Additional CIMA-Webb connections identified

Additional CIMA-Web Connections Identified: 

  A total of five people working for the Monetary Authority of the Cayman Islands have been identified as having a "bond" with Jeffrey Webb, the man in the Cayman Islands and formal business of the deposed FIFA defendant in an investigation into organized crime and corruption United States shocked the world of football.
Chairman of the Monetary Authority of Grant Stein said Tuesday that five people, he did not name, should excuse himself from any involvement in the ongoing review of local transactions related to the US probe and FIFA CIMA.

"My opinion is that there are five people on CIMA that link to Jeff Webb," Stein said, "all of which have challenged the review."

Stein said he was not aware of any connections between Webb and five employees, but Cayman is a small island, not the existence of such close ties are particularly surprised. Most of the connections involved either direct family ties or marriage ties, he said.

The issue of conflicts emerged in early June when it was revealed that the CEO of CIMA husband Cindy Scotland, former government minister Mark Scotland, has been working since last year to the Football Association of Cayman Islands under its President Webb and Webb was in Switzerland at the time of his arrest on May 27. In addition, the wife of former Minister Cline Glidden, Gloria serves as deputy head of the banking division of the CIMA. Mr. Glidden was working for CONCACAF in the creation of a regional court settlement of disputes and football was also Webb in Switzerland during the annual meeting of the FIFA before the arrests.

Mr. Stein said there were no allegations of wrongdoing against Scotland, either Mr. or Mr. Glidden probe FIFA.

The new president of CIMA revealed Tuesday that global Krys was retained by the authority to conduct forensic audits of all transactions related to Webb or former resident Costas Takkas Cayman, which are responsible for the criminal investigation in the United States.

Forensic accountants probe will be monitored by a committee of three officials CIMA staff by the head of the CIMA of the bank Ilako Charles, responsible for compliance RJ Berry and Assistant General Counsel Andre Mon Desir. When the test is complete, the Committee will report on the results of the accounting "non-executive" CIMA - ie without the CEO being present CIMA.

The purpose of the appointment of the committee, Mr. Stein said, was to separate the investigations and forensic accounting consultants CIMA made in local financial transactions mentioned in the indictment of US where the regulatory authority can have "connections" Webb, Stein said.

At least one current and one former bank Cayman Islands, Fidelity and Barclays, were named in connection with allegations of US Federal Court, although neither the bank was accused of irregularities in the court records.

For now, the committee CIMA and forensic accountants to focus only on operations Fidelity Bank identified in the indictment of America published on 27 May, Stein said. If there were other areas of concern identified in the context of the review, the investigation could grow, he said.

The charges:

Senior officials from Fidelity Bank in the Cayman Islands have confirmed in early June Webb remained employed in the bank in a contract part-time consultant until the end of 2012, including the period in which he is accused of soliciting bribes from intermediaries in the exchange of the granting of the marketing rights for certain football competitions of FIFA.

According to US accusations of the Federal Court, separate bribes channeled through the US payments, Hong Kong and the Cayman Islands bank accounts were negotiated in 2012 with then Vice President of FIFA and powerful Secretary General Webb CONCACAF Enrique Sanz, who is identified in the indictment as "co -conspirator No. 4".

The indictment alleges that the discussions were in 2012 to negotiate the media and marketing rights to the qualifying round of 2018 and 2022 World Cup. These rights were being sought by the US subsidiary of trafficking Group, based in Brazil - US Traffic - I wanted to buy the rights to the Caribbean Football Association, state records of the Federal Court. Co-conspirator # 4 was used by the Group of traffic at the time, but that same year he became the general secretary of CONCACAF. The director general of trade of the United States, Aaron Davidson, is also responsible for the US survey FIFA.

Near the end of these negotiations, co-conspirator # 4 are met defendant accused Takkas, identified as a close associate of Webb. The meeting was held in Hungary. "Takkas told co-conspirator No. 4 Webb wanted a bribe of $ 3 million in exchange for the contract [Football Union] must be assigned to US traffic," court records state.

It is also alleged that bribery was divided between the two companies, traffic from the US and other identified as "Company C Sports Marketing" so that everyone would have to pay $ 1.5 million in Webb. It is also alleged that the payment traffic was sent to the United States Takkas by a Miami bank HSBC in Buffalo, New York, and finally transferred to a HSBC bank in Hong Kong.

The indictment alleges that two transfers totaling $ 1 million were sent from Hong Kong to a correspondent account in New York to the credit of an account in the name of Kosson Ventures - a company controlled by Takkas - Fidelity Bank in the Islands Cayman. Records show that the US $ 500,000 remaining due by TRAFFIC USA They were paid into another account controlled by Takkas at Fidelity Bank in the Cayman Islands.

"Takkas then transferred the funds in an account in the name of a pool builder in the United Community Bank in Blairsville, Georgia," the criminal complaint bed "[It was] the benefit of the accused Jeffrey Webb, he would have a pool built at his home in Loganville, Georgia. "

Federal prosecutors say the Takkas participation in the transfer of funds was "more intermediate 'in nature and was" designed to hide the fact that Jeffrey Webb was the recipient of the payment. "

It was unclear whether the indictment Webb never received the other half of the money from the alleged corruption of "Sports Marketing Company C."

Webb last all charges against month pleaded not guilty in federal court.