Lucy Komisar
Encyclopedia
Lucy Komisar is a New York City
-based investigative journalist. She writes about offshore banking, corporate secrecy, international money laundering
, and how they relate to corporate fraud; international corruption; the looting by dictators; financing of terrorism; international crime including arms, drug and people trafficking; and tax evasion. Since 1998, she has been a member of The Drama Desk, the organization of New York Theatre critics, writers and editors, and writes extensively on current Broadway and Off-Broadway shows.
She was editor of the Mississippi Free Press in Jackson, Miss., 1962-63. The weekly covered the civil rights movement and related political and labor issues and was read largely by black people in Mississippi. (The newspapers and her other civil rights papers are archived at the University of Southern Mississippi, Hattiesburg.)
and author of its report, Citigroup
: a History and Culture of Tax Evasion (January 2006). She is founder of TJN-USA, TJN's American branch.
Komisar is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations
(1994 to present), and was a member of the board of PEN American Center
(the writers organization, 1976–1996).
Komisar was a national Vice-President of the National Organization for Women, 1970–71 and was successful, with Legislative VP Ann Scott, in getting the US government to extend federal contractor and cable TV affirmative action rules to women. Her NOW papers are in the Schlesinger archives at Harvard University.
, his Miami-based lawyer Ira Kurzban and IDT Corp.
Vice Chairman Jim Courter
; the articles were ramped up during the 2008 U.S. presidential election
, as Courter had resigned from the McCain campaign due to an FCC fine related to improper conduct of business with Teleco Haiti (recently privatized as Natcom). Kurzban has denied the allegations brought forth by Komisar, and she was criticized by supporters of Aristide's presidency. She is acclaimed by Aristide's opponents. Kurzban received $10 million from Haiti during Aristide's presidency.
for an expose in the Miami Herald that told how Ponzi schemer Allen Stanford had in 1998 gotten agreement from the Miami Banking Department to set up an office in Miami that could move money offshore without regulation. Miami Herald http://www.miamiherald.com/2009/07/05/v-fullstory/1127748/florida-aided-allen-stanford-suspect.html. As a result of the revelation, the Florida legislature passed a law to prevent such an occurrence in the future.
She also exposed the practice of Sodexo, a major provider of food to schools, colleges, hospitals, companies and other institutions, of demanding and getting kickbacks from its suppliers. The article appeared in March 2009 in In These Times
http://www.inthesetimes.com/article/4282/cafeteria_kickbacks/. In July 2010, Sodexo paid a $20 million settlement for the kickbacks it had exacted for contracts with state schools and colleges. Some of the money went to state institutions; some went to the whistleblowers whose story had been the basis for the Komisar article.
Komisar wrote about Operation Gladio
, a NATO "stay behind" operation after World War II. She also investigated the Clearstream
affair, first uncovered by the French journalist Denis Robert
.
Komisar wrote a chapter called "BCCI
's Double Game: Banking on America, Banking on Jihad", for the 2007 book A Game As Old As Empire
. She exposed the secret 1976 meeting in Santiago
at which Henry Kissinger
told Augusto Pinochet
to ignore the criticisms Kissinger had been pressured to make publicly regarding Pinochet's violations of human rights.
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
-based investigative journalist. She writes about offshore banking, corporate secrecy, international money laundering
Money laundering
Money laundering is the process of disguising illegal sources of money so that it looks like it came from legal sources. The methods by which money may be laundered are varied and can range in sophistication. Many regulatory and governmental authorities quote estimates each year for the amount...
, and how they relate to corporate fraud; international corruption; the looting by dictators; financing of terrorism; international crime including arms, drug and people trafficking; and tax evasion. Since 1998, she has been a member of The Drama Desk, the organization of New York Theatre critics, writers and editors, and writes extensively on current Broadway and Off-Broadway shows.
Biography
In the 1980s and 90s, she wrote about international affairs, with a focus on movements for democracy in the developing world. In that context she reported from Central America, the Philippines, Zaire and elsewhere in Asia, the Middle East and Latin America. She also wrote about European politics and foreign policy and covered dissident movements in the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe. She was banned from East Germany and harassed by security police in Zaire.She was editor of the Mississippi Free Press in Jackson, Miss., 1962-63. The weekly covered the civil rights movement and related political and labor issues and was read largely by black people in Mississippi. (The newspapers and her other civil rights papers are archived at the University of Southern Mississippi, Hattiesburg.)
Organizations
Komisar is a founder of the international Tax Justice NetworkTax Justice Network
The Tax Justice Network is a coalition of researchers and activists with a shared concern about what they argue are the harmful impacts of tax avoidance, tax competition and tax havens, which "corrupt national tax regimes and onshore regulation, and distort markets by rewarding economic...
and author of its report, Citigroup
Citigroup
Citigroup Inc. or Citi is an American multinational financial services corporation headquartered in Manhattan, New York City, New York, United States. Citigroup was formed from one of the world's largest mergers in history by combining the banking giant Citicorp and financial conglomerate...
: a History and Culture of Tax Evasion (January 2006). She is founder of TJN-USA, TJN's American branch.
Komisar is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations
Council on Foreign Relations
The Council on Foreign Relations is an American nonprofit nonpartisan membership organization, publisher, and think tank specializing in U.S. foreign policy and international affairs...
(1994 to present), and was a member of the board of PEN American Center
PEN American Center
PEN American Center , founded in 1922 and based in New York City, works to advance literature, to defend free expression, and to foster international literary fellowship. The Center has a membership of 3,300 writers, editors, and translators...
(the writers organization, 1976–1996).
Komisar was a national Vice-President of the National Organization for Women, 1970–71 and was successful, with Legislative VP Ann Scott, in getting the US government to extend federal contractor and cable TV affirmative action rules to women. Her NOW papers are in the Schlesinger archives at Harvard University.
Controversy
Since 2004, Komisar has written a series of articles, all archived in The Komisar Scoop http://thekomisarscoop.com/2011/01/ex-employee-who-claimed-firing-over-opposition-to-haiti-bribery-settles-suit-against-idt/ which claim corrupt involvement between former Haitian president Jean-Bertrand AristideJean-Bertrand Aristide
Jean-Bertrand Aristide is a Haitian former Catholic priest and politician who served as Haiti's first democratically elected president. A proponent of liberation theology, Aristide was appointed to a parish in Port-au-Prince in 1982 after completing his studies...
, his Miami-based lawyer Ira Kurzban and IDT Corp.
IDT Corp.
IDT Corporation is a telecommunications and energy company headquartered in Newark, New Jersey.-History:IDT was founded by entrepreneur Howard Jonas in August 1990...
Vice Chairman Jim Courter
Jim Courter
James Andrew "Jim" Courter is an American Republican Party politician, lawyer and businessman. He is a resident of Hackettstown, New Jersey.-Biography:He was born October 14, 1941 in Montclair, New Jersey...
; the articles were ramped up during the 2008 U.S. presidential election
United States presidential election, 2008
The United States presidential election of 2008 was the 56th quadrennial presidential election. It was held on November 4, 2008. Democrat Barack Obama, then the junior United States Senator from Illinois, defeated Republican John McCain, the senior U.S. Senator from Arizona. Obama received 365...
, as Courter had resigned from the McCain campaign due to an FCC fine related to improper conduct of business with Teleco Haiti (recently privatized as Natcom). Kurzban has denied the allegations brought forth by Komisar, and she was criticized by supporters of Aristide's presidency. She is acclaimed by Aristide's opponents. Kurzban received $10 million from Haiti during Aristide's presidency.
Articles
Komisar in 2010 won the- Gerald Loeb award for business and financial journalism by medium & small newspapers;
- National Press Club award for Newspaper Consumer Journalism;
- Sigma Delta Chi award for Non-Deadline Reporting (Daily Circulation 100,001+) bestowed by the Society of Professional Journalists;
- National Headliner Award, second place for Business News, administered by The Press Club of Atlantic City;
- Sunshine State Award, first place for Non-Deadline Business Reporting, given by South Florida chapter, the Society of Professional Journalists
for an expose in the Miami Herald that told how Ponzi schemer Allen Stanford had in 1998 gotten agreement from the Miami Banking Department to set up an office in Miami that could move money offshore without regulation. Miami Herald http://www.miamiherald.com/2009/07/05/v-fullstory/1127748/florida-aided-allen-stanford-suspect.html. As a result of the revelation, the Florida legislature passed a law to prevent such an occurrence in the future.
She also exposed the practice of Sodexo, a major provider of food to schools, colleges, hospitals, companies and other institutions, of demanding and getting kickbacks from its suppliers. The article appeared in March 2009 in In These Times
In These Times
In These Times is a politically progressive monthly magazine of news and opinion published by the Institute for Public Affairs in Chicago...
http://www.inthesetimes.com/article/4282/cafeteria_kickbacks/. In July 2010, Sodexo paid a $20 million settlement for the kickbacks it had exacted for contracts with state schools and colleges. Some of the money went to state institutions; some went to the whistleblowers whose story had been the basis for the Komisar article.
Komisar wrote about Operation Gladio
Operation Gladio
Operation Gladio is the codename for a clandestine NATO "stay-behind" operation in Italy after World War II. Its purpose was to continue anti-communist actions in the event of a shift to a Communist party led government...
, a NATO "stay behind" operation after World War II. She also investigated the Clearstream
Clearstream
Clearstream Banking S.A. is the clearing and settlement division of Deutsche Börse, based in Luxembourg and Frankfurt. Clearstream was created in January 2000 through the merger of Cedel International and Deutsche Börse Clearing...
affair, first uncovered by the French journalist Denis Robert
Denis Robert
Denis Robert is a French freelance journalist and a writer. Robert formerly worked for Libération newspaper for 12 years....
.
Komisar wrote a chapter called "BCCI
Bank of Credit and Commerce International
The Bank of Credit and Commerce International was a major international bank founded in 1972 by Agha Hasan Abedi, a Pakistani financier. The Bank was registered in Luxembourg with head offices in Karachi and London. Within a decade BCCI touched its peak...
's Double Game: Banking on America, Banking on Jihad", for the 2007 book A Game As Old As Empire
A Game as Old as Empire
A Game as Old as Empire is a collection of accounts from investigators, journalists and activists calling themselves "economic hitmen", about global affairs...
. She exposed the secret 1976 meeting in Santiago
Santiago, Chile
Santiago , also known as Santiago de Chile, is the capital and largest city of Chile, and the center of its largest conurbation . It is located in the country's central valley, at an elevation of above mean sea level...
at which Henry Kissinger
Henry Kissinger
Heinz Alfred "Henry" Kissinger is a German-born American academic, political scientist, diplomat, and businessman. He is a recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize. He served as National Security Advisor and later concurrently as Secretary of State in the administrations of Presidents Richard Nixon and...
told Augusto Pinochet
Augusto Pinochet
Augusto José Ramón Pinochet Ugarte, more commonly known as Augusto Pinochet , was a Chilean army general and dictator who assumed power in a coup d'état on 11 September 1973...
to ignore the criticisms Kissinger had been pressured to make publicly regarding Pinochet's violations of human rights.
Books
- Corazon Aquino: The Story of a Revolution (New York: George Braziller, 1987), political biography of former president of the Philippines. (Zurich: Benziger Verlag, 1988; Manila: The National Bookstore, 1988)
- Down and Out in the U.S.A. A History of Public Welfare (New York: Franklin Watts, 1973 and 1977; New Viewpoints, 1973 and 1977), history of the American welfare system from colonial times to the present.
- The New Feminism (New York: Franklin Watts, 1972; Paperback Library, 1972), primer on feminism, including history, law, work, education and origins of contemporary movement.
External links
- Video of speech on "The Tax Haven Racket" given at conference on "Taming the Giant Corporation," Washington DC, June 2007.
Articles
- http://www.alternet.org/authors/3779/, AlternetAlterNetAlterNet, a project of the non-profit Independent Media Institute, is a progressive/liberal activist news service. Launched in 1998, AlterNet now claims a readership of over 3 million visitors per month .AlterNet publishes original content as well as journalism from a wide variety of other sources...
- http://www.thenation.com/directory/bios/lucy_komisar, The NationThe NationThe Nation is the oldest continuously published weekly magazine in the United States. The periodical, devoted to politics and culture, is self-described as "the flagship of the left." Founded on July 6, 1865, It is published by The Nation Company, L.P., at 33 Irving Place, New York City.The Nation...
- http://www.inthesetimes.com/site/about/author/12, In These TimesIn These TimesIn These Times is a politically progressive monthly magazine of news and opinion published by the Institute for Public Affairs in Chicago...