NCJ Number
145681
Date Published
1993
Length
428 pages
Annotation
This book documents the collapse of the Bank of Credit and Commerce International (BCCI), arguably the most spectacular financial scandal in history.
Abstract
Written by two investigative journalists, the book traces the unraveling of a web of kickbacks, corruption, and coverups that enmeshed the Third World's first multinational bank. According to this book, BCCI and its officers were involved in political bribes, drug smuggling, money laundering, and weapons trafficking. The first section of the book narrates the journalists' own experience in reporting on the scandal, providing a sense of how they tracked BCCI before its criminality became public knowledge. The second part summarizes the history of BCCI and introduces the people who became the driving forces behind the bank. In the third section, the authors resume their journalistic perspective as the extent of the bank's dealing became evident. The final section deals with the coverup and the failure of many governments to do anything about BCCI and its activities.