NaijaLeaks: A Speaker so disgracefully indiscreet

NaijaLeaks another torrent

If we thought the Nigerian version of WikiLeaks (NaijaLeaks) had stopped like a case of a plumbing mishap, we were met with another seemingly shocking exclusive released as a teaser by the 234Next.com newspaper yesterday.

As we discussed the issue on Twitter, it did not dawn on us that the exclusive being announced was sourced pre-emptively from WikiLeaks where the Speaker of the Nigerian House of Representatives had met with the then US Ambassador to Nigeria, Robin Sanders in 2009 to discuss a number of topics that included electoral reform, the fight against corruption, the presidency and the then recently conducted rerun of elections.

Once again, there are sensational and headline grabbing points that jump out of the cables [1] which I believe would be covered extensively by other newspapers and blogs, there are more pertinent issues however that inform the quality of these cables.

If we were under any illusion about the job description of an ambassador only being the representative of a country and its interests to another, we might have missed out the additional work being done that in non-diplomatic terms really is espionage, spying, subterfuge, suborning and eliciting information from the powerful and in the know whose egos when adequately massaged will reveal almost unprintable material.

The Speaker’s Weakness

The Speaker it was suggested had become a confidant of the President leading the Ambassador to expect to glean a lot from the meeting but it appears she was not prepared for all that she heard.

Certain elements of the Speaker’s character were described in the cable, it would appear that not only was he a speaker, he was a talker and garrulous at that; I having seen him on the BBC HardTalk programme; he does appear smug too.

The Speaker, the cable avers is known for his gregariousness, reading through the cable, this was offered hardly in praise but more in derogation that the Ambassador was keen to take advantage of. The precursor to the meeting suggests he was sometimes elusive but certainly ego-driven.

Gregarious generally means being sociable which is a good trait of politicians; it also means the seeking and enjoying the company of others – in the presence of other powerful people or those who accord the person a sense of importance, this trait can lead to delusions of grandeur, exaggerations, assuming airs, indiscretions and worse as the cable refers to rumours of his abuse of power.

A man full of himself

As a senior politician, he had opinions that he freely shared about every issue he was asked about but there seemed to be a wide gulf between his actions and his good intentions which was evidenced in his suggesting receiving inputs about electoral reform from civil society but had not to that time when asked consulted with civil society.

In fact, it was the Ambassador that informed him of which organisations to consult with and she offered to facilitate forums about such matters; this considering he was supposed to be a high-ranking representative of self-same people he should have consulted before.

The ambassador observed “Changing his entire body posture” and this must have been the Speaker getting quite comfortable to be as indiscrete as one fully inebriated or as one tweet suggested, he succumbed to the effects of administered truth serum.

There are many instances where the cable suggests the Speaker lead and helped the Ambassador further her inquiry as the cable used phrases as “Given that Bankole had opened the door”, “taking the queue (sic, that should have been cue) and implication on board”; it appears the Speaker could not exercise restraint as he claimed, he stated, he added, he lamented, he agreed, he said and it is doubtful that he can at the revelations of this cable suggest he was quoted out of context – he appeared to be in his full garrulous element exhibiting all gregarious traits bordering on a Williams Syndrome trait; the unusually cheerful demeanour and ease with strangers.

She gets more than she expects

The Ambassador [2] comes with glowing credentials that make for her ability to tease information out of Nigerians with ease, with degrees in international relations and having held sensitive policy advisory positions in the US government, she had every making of an interrogator handing you a glass of wine with a smile whilst getting all she planned to get out of you.

Everyone who seems to have conversed with her appears to have been too forthcoming for comfort, however, having massaged the ego of the Speaker the revelations in this cable are not only scandalous but call into question the whole democratic experiment in Nigeria as one hardly representative of the people, the fight against corruption being one of personal vendettas and gaining pecuniary advantage, that electoral reform might not produce the real dividends of free and fair elections, that the justice system had been completely suborned and money shielded criminals from prosecution.

Not a pretty picture of the Speaker of the House of Representatives who cannot keep his mouth shut and definitely not a pretty one of Nigeria’s immediate future.

Sources

[1] 234next.com | Wikileaks CABLE: 'Supreme Court Bribe'

[2] Robin R. Sanders - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Nigeria: NaijaLeaks and why China is bad for Africa

The cables are still coming

The need to continue to mine the WikiLeaks diplomatic cables must not wane even after the spotlights have moved on, there is much to be seen in those cables and this one must be highlighted.

NaijaLeaks, the Nigerian side of the things in this cable [1] presents a very interesting perspective to governance, leadership and accountability issues in Nigeria.

Playing one off the other

At the end of 2009, the Nigerian legislature was busy debating versions of the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) which many International Oil Companies (IOCs) thought was not structural or strategic but about asserting greater ownership of our national resources, in ways, this was a disincentive for new investment by IOCs but an opportunity for negotiation for the Government of Nigeria (GON).

Shell Nigeria had brashly suggested to the National Assembly that if the PIB were passed, the “Nigerian oil industry would be dead”, so the GON brought in the Chinese. Considering Shell has the best deal in the Nigerian oil industry they felt they could use that leverage to thwart a legislative process.

For those who advocate Chinese investment in Africa and sing the highest praises of China, this is one cable you should read and comprehend.

Introducing the Chinese in Africa

This is what they did, “The Chinese are very aggressive because they need the oil. They came in with big money, and they were ready with large loans with low interest rates.”

I have to give Nigerians credit for this, playing competing interests against each other whilst keeping control of the process, "We know what had happened in the Sudan and Chad and we know enough about them to know where we want them and where we don't." Then, the person goes on to say, "No one really desires to see the IOCs go when we have worked with them so long. Long-term friendships develop, a lot is learned from them, and we know how they do business.”

However, what was most revealing was because the Chinese oil companies are run, by which I think they mean owned by the Chinese government, their representatives in the oil industry do not know how to deal with democratic governments.

The Nigerian democratic experiment can be flawed but the core elements of it are working, efficient, functional and aggressive too in protecting Nigerian interests.

It is not for sale in Mandarin?

The Chinese because of their incentive of cash and softer loans had come to cherry-pick the oil fields and many of those fields were already allocated to other partners in the Nigerian oil industry. The cable says the Chinese acted dumbfounded and I think what was intended was dumb and of the fields already operated by other interests the Chinese said, “You mean we can’t have it?”

Therein lays the reason for the Petroleum Industry Bill, to create partnerships and binding contracts where interlopers cannot with their money make us rescind agreements in their favour and the punch line to this episode is, “We are lucky we have a democratic government, under the military, the Chinese and Russians would be here.”

If the Chinese had gotten their way, they would have successfully jettisoned the PIB and abridged our democratic process which is by no means perfect, this crucial bill showed that Nigeria had to keep its nerve and resist the incentives offered to pervert due process whilst protecting partnerships that have existed for decades.

Apparently, the Russians through Gazprom had tried similar tactics and the Nigerians did not like it at all, in fact, it appears Nigerians were more comfortable with the devil they know in the existing IOCs than the moneybag Russians and Chinese along with a willingness to maintain business agreements regardless of alternative business incentive.

Rotten command structure

Interestingly, the labour unions also did not want the Chinese in the Nigerian oil industry, with China featuring in the list of the five worst countries to work for; they do not have industrial relations representatives or formal human resources processes. The immediate supervisor exercises all power without being accountable to anyone and most of the Chinese officials are non-English speaking hindering constructive interaction, according to the cable.

Zambia is another African country that had suffered at the hands of the Chinese and if I recall, the writer of Dead Aid, Dambisa Moyo [2] is from Zambia and I do wonder what she has to say about the unions chasing the Chinese out of Zambia.

The issue of corruption is probably moot as well as it is global, but this is a very cautionary note, “The Chinese have no respect for local laws, and they compromise a lot of things, including safety.” According to the cable, “the Chinese were the first to bribe local officials to win contracts and get around local laws.”

This sets a very dangerous precedent in any setup that the Chinese seek to have influence, especially in Africa, if this kind of business practice is norm, we should not be blinded by the idea that the presence of money is the solution to development at the expense of other rather more established capitalist business practices which include the whole spectrum of management, accountability, industrial relations, human resources and more recently corporate social responsibility.

Know how to handle the Chinese

Therefore, it is, “The poor image of the Chinese helps to explain why they never seriously threatened renewal of the IOCs' oil mining licenses.”

Nigerians were playing the diplomacy game with relish and offered this statement from the minister in charge in which he said, “There was never any consideration of selling or trading one firm for (I think he meant against) another. NNPC has a right to relinquish any part of its equity to any third party that expresses interest and it is in that regard that the discussions with the Chinese have been carrying on.”

Nigerians have signed agreements with the Chinese and Shell get 45% of joint venture deals with the GON compared with other IOCs that get 40% and I would suppose the Chinese might be offered a lot less whilst doing well to keep a rein on their activities within Nigeria.

Sources

[1] Viewing cable 09ABUJA2170, Chinese oil companies not so welcome in Nigeria’s oil patch

[2] Dead Aid - Review

Newswatch Magazine - The Draft Petroleum Industry Bill 2009

What’s the Fuss about the Nigerian Petroleum Industry Bill?

The Nigerian Petroleum Industry Bill - Part 2

The Cable – With interesting highlighted bits

E.o. 12958: decl: 11/28/2019

Tags: econ, epet, enrg, einv, pgov, prel, ni, ch

Subject: Chinese oil companies not so welcome in Nigeria’s oil patch

Ref: Abuja 2100

Classified By: Ambassador Robin R. Sanders for Reasons in Sections 1.4 (b) and (d).

Summary

¶1. (C) Two xxxxxxxxxxxx officials recently volunteered that Chinese oil companies had made a lot of mistakes in Nigeria and neither official welcomed their presence. Nigeria National Petroleum Company (NNPC) xxxxxxxxxxxx said on xxxxxxxxxxxx the NNPC is aware of how the Chinese have behaved in the Sudan and Chad and that the Chinese do not know how to deal with a democratic government.

xxxxxxxxxxxx complained on November 11 that there is no recourse when dealing with the Chinese and that the Chinese do not respect local laws. The poor image of the Chinese helps to explain why they were never a serious threat to the renewal of the international oil companies' (IOCs) oil mining licenses (OMLs).

END SUMMARY.

Ruffled feathers...

¶2. (C) Nigeria National Petroleum Company (NNPC) xxxxxxxxxxxx discussed the Chinese oil companies' recent attempts to obtain deep water oil mining leases (OMLs) with Economic Counselor and Trade and Investment Specialist on November 13.

xxxxxxxxxxxx said that Shell Nigeria had opened the door for the Chinese by resisting GON efforts to pass the proposed Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) and telling the National Assembly that the "Nigerian oil industry would be dead" if the PIB passed. "So they brought in the Chinese," xxxxxxxxxxxx said.

¶3. (C) Asked about how the Chinese handled themselves in Nigeria, xxxxxxxxxxxx said, "The Chinese are very aggressive because they need the oil." "They came in with big money," he said, "and they were ready with large loans with low interest rates."

But the Chinese also made some mistakes. First, xxxxxxxxxxxx said, "We know what had happened in the Sudan and Chad and we know enough about them to know where we want them and where we don't." At the same time, xxxxxxxxxxxx said, "No one really desires to see the IOCs go when we have worked with them so long. Long-term friendships develop, a lot is learned from them, and we know how they do business."

¶4. (C) Second, xxxxxxxxxxxx said, "Their oil companies are run by the Chinese government and they do not know how to deal with Qthe Chinese government and they do not know how to deal with a democratic government. For example, the Chinese told the NNPC officials which fields they wanted and the NNPC officials had to say, 'No, this field is operated by someone.'" The Chinese acted dumbfounded and said, "You mean we can't have it?"

"The PIB did not come from nowhere," xxxxxxxxxxxx explained. Much consultation occurred before the GON presented the PIB to the National Assembly and all that was not going to be undone because of a Chinese official. "The Chinese caused the problem," he summarized, "and they ruffled a lot of feathers." Xxxxxxxxxxxx added that Gazprom of Russia had used a similar approach. "We are lucky we have a democratic government" he said, "Under the military, the Chinese and Russians would be here."

...and no forwarding address

¶5. (C) xxxxxxxxxxxx colleagues also told visiting Coordinator for International Energy Affairs (S/CIEA) David Goldwyn and his delegation on November 11 that he and his union colleagues did not want the Chinese in the Nigerian oil sector. Goldwyn was asking about the problems faced by xxxxxxxxxxxx said, "The Chinese are here and that is a huge problem!"

"xxxxxxxxxxxx have a list of the worst five countries to work for," xxxxxxxxxxxx said, "and they are on that list." xxxxxxxxxxxx explained that xxxxxxxxxxxx had experienced a problem with ExxonMobil when they "wrongfully fired a worker." xxxxxxxxxxxx applied pressure through the U.S. steel workers and the worker in question was given a choice of being re-hired or compensated and xxxxxxxxxxxx chose the latter. "If xxxxxxxxxxxx a problem with a Chinese company," xxxxxxxxxxxx complained, "who can xxxxxxxxxxxx to?"

(COMMENT: Nigerian xxxxxxxxxxxx have complained to Labor Officer that the Chinese do not have industrial relations representatives or any formal human resources process other than the immediate supervisor who does the hiring and firing. Dealing with non-English-speaking Chinese officials also hinders constructive interaction.

END COMMENT).

¶6. (C) xxxxxxxxxxxx later elaborated by alleging that Chinese labor practices were not good so no one wants to be part of it. "Look at the Chinese mining companies in Zambia," xxxxxxxxxxxx said, "the labor unions there had to chase them out." xxxxxxxxxxxx noted that corrupt people in China were put to death, but overseas they quickly adapt to the local environment, including adopting corrupt practices.

"The Chinese have no respect for local laws," xxxxxxxxxxxx said, "and they compromise a lot of things, including safety."

¶7. (C) Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Q7. (C) Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) xxxxxxxxxxxx said the Chinese were the first to bribe local officials to win contracts and get around local laws.

By contrast, xxxxxxxxxxxx said xxxxxxxxxxxx played by the rules and was above-board. "xxxxxxxxxxxx proud of xxxxxxxxxxxx company in that respect," xxxxxxxxxxxx said. (See reftel for additional background on Goldwyn's meeting with the xxxxxxxxxxxx).

Comment

¶8. (C) The poor image of the Chinese helps to explain why they never seriously threatened renewal of the IOCs' oil mining licenses (OMLs), the first of which the GON signed with ExxonMobil on November 20. Most of the remainder will be signed in the coming weeks.

Minister of State for Petroleum Resources Odein Ajumogobia told the joint GON-ExxonMobil press conference on the same day that, "There was never any consideration of selling or trading one firm for (against?) another." But he also said that, "NNPC has a right to relinquish any part of its equity to any third party that expresses interest and it is in that regard that the discussions with the Chinese have been carrying on."

The GON owns 60 percent of all the joint ventures with the IOCs (55 percent in the case of Shell). So, the NNPC and the IOCs could still end up having minority Chinese partners -- whether they like it or not.

¶9. (U) Embassy coordinated this telegram with ConGen Lagos.

Sanders

Nigeria: NaijaLeaks on corruption in Yar'Adua's circle

NaijaLeaks and getting wet

A leak is of no significance when the sun shines but you will be well informed that you have a hole in your roof when it rains, this spate of WikiLeaks released last night had a roofless Nigeria exposed to a tropical torrential downpour and the possibility that beyond ruining the furniture the house might well be swept away in the torrent.

Having reviewed the three cables, in fact, there are four, one pertains to corruption in high places [1] as a background to late President Umaru Yar’Adua’s rule of law mantra, two pertain to the activities of the oil conglomerate Shell in Nigeria; on attacks on infrastructure [2] and establishment espionage [3] and the last pertains to the power vacuum [4] at the beginning of 2010 with President Yar’Adua comatose and Dr. Goodluck Jonathan as acting president.

NaijaLeaks will be the nominative term to refer to WikiLeaks concerning Nigeria as suggested in Twitter streams attributed to Idris Bello by SolomonSydelle of Nigerian Curiosity.

The rule of flaws

Each leak requires its own exhaustive review and hopefully some justice can be made of each attempt to contextualise the issues.

The first cable was created on the 21^st of February 2008 just about 9 months into President Yar’Adua’s first term in office in which a Kano businessman alleged corruption within the President’s close circles.

The public face of President Yar’Adua was one of an honest leader not given to ostentation, of modest means and with a mandate to stem corruption within the Nigerian government hierarchy. We are almost suffocated with the continuous goal of adhering to the rule of law giving the idea that things would be done according to the book.

Apparently, even during his governorship days according to the cable he kept himself aloof of the dregs of corruption by having a “Mr. Fix It”, Dahiru Mangal [5] who was an ace smuggler using routes through the Niger Republic and dispersing his wares in the Kano marketplace.

Questionable business impunity

The president stood accused of nepotism and cronyism because Mr. Mangal is also a native of Katsina where the president was from and Mr. Mangal had become a wholesale customs department importing goods and taking duties to a the amount of $2 million as a flat-fee of shipments of about 100 containers per month.

Mr. Mangal also ran an airline which was amongst those chose to ferry pilgrims to Hajj in December 2007, an activity that was dogged with inefficiencies and blatant corruption that left certain pilgrims stranded in Saudi Arabia and that is not to talk of the ones who were not airlifted from Nigeria at all.

However, with all this clout, Mr. Mangal was made a Special Adviser to the President and whilst he had to desist from direct involvement in illicit activities, his network was already established and he could like the President keep them at arm’s length whilst bringing the network close to the Presidency where corrupt activities can attain an air of normalcy and the veneer of official sanction.

First in line lady takes the spoils

Other uncorroborated matters concerned the ostentatious tastes of the First Lady Turai Yar’Adua, the purchase of a $10 million house in London not declared in the President’s assets, people purporting to represent the First Lady in deals that required pay backs to facilitate completion.

All sorts of conclusions can be drawn as to the content of the cables but the most interesting one has to be that the President cannot have been oblivious of the activities of Dahiru Mangal and appointing him to political office cannot have been to have a leopard suddenly change his spots. He served a purpose and it cannot have been for the good by any stretch of the imagination.

As for the First Lady, it seems she had settled in well into her role and had begun to create a network of patronage borne from she position and was beginning to exploit it for her own ends.

Sources

[1] Viewing cable 08ABUJA320, S/NF) NIGERIA: KANO BUSINESSMAN ALLEGES YAR'ADUA

[2] Viewing cable 09ABUJA259, C) NIGERIA: SHELL BRIEFS AMBASSADOR ON OIL GAS ISSUES,

[3] Viewing cable 09ABUJA1907, C) SHELL MD DISCUSSES THE STATUS OF THE PROPOSED PETROLEUM

[4] Viewing cable 10ABUJA215, GOODLUCK JONATHAN REMAINS ACTING PRESIDENT OF NIGERIA

[5] Dahiru Mangal, The New Face of Crime - ModernGhana.com

The cable

S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 02 ABUJA 000320

SIPDIS

NOFORN

SIPDIS

STATE FOR INR/AA, INR/B

E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/18/2033

TAGS: PGOV PINR KCOR NI

SUBJECT: (S/NF) NIGERIA: KANO BUSINESSMAN ALLEGES YAR'ADUA

CORRUPTION

REF: 07 ABUJA 2627

Classified By: Political Counselor Walter Pflaumer for Reasons 1.4 (b,

c, & d).

¶1. (S//NF) SUMMARY: XXXXXXXXXXXX alleged a close association between President Yar,Adua and Katsina native and rumored smuggler Dahiru Mangal. XXXXXXXXXXXX claimed Mangal is the President's "Mr. Fix It," taking care of "anything filthy" Yar'Adua needs done in addition to smuggling items for several wealthy Nigerian businessmen through Niger into Kano. Another Kano business contact corroborated XXXXXXXXXXXX 's allegations, but observed that Mangal no longer deals openly in illicit activity since Yar'Adua named him a special advisor earlier this month. As well, XXXXXXXXXXXX maintained that he had been approached by a man claiming to represent First Lady Turai Yar'Adua and seeking an USD 2 million pay-off. While Post cannot independently authenticate these allegations of corruption by the President or First Lady, Post has heard rumors of an emergent "Katsina clique" in the Presidential Villa. END SUMMARY.

¶2. (S//NF) Kano real estate entrepreneur and longtime Mission contact XXXXXXXXXXXX told PolOff February 10 that Katsina native Dahiru Mangal, who XXXXXXXXXXXX contends deals in illicit smuggling of goods into Nigeria, is also known as President Yar'Adua's "Mr. Fix It." XXXXXXXXXXXX alleged a close association between the President and Mangal, dating to the former's tenure as governor of Katsina, and claimed the latter remains to this day Yar'Adua's "go-to man" to accomplish "anything filthy that Yar'Adua needs done." Mangal, XXXXXXXXXXXX said, is also the "go-to" for any wealthy Nigerian, who wants to import "just about anything" into Nigeria.

He declined to state whether Mangal smuggled weapons, drugs, or persons into Nigeria. (On February 17, PolOff queried another Kano business contact, who corroborated XXXXXXXXXXXX 's accusations, however claimed Mangal no longer goes by "Mr. Fix It" since Yar'Adua officially named him a special advisor earlier this month. Allegedly, Yar'Adua instructed Mangal to cease any illicit activity if Mangal wished to enjoy official recognition by the President. The contact implied this may connote, inter alia, that Yar'Adua desires to maintain at least the appearance of respect for rule of law, and thus, does not want any of his close advisors openly involved in suspect activity.)

¶3. (S//NF) XXXXXXXXXXXX told PolOff XXXXXXXXXXXX

several Nigerian businessmen who have employed Mangal's

services over the past several years. Reportedly, Mangal owns a warehouse across the Niger border (likely close to the Katsina border with Jibiyya and Maradi) in which he stores hundreds of 40-foot shipping containers. XXXXXXXXXXXX claimed Mangal is able to import goods from around the world, including China. In return, Mangal requests a flat fee of 2 million naira (USD 17,000), excluding the cost of goods. Approximately 100 containers per month are brought into Kano, and goods are then delivered to clients or sold in Kano's Kurmi market.

¶4. (S//NF) Mangal also operates several legitimate businesses, XXXXXXXXXXXX asserted, including Mangal Airlines. The National Hajj Commission of Nigeria contracted Kabo, Bellview, Meridian, and Mangal Airlines for the December 2007 hajj operations, which transported approximately 100,000 Nigerians to Saudi Arabia for the annual pilgrimage. (Note: Many Nigerian Muslims have criticized the GON's handling of the 2007 hajj claiming several thousand Nigerians were left stranded in Saudi Arabia and could not return to Nigeria, except without extraordinary hardship, and several others were never airlifted from Nigeria at all. End Note.)

¶5. (S//NF) Moreover, XXXXXXXXXXXX said XXXXXXXXXXXX

XXXXXXXXXXXX had been approached recently by a man claiming to speak on behalf of First Lady Turai Yar'Adua. The person, who arrived at the meeting with XXXXXXXXXXXX in a Peugeot with a "presidential" license plate, told XXXXXXXXXXXX the First Lady would "allow" them to construct the homes so long as she is given an advance payment of 250 million naira (USD 2 million). XXXXXXXXXXXX said he was willing to offer the First

ABUJA 00000320 002 OF 002

Lady twenty plots of land instead, to which the presumed emissary grimaced. The negotiations, XXXXXXXXXXXX told PolOff, continue.

¶6. (C//NF) NOTE: During a late January conversation with PolOff, XXXXXXXXXXXXX said XXXXXXXXXXXXX purchased an USD 10 million house in central London approximately 7 years ago, XXXXXXXXXXXXX. This house apparently was excluded from President Yar,Adua,s public declaration of assets in June 2007, which put his total wealth at approximately USD 7 million. END NOTE.

¶7. (S//NF) COMMENT: While XXXXXXXXXXXX is a trusted, longtime Mission contact who has provided veracious information in the past, we cannot independently confirm his statements regarding Mangal or the First Lady. Certainly, the man who approached XXXXXXXXXXXXX seeking a pay-off may simply have been attempting to exploit the First Lady's name for personal enrichment.

We have heard rumors of the emergence of a "Katsina clique" in the Villa -- a group of individuals from the President's home state of Katsina who reportedly constitute Yar'Adua's inner circle and increasingly, control access to him. The surfacing of this group may be a corrollary to Yar'Adua's lack of national exposure (and hence, his deficiently broad support base) and his inability thus far to stamp his authority on the ruling People's Democratic Party.

Rumors abound alleging that the First Lady, Special Advisor Tanimu Yakubu, and Minister of Agriculture Sayyadi Ruma are involved in corrupt practices. Reports of both the First Lady and Yakubu's taste for the high life and tendencies toward illicit enrichment surfaced during a December 2007 debrief by XXXXXXXXXXXXX outlined problems he saw in the Villa and cases XXXXXXXXXXXXX was closely watching (Ref A)

Several contacts from XXXXXXXXXXXXX, moreover, maintain that while the President "appeared incorruptible" during his tenure as governor, his wife siphoned off millions in public funds for private use. Post will closely monitor these accusations and report any new developments. END COMMENT. SANDERS