more than a decade before .
This frequently happens when banks receive new information about old transactions or clients , such as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ but other times , the reason is unclear .
The Objects of Suspicion : The documents provide information on more than 10,000 people and organizations spanning more than 170 countries and territories .
They also touch almost every state in the US .
At least 25 of the people named as subjects have appeared on Forbes ' list of billionaires in 2018 , 2019 , or 2020 , according to an analysis by ICIJ and BuzzFeed News .
The SARs , however , are far more likely to mention organizations than people .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ a where ’ s where of wealth accumulation and management .
More than 400 feature companies with addresses in the British Virgin Islands , and more than 300 include Hong Kong — two popular places for stashing wealth with little scrutiny .
More than a fifth of the SARs in the FinCEN Files include a subject whose “ address ” is effectively blank : no street number , city , state , or even country .
In some cases , the blank addresses are for customers in the bank ’ s own corporate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ numerous times in the FinCEN Files .
Mayzus Financial Services , an online payment processing company that served clients involved in a bitcoin money laundering ring , sets the record , appearing as a subject of 36 SARs .
Second is Kaloti Jewellery International , a Dubai-based precious metals company that was flagged as a subject in 34 separate SARs by eight different banks .
Here are the five subjects flagged most often : Responding to a request for comment , a representative for Mayzus Financial Services said the company takes compliance seriously @ @ @ @ @ @ @ offline fraudsters , corrupt remittance agents , money launderers , and apprehend hundreds of millions of dollars worth of illicitly gained assets '' and that `` from my perspective MFS has done exactly what it was supposed to be doing . ''
A lawyer for Kaloti said that the number of SARs was `` statistically insignificant '' in the context of its industry .
`` Kaloti vehemently denies any allegations of misconduct , whether those allegations stem from today or a decade ago , '' the company told ICIJ and BuzzFeed News .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ and Bufalo Management did not respond to BuzzFeed News ’ inquiries .
What the Government Doesn ’ t Know Last year , banks and other financial institutions filed more than 2 million SARs .
Government investigators who combat money laundering told BuzzFeed News that the sheer volume of SARs made it impossible to pay close attention to them all .
`` I do n't think that we have enough resources in the government to meaningfully go through them all , '' said Richard Elias , a former federal prosecutor for the Eastern District @ @ @ @ @ @ @ SARs filed grows every year , FinCEN ’ s staff has shrunk by more than 10 % over the past decade , according to official Treasury reports .
( In addition to full-time staff , FinCEN also employs contractors to analyze SARs . )
In 2017 , FinCEN ’ s acting director testified before Congress that the agency faced hiring issues , in part because of how long it takes to get security clearances .
FinCEN did not respond to BuzzFeed News ’ requests for comment about its investigative findings .
It did @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that “ the unauthorized disclosure of SARs is a crime , ” and it announced that it was referring the matter to the Department of Justice and the Treasury Department ’ s Office of Inspector General .
FinCEN makes its database of SARs available to more than 450 law enforcement and regulatory agencies around the country , with more than 13,000 users who query the system millions of times a year .
FinCEN does not require banks to file spreadsheets detailing each individual transaction , although some do so voluntarily .
Yet it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ say are most important .
“ There 's nothing of greater value than being able to take a look at a series of wire transfers or a series of deposits or a series of withdrawals , ” said Peter Djinis , a former FinCEN analyst who helped to set up the original SAR system .
“ All of that information is so useful.
” When banks don ’ t attach transaction files , analysts have to comb through each report individually or request those records directly .
The database produced by BuzzFeed News @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the individual filings themselves , and has already helped our international network of reporters examine failures by governments and banks to stem the flow of dirty money across the globe .
●

More than a year ago, BuzzFeed News received a remarkable collection of secret government documents. This huge trove had been assembled at the request of law enforcement agencies and congressional committees investigating the 2016 presidential election and other matters. The documents contained private banking information about public figures and senior government officials around the world — along with suspected criminals and organizations tied to terrorism.
Among the documents were more than 2,100 suspicious activity reports, or SARs, which banks and other financial institutions submit to the US Treasury Department’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, or FinCEN, when they observe transactions that suggest money laundering or other illegal activity. Such reports can support investigations and intelligence gathering — but by themselves they are not evidence of a crime.
These documents are so closely protected that they are never supposed to be available to the public. You can’t get them through Freedom of Information requests and you can’t subpoena them in legal proceedings. Banks are not supposed to admit the existence of a SAR — even to other banks. Prior to this reporting, very few SARs are known ever to have been revealed. BuzzFeed News has thousands.


buzzfeed--2020-09-23--“I Have Blood On My Hands”: A Whistleblower Says Facebook Ignored Global Political Manipulation

A 6,600-word internal memo from a fired Facebook data scientist details how the social network knew about specific examples of global political manipulation — and failed to act .
Facebook ignored or was slow to act on evidence that fake accounts on its platform have been undermining elections and political affairs around the world , according to an explosive memo sent by a recently fired Facebook employee and obtained by BuzzFeed News .
The 6,600-word memo , written by former Facebook data scientist Sophie Zhang , is filled with concrete examples of heads of government and political parties in Azerbaijan @ @ @ @ @ @ @ themselves to sway public opinion .
In countries including India , Ukraine , Spain , Brazil , Bolivia , and Ecuador , she found evidence of coordinated campaigns of varying sizes to boost or hinder political candidates or outcomes , though she did not always conclude who was behind them .
“ In the three years I ’ ve spent at Facebook , I ’ ve found multiple blatant attempts by foreign national governments to abuse our platform on vast scales to mislead their own citizenry , and caused international news on multiple @ @ @ @ @ @ @ declined to talk to BuzzFeed News .
Her LinkedIn profile said she “ worked as the data scientist for the Facebook Site Integrity fake engagement team ” and dealt with “ bots influencing elections and the like.
” “ I have personally made decisions that affected national presidents without oversight , and taken action to enforce against so many prominent politicians globally that I ’ ve lost count , ” she wrote .
The memo is a damning account of Facebook ’ s failures .
It ’ s the story of Facebook abdicating @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that could affect the political fate of nations outside the United States or Western Europe .
It 's also the story of a junior employee wielding extraordinary moderation powers that affected millions of people without any real institutional support , and the personal torment that followed .
“ I know that I have blood on my hands by now , ” Zhang wrote .
These are some of the biggest revelations in Zhang ’ s memo : • It took Facebook ’ s leaders nine months to act on a coordinated campaign “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ boost President Juan Orlando Hernandez of Honduras on a massive scale to mislead the Honduran people.
” Two weeks after Facebook took action against the perpetrators in July , they returned , leading to a game of “ whack-a-mole ” between Zhang and the operatives behind the fake accounts , which are still active .
• In Azerbaijan , Zhang discovered the ruling political party “ utilized thousands of inauthentic assets ... to harass the opposition en masse.
” Facebook began looking into the issue a year after Zhang reported it .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ her colleagues removed “ 10.5 million fake reactions and fans from high-profile politicians in Brazil and the US in the 2018 elections.
” • In February 2019 , a NATO researcher informed Facebook that `` he ’ d obtained Russian inauthentic activity on a high-profile U.S. political figure that we didn ’ t catch . ''
Zhang removed the activity , “ dousing the immediate fire , ” she wrote .
• In Ukraine , Zhang “ found inauthentic scripted activity ” supporting both former prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko , a pro–European Union @ @ @ @ @ @ @ well as Volodymyr Groysman , a former prime minister and ally of former president Petro Poroshenko .
“ Volodymyr Zelensky and his faction was the only major group not affected , ” Zhang said of the current Ukrainian president .
• Zhang discovered inauthentic activity — a Facebook term for engagement from bot accounts and coordinated manual accounts— in Bolivia and Ecuador but chose “ not to prioritize it , ” due to her workload .
The amount of power she had as a mid-level employee to make decisions about a country ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ her health .
• After becoming aware of coordinated manipulation on the Spanish Health Ministry ’ s Facebook page during the COVID-19 pandemic , Zhang helped find and remove 672,000 fake accounts “ acting on similar targets globally ” including in the US .
• In India , she worked to remove “ a politically-sophisticated network of more than a thousand actors working to influence '' the local elections taking place in Delhi in February .
Facebook never publicly disclosed this network or that it had taken it down .
“ We ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ leading experts , to stop bad actors from abusing our systems , resulting in the removal of more than 100 networks for coordinated inauthentic behavior , '' Facebook spokesperson Liz Bourgeois said in a statement .
`` It ’ s highly involved work that these teams do as their full-time remit .
Working against coordinated inauthentic behavior is our priority , but we ’ re also addressing the problems of spam and fake engagement .
We investigate each issue carefully , including those that Ms. Zhang raises , before we take action or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a company . ''
BuzzFeed News is not publishing Zhang ’ s full memo because it contains personal information .
This story includes full excerpts when possible to provide appropriate context .
In her post , Zhang said she did not want it to go public for fear of disrupting Facebook ’ s efforts to prevent problems around the upcoming 2020 US presidential election , and due to concerns about her own safety .
BuzzFeed News is publishing parts of her memo that are clearly in the public interest .
Do you work @ @ @ @ @ @ @ We 'd love to hear from you .
Reach out at ryan.mac @ buzzfeed.com , craig.silverman @ buzzfeed.com , pranav.dixit @ buzzfeed.com , or via one of our tip line channels .
“ I consider myself to have been put in an impossible spot – caught between my loyalties to the company and my loyalties to the world as a whole , ” she said .
“ The last thing I want to do is distract from our efforts for the upcoming U.S. elections , yet I know this post will likely do @ @ @ @ @ @ @ down a $ 64,000 severance package from the company to avoid signing a nondisparagement agreement .
Doing so allowed her to speak out internally , and she used that freedom to reckon with the power that she had to police political speech .
“ There was so much violating behavior worldwide that it was left to my personal assessment of which cases to further investigate , to file tasks , and escalate for prioritization afterwards , ” she wrote .
That power contrasted with what she said seemed to be a lack of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ processes in smaller countries .
Facebook , Zhang said , prioritized regions including the US and Western Europe , and often only acted when she repeatedly pressed the issue publicly in comments on Workplace , the company ’ s internal , employee-only message board .
“ With no oversight whatsoever , I was left in a situation where I was trusted with immense influence in my spare time , ” she wrote .
“ A manager on Strategic Response mused to myself that most of the world outside the West was effectively the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ dictator – he meant the statement as a compliment , but it illustrated the immense pressures upon me.
” A former Facebook engineer who knew her told BuzzFeed News that Zhang was skilled at discovering fake account networks on the platform .
“ She 's the only person in this entire field at Facebook that I ever trusted to be earnest about this work , '' said the engineer , who had seen a copy of Zhang ’ s post and asked not to be named because they no longer work at the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I learned from that post was shocking even to me as someone who 's often been disappointed at how the company treats its best people , '' they said .
Zhang ’ s memo said the lack of institutional support and heavy stakes left her unable to sleep .
She often felt responsible when civil unrest took hold in places she didn ’ t prioritize for investigation and action .
“ I have made countless decisions in this vein – from Iraq to Indonesia , from Italy to El Salvador , ” she @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was likely small in each case , but the world is a vast place.
” Still , she did not believe that the failures she observed during her two and a half years at the company were the result of bad intent by Facebook ’ s employees or leadership .
It was a lack of resources , Zhang wrote , and the company ’ s tendency to focus on global activity that posed public relations risks , as opposed to electoral or civic harm .
“ Facebook projects an image of strength and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lend itself to such theories , but the reality is that many of our actions are slapdash and haphazard accidents , ” she wrote .
Zhang wrote that she was just six months into the job when she found coordinated inauthentic behavior — Facebook ’ s internal term for the use of multiple fake accounts to boost engagement or spread content — benefiting Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández .
The connection to the Honduran leader was made , Zhang said , because an administrator for the president ’ s Facebook page had been @ @ @ @ @ @ @ assets without any obfuscation whatsoever in a show of extreme chutzpah.
” The data scientist said she reported the operation , which involved thousands of fake accounts , to Facebook ’ s threat intelligence and policy review teams , both of which took months to act .
“ Local policy teams confirmed that President JOH ’ s marketing team had openly admitted to organizing the activity on his behalf , ” she wrote .
“ Yet despite the blatantly violating nature of this activity , it took me almost a year to take @ @ @ @ @ @ @ announced by Facebook in July 2019 , but proved futile .
Soon , the operation was soon back up and running , a fact Facebook has never disclosed .
“ They had returned within two weeks of our takedown and were back in a similar volume of users , ” Zhang wrote , adding that she did a final sweep for the fake accounts on her last day at Facebook .
“ A year after our takedown , the activity is still live and well.
” In Azerbaijan , she found a large @ @ @ @ @ @ @ opponents of President Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan and his ruling New Azerbaijan Party , which uses the acronym YAP .
Facebook still has not disclosed the influence campaign , according to Zhang .
The operation detailed in the memo is reminiscent of those of Russia ’ s Internet Research Agency , a private troll farm that tried to influence the 2016 US elections , because it involved “ dedicated employees who worked 9-6 Monday-Friday work weeks to create millions of comments ” targeting members of the opposition and media reports seen as negative @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for district-level divisions of the ruling YAP political party directly controlled numerous of these fake assets without any obfuscation whatsoever in another display of arrogance , ” she wrote .
“ Perhaps they thought they were clever ; the truth was , we simply didn ’ t care enough to stop them.
” Katy Pearce , an associate professor at the University of Washington who studies social media and communication technology in Azerbaijan , told BuzzFeed News that fake Facebook accounts have been used to undermine the opposition and independent media in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the big tools of authoritarian regimes is to humiliate the opposition in the mind of the public so that they 're not viewed as a credible or legitimate alternative , ” she told BuzzFeed News .
“ There 's a chilling effect .
Why would I post something if I know that I 'm going to deal with thousands or hundreds of these comments , that I 'm going to be targeted ?
” Pearce said Zhang ’ s comment in the memo that Facebook “ didn ’ t care enough to stop @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with her experience .
“ They have bigger fish to fry , ” she said .
A person who managed social media accounts for news organizations in Azerbaijan told BuzzFeed News that their pages were inundated with inauthentic Facebook comments .
“ We used to delete and ban them because we didn ’ t want people who came to our page to be discouraged and not react or comment , ” said the person , who asked not to be named because they were not authorized to speak for their employer .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ employees , it ’ s easy for them to open new accounts.
” They said Facebook has at times made things worse by removing the accounts or pages of human rights activists and other people after trolls report them .
“ We tried to tell Facebook that this is a real person who does important work , ” but it took weeks for the page to be restored .
Zhang wrote that a Facebook investigation into fake accounts and trolling in Azerbaijan is now underway , more than a year after she first @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of her departure , she called it her “ greatest unfinished business ” to stop the fake behavior in the country .
“ Many others would think nothing of myself devoting this attention to the United States , but are shocked to see myself fighting for these small countries , ” she wrote .
“ To put it simply , my methodologies were systematic globally , and I fought for Honduras and Azerbaijan because that was where I saw the most ongoing harm.
” “ I have blood on my hands ” In @ @ @ @ @ @ @ about a large-scale fake account network used to amplify and manipulate information about COVID-19 , as well as a political influence operation that used fake accounts to influence 2018 elections in the US and Brazil .
Some of these details were not previously disclosed by Facebook , suggesting the company ’ s regular takedown announcements remain selective and incomplete .
Zhang said Facebook removed 672,000 “ low-quality fake accounts ” after press reports in April that some of the accounts had been engaging with COVID-19 content on the Spanish Health Ministry ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ network also engaged with content on US pages .
Facebook did not disclose how many accounts it removed , or that those accounts engaged with content in other countries , including the US .
Zhang also shared new details about the scale of inauthentic activity during the 2018 midterm elections in the US , and from Brazilian politicians that same year .
“ We ended up removing 10.5 million fake reactions and fans from high-profile politicians in Brazil and the U.S. in the 2018 elections – major politicians of all persuasions in Brazil @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the United States , ” she wrote .
A September 2018 briefing about Facebook ’ s election work in the US and Brazil disclosed that it had acted against a network in Brazil that used “ fake accounts to sow division and share disinformation , ” as well as a set of groups , pages , and accounts that were “ falsely amplifying engagement for financial gain.
” It did not fully mention Zhang 's findings .
The scale of this activity — 672,000 fake accounts in one network , 10.5 million @ @ @ @ @ @ @ indicates active fake accounts are a global problem , and are used to manipulate elections and public debate around the world .
As one of the few people looking for and identifying fake accounts impacting civic activity outside of “ priority ” regions , Zhang struggled with the power she had been handed .
“ We focus upon harm and priority regions like the United States and Western Europe , ” Zhang wrote , adding that “ it became impossible to read the news and monitor world events without feeling the weight of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Zhang said she found “ inauthentic activity supporting the opposition presidential candidate in 2019 ” and chose not to prioritize it .
Months later , Bolivian politics fell into turmoil , leading to the resignation of President Evo Morales and “ mass protests leading to dozens of deaths.
” The same happened in Ecuador , according to Zhang , who “ found inauthentic activity supporting the ruling government… and made the decision not to prioritize it.
” The former Facebook employee then wondered how her decision led to downstream effects on how Ecuador @ @ @ @ @ @ @ — which has devastated the country — and if that would have been different if she 'd acted .
“ I have made countless decisions in this vein – from Iraq to Indonesia , from Italy to El Salvador .
Individually , the impact was likely small in each case , but the world is a vast place .
Although I made the best decision I could based on the knowledge available at the time , ultimately I was the one who made the decision not to push more or prioritize further in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I have blood on my hands by now.
” Zhang also uncovered issues in India , Facebook ’ s largest market , in the lead up to the local Delhi elections in February 2020 .
“ I worked through sickness to take down a politically-sophisticated network of more than a thousand actors working to influence the election , ” she wrote .
Last month , Facebook ’ s Indian operation came under scrutiny after reports in the Wall Street Journal revealed a top policy executive in the country had stopped local staffers from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ policies to ruling party politicians who posted anti-Muslim hate speech .
In her “ spare time ” in 2019 , Zhang took on tasks usually reserved for product managers and investigators , searching out countries including Ukraine , Turkey , India , Indonesia , the Philippines , Australia , the United Kingdom , Taiwan , “ and many many more.
” Zhang said she found and took down “ inauthentic scripted activity ” in Ukraine that supported Yulia Tymoshenko , a complicated political figure who has been involved in controversial gas deals with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in her later career , as well as for former prime minister Volodymyr Groysman , an ally of former president Petro Poroshenko .
“ Volodymyr Zelensky and his faction was the only major group not affected , ” she wrote .
In another part of her memo , Zhang said she wanted to push back on the idea that Facebook was run by malicious people hoping to achieve a particular outcome .
That was not the case , she wrote , attributing actions to “ slapdash and haphazard accidents.
” “ Last year @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Ukraine whistleblower , we forgot to cover hashtags until I stepped in , ” she wrote .
But she also remarked on Facebook ’ s habit of prioritizing public relations over real-world problems .
“ It ’ s an open secret within the civic integrity space that Facebook ’ s short-term decisions are largely motivated by PR and the potential for negative attention , ” she wrote , noting that she was told directly at a 2020 summit that anything published in the New York Times or Washington Post would obtain elevated priority @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ ve seen priorities of escalations shoot up when others start threatening to go to the press , and why I was informed by a leader in my organization that my civic work was not impactful under the rationale that if the problems were meaningful they would have attracted attention , became a press fire , and convinced the company to devote more attention to the space.
” Zhang mentioned one example in February 2019 , when a NATO strategic communications researcher reached out to Facebook , alerting the company that he 'd @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on a high-profile U.S. political figure that we didn ’ t catch.
” That researcher said they were planning on briefing Congress the next day .
“ I quickly investigated the case , determined what was going on , and removed the activity , dousing the immediate fire , ” Zhang wrote .
“ Perhaps motivated by the experience , the same researcher tried the same experiment within a month or two , waiting half a year afterwards before sending the report to the press and finally causing the PR fire.
” Beyond @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Zhang provided insight into the inner workings at Facebook .
She criticized her team ’ s focus on issues related to “ 99 % of activity that ’ s essentially spam.
” “ Overall , the focus of my organization – and most of Facebook – was on large-scale problems , an approach which fixated us on spam , ” she said .
“ The civic aspect was discounted because of its small volume , its disproportionate impact ignored.
” Zhang outlined the political processes within Facebook itself .
She said the best @ @ @ @ @ @ @ her work was not to go through the proper reporting channels , but to post about the issues on Facebook ’ s internal employee message board to build pressure .
“ In the office , I realized that my viewpoints weren ’ t respected unless I acted like an arrogant asshole , ” Zhang said .
When she asked the company to do more in terms of finding and stopping malicious activity related to elections and political activity , she said she was told that “ human resources are limited.
” And when @ @ @ @ @ @ @ civic work , “ I was told that Facebook would no longer have further need for my services if I refused.
” Zhang was fired this month and posted her memo on her last day , even after offering to stay on through the election as an unpaid volunteer .
In her goodbye , she encouraged her colleagues to remain at Facebook and to fix the company from within .
“ But you don ’ t – and shouldn ’ t – need to do it alone , ” she wrote .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ values to work on it together .
Facebook is too big of a project for any one person to fix.
” ●

“Multiple official accounts for district-level divisions of the ruling YAP political party directly controlled numerous of these fake assets without any obfuscation whatsoever in another display of arrogance,” she wrote. “Perhaps they thought they were clever; the truth was, we simply didn’t care enough to stop them.”
Katy Pearce, an associate professor at the University of Washington who studies social media and communication technology in Azerbaijan, told BuzzFeed News that fake Facebook accounts have been used to undermine the opposition and independent media in the country for years.
“One of the big tools of authoritarian regimes is to humiliate the opposition in the mind of the public so that they're not viewed as a credible or legitimate alternative,” she told BuzzFeed News. “There's a chilling effect. Why would I post something if I know that I'm going to deal with thousands or hundreds of these comments, that I'm going to be targeted?”
Pearce said Zhang’s comment in the memo that Facebook “didn’t care enough to stop” the fake accounts and trolling aligns with her experience. “They have bigger fish to fry,” she said.
A person who managed social media accounts for news organizations in Azerbaijan told BuzzFeed News that their pages were inundated with inauthentic Facebook comments.
“We used to delete and ban them because we didn’t want people who came to our page to be discouraged and not react or comment,” said the person, who asked not to be named because they were not authorized to speak for their employer. “But since [the trolls] are employees, it’s easy for them to open new accounts.”
They said Facebook has at times made things worse by removing the accounts or pages of human rights activists and other people after trolls report them. “We tried to tell Facebook that this is a real person who does important work,” but it took weeks for the page to be restored.
Zhang wrote that a Facebook investigation into fake accounts and trolling in Azerbaijan is now underway, more than a year after she first reported the issue. On the day of her departure, she called it her “greatest unfinished business” to stop the fake behavior in the country.
“Many others would think nothing of myself devoting this attention to the United States, but are shocked to see myself fighting for these small countries,” she wrote. “To put it simply, my methodologies were systematic globally, and I fought for Honduras and Azerbaijan because that was where I saw the most ongoing harm.”
“I have blood on my hands”
In other examples, Zhang revealed new information about a large-scale fake account network used to amplify and manipulate information about COVID-19, as well as a political influence operation that used fake accounts to influence 2018 elections in the US and Brazil. Some of these details were not previously disclosed by Facebook, suggesting the company’s regular takedown announcements remain selective and incomplete.
Zhang said Facebook removed 672,000 “low-quality fake accounts” after press reports in April that some of the accounts had been engaging with COVID-19 content on the Spanish Health Ministry’s page. She said accounts in that network also engaged with content on US pages. Facebook did not disclose how many accounts it removed, or that those accounts engaged with content in other countries, including the US.
Zhang also shared new details about the scale of inauthentic activity during the 2018 midterm elections in the US, and from Brazilian politicians that same year. “We ended up removing 10.5 million fake reactions and fans from high-profile politicians in Brazil and the U.S. in the 2018 elections – major politicians of all persuasions in Brazil, and a number of lower-level politicians in the United States,” she wrote.
A September 2018 briefing about Facebook’s election work in the US and Brazil disclosed that it had acted against a network in Brazil that used “fake accounts to sow division and share disinformation,” as well as a set of groups, pages, and accounts that were “falsely amplifying engagement for financial gain.” It did not fully mention Zhang's findings.
The scale of this activity — 672,000 fake accounts in one network, 10.5 million fake engagement and fans in others — indicates active fake accounts are a global problem, and are used to manipulate elections and public debate around the world.
As one of the few people looking for and identifying fake accounts impacting civic activity outside of “priority” regions, Zhang struggled with the power she had been handed.
“We focus upon harm and priority regions like the United States and Western Europe,” Zhang wrote, adding that “it became impossible to read the news and monitor world events without feeling the weight of my own responsibility.”
In Bolivia, Zhang said she found “inauthentic activity supporting the opposition presidential candidate in 2019” and chose not to prioritize it. Months later, Bolivian politics fell into turmoil, leading to the resignation of President Evo Morales and “mass protests leading to dozens of deaths.”


buzzfeed--2020-09-23--If You're Not Aware Of How The Pandemic Is Affecting Deaf People, You Need To Watch These TikToks

`` I think it 's important for people to know how to respectfully interact with anyone in the disability community @ @ @ @ @ barriers , '' she said .
`` Most people have never met a deaf person @ @ @ @ @ help them know how to be accessible and respectfully patient when they do . ''

"I think it's important for people to know how to respectfully interact with anyone in the disability community and break down the intimidation barriers," she said. "Most people have never met a deaf person before. I want to help them know how to be accessible and respectfully patient when they do."


buzzfeed--2020-09-24--Trump Says He Won't Commit To A Peaceful Transfer Of Power If He Loses

President Donald Trump declined again on Wednesday to commit to a peaceful transfer of power should he lose the November election , the integrity of which he is seeking to undermine through false attacks on mail-in ballots .
`` We 're going to have to see what happens , '' Trump told Brian Karem at a White House press conference after the Playboy magazine reporter asked the president if he would commit to such a peaceful transfer .
`` I 've been complaining very strongly about the ballots and the ballots are a disaster , '' Trump said .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 'll have a very peaceful— There won ’ t be a transfer , frankly .
There ’ ll be a continuation.
” With an unprecedented number of Americans expected to vote by mail for November 's election due to the coronavirus pandemic , Trump has for months been attacking mail-in voting both in the courts and in the media .
He has shared misinformation related to voting practices , as well as debunked and unsupported claims that such ballots are tainted by widespread fraud and possibly foreign interference — a false claim he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ also alleged , without a scintilla of evidence , that the Democrats and mainstream media are scheming to steal the election from him through such fraud .
Democrats and election observers fear Trump is attempting to sow distrust and confusion about the vote so he can question its integrity if he loses .

President Donald Trump declined again on Wednesday to commit to a peaceful transfer of power should he lose the November election, the integrity of which he is seeking to undermine through false attacks on mail-in ballots.
"We're going to have to see what happens," Trump told Brian Karem at a White House press conference after the Playboy magazine reporter asked the president if he would commit to such a peaceful transfer.
"I've been complaining very strongly about the ballots and the ballots are a disaster," Trump said. “Get rid of the ballots and you'll have a very peaceful— There won’t be a transfer, frankly. There’ll be a continuation.”
With an unprecedented number of Americans expected to vote by mail for November's election due to the coronavirus pandemic, Trump has for months been attacking mail-in voting both in the courts and in the media. He has shared misinformation related to voting practices, as well as debunked and unsupported claims that such ballots are tainted by widespread fraud and possibly foreign interference — a false claim he repeated earlier on Wednesday. He has also alleged, without a scintilla of evidence, that the Democrats and mainstream media are scheming to steal the election from him through such fraud.
Democrats and election observers fear Trump is attempting to sow distrust and confusion about the vote so he can question its integrity if he loses.
Speaking to reporters in Delaware, Joe Biden called Trump's comments irrational.
"What country are we in? I'm being facetious. I said what country are we in?" said Biden. "Look, he says the most irrational things. I don't know what to say."
Republican Sen. Mitt Romney, who on Tuesday said he would support Trump nominating a replacement for Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg to the Supreme Court, compared the president to a wannabe dictator.
"Fundamental to democracy is the peaceful transition of power; without that, there is Belarus," he said on Twitter. "Any suggestion that a president might not respect this Constitutional guarantee is both unthinkable and unacceptable."


buzzfeed--2020-09-23--The US Says Alexander Lukashenko Is Not The Legitimate President Of Belarus

Belarus 's Alexander Lukashenko takes the oath of office during his inauguration ceremony in Minsk , Sept. 23 .
Eight months ago , Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko in a historic visit to Minsk that their meeting was “ a solid first step towards improved relationships and closer ties.
” On Wednesday , the US State Department said it did not consider Lukashenko , the embattled Belarusian strongman who has led the country with an iron fist for 26 years , to be the president of the country any longer .
`` The United States @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the legitimately elected leader of Belarus , ” a State Department spokesperson said in a statement to BuzzFeed News on Wednesday .
The spokesperson reiterated that the US did not believe that the Aug. 9 presidential elections in Belarus were free or fair .
“ The announced results were fraudulent and did not convey legitimacy , '' the spokesperson said .
Lukashenko , an ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin 's , claimed he won 80 % of the vote and a sixth term despite reports of fraud in his race against Svetlana @ @ @ @ @ @ @ captured the nation ’ s attention with her message of change .
Pro-democracy demonstrations immediately erupted across the country , with riot police unleashing a brutal crackdown on protesters who claimed Tikhanovskaya had won .
Tikhanovskaya told BuzzFeed News in an interview from Lithuania , where she lives in exile after being forced to flee Belarus , that she is “ the national , chosen president.
” Hours before the US announcement Wednesday , Lukashenko had gathered hundreds of government officials and supporters in Minsk for a secret inauguration ceremony that was neither @ @ @ @ @ @ @ took part in the clandestine event under heavy security thousands of demonstrators continued their weeks-long protest on the streets of Belarus .
They demand that Lukashenko resign and that riot police responsible for the abuse and torture of demonstrators face criminal charges .
The US ’ s decision to not recognize Lukashenko as Belarus ’ s president marks a significant collapse in relations between Washington , DC , and the Eastern European leader often referred to as “ Europe ’ s last dictator.
” When Pompeo visited Lukashenko in Minsk in February , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cooperation in the security and economic spheres .
The secretary said Belarus had made “ real progress ” on human rights issues , “ but there remains work to do.
” Following the visit , President Donald Trump ’ s nominated senior US diplomat Julie Fisher to be the next US ambassador to Belarus in April .
Minsk expelled the last US ambassador and 30 of 35 diplomats in 2008 after Washington tightened sanctions due to worsening human rights abuses .
Fisher faced a Senate hearing about her nomination in August , but @ @ @ @ @ @ @ protests erupted in Belarus .
Stephen Biegun , the US deputy secretary of state , told reporters in a call on Sept. 12 that Fisher “ is still in the approval process here inside the United States , and we have not suspended that process .
”

Eight months ago, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko in a historic visit to Minsk that their meeting was “a solid first step towards improved relationships and closer ties.”
On Wednesday, the US State Department said it did not consider Lukashenko, the embattled Belarusian strongman who has led the country with an iron fist for 26 years, to be the president of the country any longer.
"The United States cannot consider [Alexander Lukashenko] the legitimately elected leader of Belarus,” a State Department spokesperson said in a statement to BuzzFeed News on Wednesday.
The spokesperson reiterated that the US did not believe that the Aug. 9 presidential elections in Belarus were free or fair. “The announced results were fraudulent and did not convey legitimacy," the spokesperson said.
Lukashenko, an ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin's, claimed he won 80% of the vote and a sixth term despite reports of fraud in his race against Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, a 38-year-old political novice who captured the nation’s attention with her message of change. Pro-democracy demonstrations immediately erupted across the country, with riot police unleashing a brutal crackdown on protesters who claimed Tikhanovskaya had won.
Tikhanovskaya told BuzzFeed News in an interview from Lithuania, where she lives in exile after being forced to flee Belarus, that she is “the national, chosen president.”
Hours before the US announcement Wednesday, Lukashenko had gathered hundreds of government officials and supporters in Minsk for a secret inauguration ceremony that was neither announced beforehand nor televised.
As Lukashenko took part in the clandestine event under heavy security thousands of demonstrators continued their weeks-long protest on the streets of Belarus. They demand that Lukashenko resign and that riot police responsible for the abuse and torture of demonstrators face criminal charges.
The US’s decision to not recognize Lukashenko as Belarus’s president marks a significant collapse in relations between Washington, DC, and the Eastern European leader often referred to as “Europe’s last dictator.”
When Pompeo visited Lukashenko in Minsk in February, he said the two vowed for closer cooperation in the security and economic spheres. The secretary said Belarus had made “real progress” on human rights issues, “but there remains work to do.”
Following the visit, President Donald Trump’s nominated senior US diplomat Julie Fisher to be the next US ambassador to Belarus in April. Minsk expelled the last US ambassador and 30 of 35 diplomats in 2008 after Washington tightened sanctions due to worsening human rights abuses.
Fisher faced a Senate hearing about her nomination in August, but it has been held up since the protests erupted in Belarus.
Stephen Biegun, the US deputy secretary of state, told reporters in a call on Sept. 12 that Fisher “is still in the approval process here inside the United States, and we have not suspended that process.”