Nicosia [Cyprus] declares Tuesday a bank holiday, but ECB urges action

The Cypriot cabinet has declared Tuesday a bank holiday, for fear of capital flight, and this may even be stretched to Wednesdayas depositors are certain to withdraw huge sums from the Cypriot banks after the haircut imposed.

Nicosia postponed from Sunday to Monday the tabling in Parliament of the bill including the measures for the Cypriot bailout – including a bank account haircut and a tax hike on interest and corporate earnings – but the European Central Bank insists on a rapid voting because there are already signs a domino effect will follow across European lenders and markets from Monday.

There is genuine fear of market unrest on Monday morning when stocks may crumble in the eurozone and bank accounts in other southern European banks may suffer.

Skai radio reported on Sunday that the Bank of Greece has sent between 4 and 5 billion euros to Cyprus in order to help Cypriot banks respond to cash requirements by their clients.

one UN guy who made millions in Saddam’s oil for food program. He fled to Cyprus where he is untouchable>>>>>>>

Benon Sevan
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Benon Vahe Sevan (born December 18, 1937 Nicosia, Cyprus) was the head of the United Nations’ Oil-for-Food Programme, established in 1996 and charged with preventing Iraq’s government from using the proceeds from oil exports for anything but food, medicine and other items to benefit the civilian population.

Born into an Armenian-Cypriot family in Cyprus, Sevan was educated at the prestigious Melkonian Educational Institute in Nicosia. He obtained a BA in History and Philosophy at Columbia College, New York, and a further degree from the School of International and Public Affairs at Columbia University.

He joined the United Nations in 1965 and worked, among other places, for a U.N.-administered plebiscite in West Irian, as well as on issues related to prisoners of war in the Iran-Iraq conflict. From 1982 to March 1988 Sevan was Secretary of the UN Economic and Social Council. In April 1988 he was appointed director and senior political advisor to the Secretary-General’s representative on the Afghan conflict. In January 1991 the Secretary-General appointed him to head the Office coordinating humanitarian aid to Afghanistan. In July 1992 he was named Assistant Secretary-General in the UN Department of Political Affairs.

But Sevan came to world attention as investigations began into the Oil-for-Food Programme. Sevan reportedly accepted bribes from Saddam Hussein in the form of oil vouchers, and allowed Saddam to garner $11 billion for military and other uses which violated the UN sanctions against his regime, even as Sevan tried to persuade the United Nations Security Council to make concessions to the Iraqi regime. In August, 2003, he was wounded in the Canal Hotel Bombing

On 7 February 2005, United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan suspended Sevan and another UN official with pay ($1 per year plus benefits, including diplomatic immunity from prosecution) because of their roles in the fraud. On 8 August 2005, a UN-appointed panel, led by Paul Volcker, published a report on its investigation into the scandal. In the report the panel concluded that Sevan had accepted bribes from the former Iraqi regime and recommended that his UN immunity be lifted, to allow for a criminal investigation.[1] Sevan had resigned from the UN on 7 August 2005, just one day before the report was due to be published.

In October 2005 it was reported he had fled the US and returned to his native Cyprus. The extradition treaty between the US and Cyprus does not require Cyprus to send Sevan to the US.[2]

Sevan is married with one daughter.

Cyprus is a nice place to go on the lam....if I were looking for a hidey-hole, Cyprus would certainly be on top ten list.

I’ve been to both sides of the island. I would say the South is of course, really touristy and the North is, in some area, like you’ve walked into a time warp back to late 19th Century rural Anatolia. If you like quiet, it’s nice. There’s some really nice out-of-the-way quiet places in the South as well that are great to check out.

And if you’re into archaeology and history, both sides are really great for checking out....the whole island is a treasure trove of various sites.

I read that the Cypriot Finance Minister is flying to Moscow tomorrow for “discussions”. I’d hate to be him for all the whisky in Ireland.

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