WikiLeaks reveals US worries over Allen Stanford
December 21, 2010
US diplomats were worried about Allen Stanford's business dealings three years before his financial empire
collapsed, according to WikiLeaks.
The Guardian, which has been publishing details of the cables, said the US embassy in Barbados raised the issue
in a cable dated May 3, 2006 after the ambassador attended a breakfast meeting with Stanford and Barbados' prime
minister.
The disclosure potentially raises fresh questions about the wisdom of the England and Wales Cricket Board to
sign a deal in 2008 with the financier for England to play five Twenty20 matches against the West Indies for a
£12 million prize.
In February 2009, Stanford was charged by the US Securities and Exchange Commission with multiple violations
of US securities laws in an alleged "massive" 8bn-dollar fraud.
The 2006 embassy cable noted: "Allen Stanford is a controversial Texan billionaire who has made significant
investments in offshore finance, aviation, and property development in Antigua and throughout the region. His
companies are rumoured to engage in bribery, money-laundering and political manipulation."
A comment appended to the cable added: "Embassy officers do not reach out to Stanford because of the
allegations of bribery and money-laundering. The ambassador managed to stay out of any one-on-one photos with
Stanford during the breakfast."
Meanwhile, WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has criticised leaking of details of the sex assault charges he
faces in Sweden - which were also published in The Guardian, saying it was intended to undermine his
application for bail while he faced extradition proceedings.
He said: "The leak was clearly designed to undermine my bail application. Someone in authority clearly
intended to keep Julian in prison."
More info here:
dominicanewsonline.com
freeinternetpress.com
news.icm.ac.uk
allvoices.com
thisislondon.co.uk
news.uk.msn.com
cbc.bb
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