Citibank forces gun withdrawal Financial giant no longer serves 'businesses that deal in weapons'
Citibank (Nevada) N.A.
4065 South Jones Boulevard
Las Vegas, NV 89103
Tel 702/364-2061
February 7, 2000
Nevada Pistol Academy
4610 Blue Diamond Road
Las Vegas, NV 89139
CUSTOMER NOTICE: ACCOUNT CLOSURE
Account Number: (removed for privacy)
Your Citibank checking account will be closed ten calendar days from the date of this notice. This action is necessary due to Citibank not maintaining accounts for businesses that deal in weapons.
Deposits to this account will not be accepted as of three business days from the date of this notice. Please refrain from writing additional checks on this account.
Checks presented for payment will be honored until your account is closed if sufficient funds are available. Any additional funds remaining in your account on the date of closure will be sent to you in the form of an official bank check.
If you have any questions regarding our decision to close your account, please contact our 24 hour customer service telephone number, 800-756-7047 or Text Tel/TTD 800-756-0382.
Citibank confirms anti-gun stance - 'Longstanding policy' part of growing trend among institutions
Citibank kills firearms policy Gun businesses to be treated like others, says spokesman
Big guns must be OK with Citibank
NOTE: Prudential denies coverage to gun owner Says policeman's firearms ownership makes insuring home too risky
Citibank Obstructing Justice in Chinagate
July 21, 1999
Via Facsimile
Thomas M. Lahiff, Jr.
Vice President
Citibank, N.A.
Legal Affairs Office
425 Park Avenue
New York, New York 10043
Dear Mr. Lahiff:
I am writing regarding a telephone conversation you had with us yesterday regarding the subpoenaed bank records of Liu Chao Ying. It has been at least two months since the Committee approached Citibank and approximately one month since the Committee issued a subpoena regarding the wire transfer sent by Liu Chao Ying to Johnny Chung. Certainly you understand our keen interest in this information as it is related to attempts by the Chinese government to influence our presidential election. To date, your cooperation has been accompanied by what appears to be undue delays.
In your conversation, you confirmed that you are pursuing the answers to the Committee's recent inquiries regarding the records of Liu Chao Ying. First, several numbers were listed on Citibank documentation of the August 14, 1996, wire transfer from Liu Chao Ying to Johnny Chung. These numbers include: XXXXX-XXX-XX-XX, XXX-XXX-XX-XXXXX or XXX-XXX-XX. You are determining whether any of those numbers identifies an account held at Citibank, N.A., Hong Kong or any other Citibank related entity. Second, you are attempting to locate the documentation that should have been generated as a result of Liu Chao Ying's exchange of USD 300,000 for HKD 2,318,850 on or about August 14, 1996.
In your conversation, you also represented that you are having difficulty acquiring answers to the Committee's inquiries due to two main obstacles: (1) the "twelve hour time differen[tial]" between New York, New York and Hong Kong which has forced you to call Hong Kong at 1:30 a.m.; and (2) the "language barrier." which has made communications difficult.
I am confident that as a Vice President of an international bank with locations spanning the globe you and your company have developed efficient and effective ways of communicating across time zones. In the event that Citibank is not as sophisticated as I have been led to believe, e-mail would seem to be an available form of communication for a multi-national corporation. Furthermore, with regard to the "language barrier," I have a simple suggestion. Call the Citibank, N.A., Hong Kong, legal department. Mr. Griffin has spoken with individuals there. As I'm sure you are aware, they are fluent speakers of the English language. Whatever method you choose, it is evident to me that a number of employees in the Hong Kong office--from teller to counsel--should be able to determine the existence of the account in question.
In our initial conversations with Citibank employees, we provided a Citibank reference number obtained by the Committee from the Hong Kong Overseas Trust Bank, Ltd to assist in the identification and tracking of the wire transfer information. That same reference number was later included in the June 22, 1999, subpoena to Citibank. Repeatedly, Citibank personnel indicated that they were uncertain whether the reference number was a Citibank number and to what the number referred. On July 15, 1999, you produced part of the subpoenaed documentation of the Liu Chao Ying wire transfer. The reference number provided on the Citibank documentation identically matched the reference number provided to the Committee by the Hong Kong Overseas Trust Bank, Ltd. and subsequently to Citibank by the Committee. In light of this match, I am unclear as to the search capabilities of Citibank's record keeping system. Does Citibank have the capability to search for data on a wire transfer using a "TRN" reference number? If so, why was this documentation not provided sooner?
On July 13, 1999, you produced Customer Account Information Forms for several accounts held by the People's Bank of China: 36081826, 36981797, 36081818, 360802968, and 36081834. These forms appear to be incomplete. They do not include authorized signatures of signatories or contact and address information of the specificity one would expect. Is there additional contact information for these accounts that has yet to be located or is soon to be produced to the Committee?
I am also interested in whether the United States Justice Department pursued the same information regarding Liu Chao Ying. Did the Justice Department and/or any other department or agency of the United States request or subpoena information regarding the wire transfer to Johnny Chung? If so, when was the request made or the subpoena served? When and how did you respond to that request or subpoena?
Finally, I would like to comment on the delays and seeming lack of compliance by Citibank in this matter. My staff has reviewed the GAO Report entitled "Raul Salinas, Citibank, and Alleged Money Laundering" and the Comptroller of the Currency's Memorandum regarding their unsuccessful attempt to obtain Know Your Customer (KYC) information from Citibank. While I recognize your interest in protecting the privacy of your customers, clearly concerns have been previously raised regarding the cooperation of Citibank with duly authorized investigations. The information sought by this Committee was done so pursuant to a lawful subpoena, a subpoena with a due date of July 6, 1999. I would appreciate a more diligent and timely response. Let me assure you, the Committee is prepared to take appropriate action to ensure compliance with the Committee's subpoena, including subpoenaing the individuals responsible for any delay.
For your convenience, I have attached copies of the wire transfer documentation produced to the Committee by you and the Hong Kong Overseas Trust Bank, Ltd. Thank you in advance for your cooperation. Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions or concerns. I look forward to your full compliance with the Committee's subpoena and responses to the foregoing questions by Wednesday, July 28, 1999.
Sincerely
Dan Burton Chairman
cc: The Honorable Henry Waxman (w/ enclosures) Sanford I. Weill (w/ enclosures)
Gold Manipulation
"The suit alleges that the investment houses -- Chase, JP Morgan, Deutsche Bank, "Citibank" and Goldman Sachs -- as well as U.S. officials and the Bank for International Settlements "have been at the center of a scheme with central banks" and investment firms "to coordinate the sale of gold and gold derivatives to keep the price of gold low and thereby disguise inflation and weakness in the U.S. dollar."
Clinton betrayed anti-terror pledge - Administration's secret Iran policy superseded law, president's promises
"A fourth Iranian bank, Bank Tejarat, also uses New York as its banking capital. Its U.S. correspondent bank, the Australian and New Zealand Banking Group Limited (ANZ Worldwide), booked transactions worth $6.8 million in April 1995. Citibank, Bank of New York and Chemical Bank also maintain accounts for the government of Iran in New York. Citibank's account for the state-owned Bank Sepah showed debits of more than $11 million in April 1995. A separate Citibank account, in the name of Bank Melli, showed $79 million in debits that month."