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| Hail to the Real Chief |
Given the timing and the likely parties involved, these transfers, even when they do not involve the theft of customer funds, with the withholding of third party cash transfers by the intermediaries, done among insiders in the last week of a bankruptcy, have the appearance of a fraudulent conveyance.
Given that quite a bit of this money was undoubtedly held by MF Global's bankers, who were almost certainly aware of and may have helped to precipitate the bankruptcy, we might even have a criminal conspiracy to defraud the customers and other creditors in addition to the civil actions appropriate in a fair and unbiased bankruptcy proceeding.
There is also some evidence that certain customers were privately warned by the bankers, or perhaps even parties in the company itself, a few weeks in advance, and were able to withdraw their funds from the company before it failed. Some right wing money men come to mind, among others.
This suggestion by the trustee that the MF Global personnel took the customer money unknowingly, ie. by mistake, would be hilarious if it was not being used to describe so malicious and unspeakable lapse in stewardship by the privileged, wealthy people in stealing the livelihoods from farmers and cattle ranchers among others.
What surprises me almost more than anything is that these jokers are willing to risk bringing down the financial system for a measly billion dollars, which is a fraction of what they take in personal bonuses in a good year. Is this some sort of perverse adherence to the Ferengi rules of acquistion? "Once you have their money, never give it back."
If this stands, then nothing, no assets, held by the Anglo-American financial system are safe. When the next crisis comes, they will take what they want, starting with foreign holdings, working their way up the power and influence pyramid from there. And you can talk to the back of their hand if you don't like it.
Reuters
MF Global shortfall worsened as bankruptcy neared
Mon Feb 6, 2012 2:18pm EST
Feb 6 (Reuters) - The trustee liquidating MF Global Holdings Ltd's broker-dealer unit said the shortfall in commodity customer accounts began five days before the company's bankruptcy and grew in the days leading up to the Chapter 11 filing.
James Giddens, the trustee for MF Global Inc, said in a statement that his investigation has revealed that MF Global personnel might not have known of the shortfall at the time. (Anyone in the business must be rolling on the floor laughing at this one. Oops, sorry, we inadvertently took the customer money by mistake, a simple $1.2 billion error, and its too late to give it back to the right persons. But we're dreadfully sorry for our innocent mistake. - Jesse)
He said he has traced a majority of cash transactions, totaling more than $105 billion, made in the last week prior to MF Global's bankruptcy on Oct. 31, 2011. Giddens said he is working with third parties to seek more complete information about transfers to "select" parties prior to that bankruptcy.
Giddens also said it is unknown when he will be able to make more distributions to former customers.
