It has been a bad few weeks for the Isle of Man in relation to the `services’ which it provides as an off-shore jurisdiction.
First BBC Newsnight focused on Manx bank accounts linked to an alleged
international betting scam involving the fixing of football matches and now BBC News `File on 4′ has uncovered questions over whether Iranian ships have been registered in the Isle of Man to evade sanctions.
The File on Four programme is a major slap in the face for Manx Chief Minister Tony Brown who, in a somewhat ill-tempered exchange in the House of Keys recently, rejected attempts by an MHK to cast light on the issue.
The Islands Chief Minister described the allegations as `unfounded’ and
`outrageous’ and he accused the member of trying to damage the Islands
reputation.
However, the Manx Chief Minister has been silent about the BBC report and does not seem to have publicly responded to strong criticisms expressed in that report by Ran Gidor, an official at the Israeli Embassy in London. Although bizarrely the Chief Minister is quoted in the programme suggesting that the issue of Manx involvement should be raised by Israel at the UN.
Link to BBC report below:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/10604897
News report on House of Keys exchange with audio clip here:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/10604897
J B Moffatt (Mr)
Director of Information
Celtic League
18/07/10