I mentioned at the beginning of this blog thread that we would be discussing how Viktor But's armsrunning activities involved fraud. Fraud is, of course, the subject matter of this blog so at some point we need to discuss it. However, once again, the sheer scale and scope of But's arms dealing needs to be explored first.
The time when But was working was both fortuitous (for him) and unlucky (for the rest of the world). As stated, But was able to take advantage of the fall of the Former Soviet Union to purchase and sell weapons all over the world. This would not have been possible during the time of the Soviet Union when all arms sales were subject to State control (in this case, the Communist Party of the Soviet Union). It would also have not been possible during a time when the rule of law was more strictly enforced (although the Russian Federation has a long way to go, the rule of law is better now then it was 20 years ago). But was able to find the right time to make his illicit sales.
It was unlucky for the rest of the world in that But was able to sell his weapons to numerous conflicts around the world. The world has never had a shortage of conflicts, but during the nineties, all hell was breaking loose in places such as Africa (the horrific civil war in Liberia, "blood diamond" mining in Sierra Leone, the genocide in Rwanda, the various attempts to seize power and minerals in Congo (Zaire)). For an arms merchant like But, this was a market ready for the taking.
The time when But was working was both fortuitous (for him) and unlucky (for the rest of the world). As stated, But was able to take advantage of the fall of the Former Soviet Union to purchase and sell weapons all over the world. This would not have been possible during the time of the Soviet Union when all arms sales were subject to State control (in this case, the Communist Party of the Soviet Union). It would also have not been possible during a time when the rule of law was more strictly enforced (although the Russian Federation has a long way to go, the rule of law is better now then it was 20 years ago). But was able to find the right time to make his illicit sales.
It was unlucky for the rest of the world in that But was able to sell his weapons to numerous conflicts around the world. The world has never had a shortage of conflicts, but during the nineties, all hell was breaking loose in places such as Africa (the horrific civil war in Liberia, "blood diamond" mining in Sierra Leone, the genocide in Rwanda, the various attempts to seize power and minerals in Congo (Zaire)). For an arms merchant like But, this was a market ready for the taking.
NOTE: THE INFORMATION IN THIS BLOG IS NOT LEGAL ADVICE NOR IS IT INTENDED TO BE LEGAL ADVICE. IF THE READER HAS ANY LEGAL QUESTIONS, PLEASE REFER TO AN ATTORNEY.
Have a great and fraud-free day.
----------à>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>gene tausk
No comments:
Post a Comment