Sanjivan Ruprah/US Government Letters

Transcription

1 Sanjivan Ruprah/US Government Letters 13 October 2003 IPIS vzw, 98a Italiëlei, 2000 Antwerp, Belgium Introduction This is the first in a series of IPIS publications analysing documents found in Sanjivan Ruprah s laptop computer. IPIS has obtained a letter hand-written by Ruprah outlining a proposed business deal with the RCD-Goma rebels in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), involving the printing of currency for the rebels with an Antwerp-based diamond company. This letter is addressed to Ruprah s US government contact in May 2002, and asks for US pressure on Belgium to secure his release from prison. Ruprah seemed able to provide the Americans with more than just information on business transactions in African war zones; another document obtained by IPIS addressed to Ruprah s US government handler offers to broker for the Americans the arming of the Northern Alliance in its fight against the Taliban, including the supply of 40 IGLA Anti Aircraft missile launchers. Ruprah s Interaction with the US Government Several United Nations Expert Panels, established to investigate African conflicts and monitor UN sanctions, have focussed on the activities of Sanjivan Ruprah. The UN Liberia Panel exposed numerous links between Ruprah and the former Liberian President Charles Taylor in its report of December This was followed by a June 2001 travel ban on 130 Liberian officials and individuals linked to the government, including businessmen such as Sanjivan Ruprah. Despite this travel ban, Ruprah visited the United States at least twice to meet law enforcement officials, on September 2001 and January One month after his first meeting with the Federal Bureau of Investigation in Washington DC, Ruprah sent his handler, Brad F., information about foreign bank accounts linked to Liberian officials. Ruprah also began to provide information on Al Qaeda, drafting a dossier for the US government outlining requirements for arming the Northern Alliance, with Ruprah presumably to act as the broker. Such collaboration appears to have been an effort to have his name removed from the travel ban and to avoid legal complications in relation to sanctions busting. Shortly after his second meeting with the FBI, Ruprah was arrested in Belgium on 8 February 2002, apparently not in collaboration with the US government. Ruprah s lawyer issued a press communiqué, saying that the charges against Ruprah included the use of forged passports, organisation of counterfeiting and accessory to criminal organisations, and that the criminal organisation was made up of three Jewish diamond dealers who were allegedly the buyers of Paul Kagame s Congolese diamonds. The lawyer further noted that Paul Kagame, the Rwandan President, and the RCD rebels in Congo still had a debt in excess of US$ 21 million owed to Victor Bout.

2 During his stay in prison Ruprah wrote at least one letter to his FBI handler, Brad F., to provide information and confirm that he was still looking into issues previously discussed with the Americans. Ruprah further used this opportunity to ask his contact in Washington DC to pressure the Belgian authorities for his release Ruprah s value to the Americans appears to have been his ability to provide information on criminal networks associated with Al Qaeda, and to broker an arms deal with the Northern Alliance in Afghanistan. Ruprah was later released from prison in Belgium, only to be arrested again in Italy in August 2002 on charges of manufacturing passports. He was released from jail five weeks later, but was required to remain in the Italian town of Crema. He was then released by the Italian authorities in October 2002 pending his trial. Judicial authorities interviewed by IPIS do not know the current location of Ruprah. East Congo Ruprah s Letter to Brad F. A handwritten letter from Sanjivan Ruprah to his FBI handler, dated 19 May 2002, starts with Hi Brad, I hope this note finds you in the best of health. I m still at the Forest remand facility in Brussels and fine otherwise I d like to explain the circumstances of my arrest & why I m apparently being held. Ruprah outlines how Belgian officials had questioned him concerning his involvement with Victor Bout, as well a possible contract with a diamond company in Antwerp. According to Ruprah s letter, he discussed: a business proposal I had from a Jewish diamond firm that I was introduced to by my brother-in-law (the President of the RCD rebellion in Congo) for the possible contract for the printing of currency for the rebellion in Congo (that proposal could not be implemented as the diamond firm did not agree on various terms with the rebels), & subsequently the same firm (Yubero Diamonds, partners: Benny Israel, Ronnie Grouper, Yuri Zaprudnov) approached me for a possible contract also for printing currency for Guyana with the government & top government officials who are associated with them. I did go to Guyana & also talked to Ciccone Calgograficia for this business but we never got further than initial discussions with the Yubero contacts in Guyana & Ciccone. Ruprah closes the letter by suggesting that the US government pressure Belgian authorities to secure his release from prison: I would appreciate any form of formal/informal pressure from you & your people if possible on the authorities here, should you feel comfortable with that. Ruprah proposes to Brad that I would identify you [to my lawyer] as a concerned friend. Ruprah also informs his American contact that he is receiving news very regularly on matters we discussed last when we met & will continue to do so.

3 Yubero Diamonds Yubero Diamonds is an Antwerp-registered company created in It is run by Benny Raphael Israel, who became a manager of the company in August Another manager, Ronni Rik Grouper, resigned from the company in July The third name mentioned by Ruprah, Yuri Zaprudnov, cannot be found in association with Yubero Diamonds. Benny Israel has confirmed to IPIS that the proposed business deals with Ruprah never occurred, and that Ruprah brought nothing but trouble to his company. By the accounts of both Ruprah and Israel, the currency plan for the RCD-Goma rebels does not appear to have gone beyond the stage of discussion. This may appear to be the only contact Yubero Diamonds would have had with the Congolese rebels. One may logically question why was Yubero approached for the printing of currency for RCD-Goma in the first place. Information and documents collected by IPIS researchers suggests ties between a former manager of Yubero and RCD-Goma that are not discussed in Ruprah s letter. IPIS obtained a copy of a preliminary agreement between Explore Trade Commerce Ltd, a company based in Kigali and run by Ronni Rik Grouper, and Congo Holding Development Company, a company based in Kisangani. The agreement was signed on 1 September 2001, less than two months after Grouper resigned from Yubero Diamonds in Belgium. This agreement concerned the marketing of diamonds mined in territory controlled by the RCD-Goma rebels. It stipulated that Grouper s company, Explore Trade Commerce Ltd, would contribute technical expertise and financing for the purchase and sale of diamonds. Interestingly, Gertrude Kitembo, one of the founding members of the RCD rebels, was Deputy Director-General of the Congo Holding Development Company at this time and is married to a special advisor to the Rwandan President Paul Kagame. Rwanda has been accused by the United Nations of colluding with its Congolese rebel proxies to pillage the resources of the DRC, including diamonds, with these resources then sold to international deals via Kigali. Yubero Diamonds also imported diamonds in Belgium from Rwanda in 2001, as well as from the Democratic Republic of Congo and Republic of Congo (Brazzaville) according to diamond industry sources.

4 Ruprah s Offer to Help the USA in Afghanistan Three sections of an earlier letter sent by Sanjivan Ruprah to his FBI handler, Brad F., are quoted below. There is no date on the letter, but it is believed to have been sent in late Ruprah offers information on Al Qaeda that he says was discussed with Victor Bout, the notorious arms dealer and one-time associate of Ruprah. The letter also details Ruprah s response to the US government on the most effective way to arm the Northern Alliance in its fight against the Taliban. Att. Brad F [last name deleted by IPIS]. As per our telcon, please note the following: 1. Victor [Bout] and I have discussed various aspects of cooperation with yourselves regarding Afghanistan, the main area being support of the group opposing the Taliban regime as well as collecting information on O and his people. 2. We have very good relationships with the group headed by the late Gen. Massoud who was a personal friend of Victor s also, this group as probably known to you is capable of achieving a lot against the Taliban given the right support, logistics and guidance. 4. We could make the necessary arrangements thru Dushanbe & Iran for logistical purposes. Ruprah further notes that the Northern Alliance could advance rapidly and cover 40-50% of Afghanistan within 3-4 months given the right logistical and technical support. The alliance is said to be capable of routing out Osama Bin Laden because most of his hideouts were believed to have been vacated in the week prior to the writing of this letter by Ruprah. The objective of this mission would have been to finally install an interim government in Afghanistan, which had complete support from Tajikistan and sufficient cooperation from Uzbekistan; and O s organization will effectively be evicted from this region. The requirements for the operation appear normal in many respects: trucks; 6,000 AK47s and 5 million rounds ammunition; 1,000 PKM machine guns and 2 million rounds ammunition; 3,000 RPG7s and 18,000 rounds ammunition; mm guns and 8,000 shells; 50 Concurs anti-tank launchers, and a handful of Mi-24v attack helicopters. What appears out of the ordinary is the request for 40 IGLA Anti Aircraft launchers and 160 missiles. Other documentation shows that Ruprah had brokered IGLA launchers for US$ 18,500 in a previous arms deal, which is about the same price Ruprah charged for STRELA anti aircraft launchers. These IGLA launchers for Afghanistan may have been justified as a means to shoot down Taliban helicopters. This type of missile is also one of the greatest terrorist threats for the commercial aviation industry, especially since the failed attacks against an Israeli passenger plane in Mombasa, Kenya. It is not known whether the US government accepted Ruprah s proposed plan to broker the arming of the Northern Alliance. Ideally the proliferation of surface to air missiles should not be tasked to non-state actors in troubled regions where the freemarket allows these weapons to eventually pass into the hands of terrorists. That the

5 US government even accepted an offer from an individual such as Ruprah, who was then under a UN travel ban for arms dealing in African conflict zones, is perplexing. Of more concern is that this deal proposed by Ruprah involved Victor Bout, who allegedly conducted business with the Taliban. One could then ask why the US government would even accept an offer from individuals with such a disputed history. A concern would be that the US government jeopardises becoming entangled in covert arms transfers using unreliable middlemen, with the weapons, including anti aircraft missiles, later falling into the hands of terrorists.