By: David Weisman , 06/19/2009

Mr. Chichakli please state your full legal name, place and date of birth for the records

My name is Richard Chichakli; I was born in Damascus Syria on March 28, 1959

How long did you live in the United States and when did you become a US citizen

I lived in the US for about 25 years and I became a US citizen when I decided to join the Army for the Gulf war in 1990

And also for the records, would you please state your profession, and provide short description of your business and academic qualifications

By profession I am a Certified Public Accountant, and until 2005 I operated and managed three public accounting practices. I also have two aviation businesses; an air cargo operation and aircraft brokerage business. In addition to that I also had a school that provides training and continued professional education to licensed professionals such as CPAs, a real estate brokerage business, used auto dealer, and swimming pool repair and maintenance business.

My qualifications include three masters’ degrees in Accounting and audit, Aviation Management, and Information systems. My undergraduate studies were in the fields of Biochemistry, computer science and information system, accounting, business and management.

There are some suggestions that your family were politically engaged in Syria, is that correct?

Yes that is correct, the Chichakli family was heavily associated with the Syrian politics and military until the socialists took over in 1963.  Since then the family was persecuted and driven out of Syria, starting with the assassination of former president Adib Chichakli in Brazil in 1964, and through the Hama massacre in 1982 when hundreds of the family members were killed.

Some people may find it unusual for a person with your background and qualification to join the United States Army, how would you comment on that

I believe in the United States and the American way of life. The United States is my home and I do not see anything unusual in proudly wearing a uniform and serving the US Army, bearing arms to defend the nation, and willing to give my life to protect my home and protect the American people. I am an American by heart and soul, not just because I hold a US passport.

Please give us an idea about your military service in the United States Army

The records will indicate that my service in the US Army started about a week after the invasion of Kuwait, on August 13^th, 1990 and ended about couple of months after the conclusion of that war in May of 2003. I served as an Air Traffic Control specialist assigned to the A Company of the 1/58^th Avn. Regiment. I was decorated and honorably discharged in 2003 after receiving a services connected disability.

There are rumors that you served in the intelligence, can you comment on that

What I can tell you is that my military records clearly indicate the types of my service and the locations where I served, and I can tell you that I served in the aviation field. I think these intelligence stories were used by some to spice-up whatever on the internet about me; which is mostly incorrect.  

Can you elaborate about your military qualifications, and whether you have had any Security Clearance issued to you by the US Government

Sure, I hold military qualified in the aviation, medical, and intelligence fields. I am qualified linguist and was assigned an identifier as a linguist. I received plenty of specialized military training and military education, and I help a SECRET security clearance issued by the NSA.

I would like now to discuss the matter of Victor Bout and your relation to him; perhaps we can start by telling me when and where did you meet Mr. Bout for the first time

I met Victor for the first time in July or August 1995 in Sharjah, the United Arab Emirates.

And, what were you doing in the United Arab Emirates at that time and what circumstances put you together with Victor.

I was the Commercial Manager of the special economic zone, an employee of Sharjah Free Zone Authority which is a branch of the government of Sharjah responsible for creating and operating the special economic zones in the state.  My duties included the overall management of the economic zone’s development, marketing, and the viability assessment of the projects proposed by investors. Victor Bout was one of the clients who expressed interest to start a business in Sharjah special economic zone

What was the project Victor wanted to establish in Sharjah free zone?

Victor wanted to start an air cargo company

Was this the first business Victor had in the UAE

No, according to the documents submitted to me for review, this was the second venture Victor would have in the UAE. Victor was already established in the UAE as one of three partners in a travel agency and airfreight operation called Transavia.

Did you approve Victor’s project in the free zone?

Yes I did, his project was a good fit for the scope of operations planned in the zone. Sharjah Airport International Free Trade and Industrial Zone (SAIF-Zone) was founded in the vicinity of Sharjah airport with the aim to promote the airport traffic and business volume.  For a matter of fact Victor’s business ranked second after Lufthansa cargo for cargo traffic in general, and it was at the top of the list of 160 air operators for cargo between the UAE and the CIS block. 

When you performed the assessment of Victor Bout’s project weren’t you concerned with his reputation?

In 1995 there was not any information publically known, published, or available about Victor Bout; he was an ordinary person, just a 28 years old young man from Russia who wanted to be in the aviation business. There was not any derogatory information about Victor or his alleged activities until January 2001.  All of what the world know about Victor’s alleged suspicious activities came from Johan Peleman’s report which he was contracted to write for the UN late December 2000, and was then published under number S/2000/1225. Prior to the stories in that report Victor was absolutely no different than any ordinary person.  Put it this way, I worked in the free zone from June 1995 until July 1996, and there is nothing to suggest that any allegations against Victor Bout or his company existed then.

Were you an employee or an associated of Victor Bout when he was operating in the UAE

Of course not, I was an employee of the Sharjah government and my responsibilities required an average of 18 hours schedule per day.

Why did you leave the UAE in 1996 and what did you do after you left

I left the UAE because my contract with the Sharjah government expired and I did not wish to renew it because my wife was diagnosed with cancer and we needed to go back to the US to attend to her medical needs.  Upon my return I started my own consulting business and went to school to complete the requirements to qualify to sit for the CPA exam in the state of Texas. I also worked part time accounting jobs in several companies to earn income and support my family. I did that in 1996 and throughout 1997.

Do I understand correctly that you worked as a part-time employee in 1996 and 1997, can clarify what did you do and where?

Sure, I worked several accounting and auditing jobs as an accountant through a temp placement agency in Dallas. The agency was Robert Half Account Temps.

The United States government alleged that you were an employee of Victor Bout during those years; can you substantiate your statement?

Absolutely, of course I can.  The temp agency has all of my attendance records and time-sheets at the places they sent me to work. The time-sheets must be signed by their clients in order for me to get paid, so here is another party that can testify where was and what I was doing and when. I think that should clear up where I was and what I was doing and for whom. Then you have my W-2s issued by Account Temps or the other employers and that is part of my tax records which are available to examine.

The government allegation is groundless, a pure intentional lie invented to make up the story they wanted made and to create some support to platonically justify the destruction of my life. I challenged the government to substantiate their claims with evidence, and I am still waiting for their response. OFAC, the DOJ, and the State Department lied – if not I am challenging them to the court or to show any evidence.

What about 1998?

In 1998 I was a full-time employee of the United States Department of Justice. I worked at Dallas Finance Center on Stemmons Freeway, and my boss was Barbara Blessing. The DOJ payroll and my W2s are more than sufficient backup.

This is amazing, you are saying that you were an employee of the government that is accusing you of being an employee of another business or person in a different country.

I am saying that the US government invented this story in order to justify an objective they wanted to achieve. Why me, it is simple I am an easy kill, a first generation immigrant with virtually no support whatsoever, not even through a church group.  They needed a scapegoat, a human to scarify in support of whatever they needed to support.

The US State Department alleged that I worked for Bout for more than a decade; that is 10 years half of which I was an employee of the United States government itself. I was a soldier in the United States Army, an Employee of the United States Department of Justice, a professor of accounting teaching in Collin County Community Colleges, an accountant doing payroll checks and tax return for hundreds of people. Just try to think how it can be possible that while I was doing all of this, I could be a financial director managing the day-to-day operation of an alleged conglomerate on the other side of the earth. Is that something that makes sense?

The US government knowingly and intentionally lied, and with the Bush administration in charge there was no one to listen and nowhere to complain.  They made-up the story and they have the power to make it stick.  I hope that someone in the Obama administration would have enough courage and decency to admit that the government made a mistake. It is not difficult to verify who is telling the truth, not difficult at all.

End of Part-I, to be continued

Have you ever received a salary as an employee or compensation as a partner/associate from Victor Bout.

No, I have never received any salary as employee, partner, associate or anything else. I was not ever Victor’s employee.  Perhaps you need to ask the government the same question, how can they claim that I was an employee without getting paid? They said I worked for him over a decade, so did I work for more than 10 years for free? What is this where is the minimum common sense from all of this?

After leaving the UAE did you maintain communications or have any contact with Viktor Bout?

No after I left from UAE in 1996 I maintained no communications whatsoever with Victor and I did not hear from him until he called me in March of 1998.

Why did Victor call you in 1998, please explain the circumstances?

Victor called to ask for my professional help in preparing his company to become public, as in publically-held stock.  At that point of time he had already terminated his business in the Emirates and moved to Johannesburg – South Africa.  This was the point where both, his business and fleet peaked with several fast expansions causing the cash flows to drop. He was looking for cash to meet the operations’ growing expenses and to purchase Western aircraft.

Did you help him then, please elaborate on your role?

The engagement was to pre-qualify AirPass for audit in preparation for IPO and I accepted the engagement which I conducted on-site early April 2008.  I spent two weeks in South Africa during which I checked the company’s records and met its South African lawyers and auditors. These are the scope and extent of the service I performed and that is lesser than the services performed for Victor at the same time period by Ernest and Young, the big-five US accounting firm.    

Are you saying that Earnest & Young were also engaged by Viktor Bout to do work similar to yours?

This is exactly what I’m saying adding that Earnest & Young provided to Victor 100 folds more services in comparison to the 10-days assessment I performed on AirPass. Earnest & Young did the work for the Mobile telephone business in Swaziland, the Air Operator in Swaziland, and many other of Viktor’s ventures in Africa and elsewhere.  The know all to be known about Viktor and his business but they were never mentioned, not even once while I was made to look a million time bigger than what actually I am, and then I was used as a scapegoat. It is amazing how the government twists the facts and how far they can go unquestioned.

Can you substantiate your statement by evidence?

You bit I can, documents related to Earnest& Young business dealing with Viktor were posted on my website since 2006; it can be seen now at www.chichakli.net/documents

Then how and when was your engagement in South Africa concluded?

My engagement was concluded in about two weeks from the day of arrival, and I informed Victor at that time that his business was net, in my opinion, ready to become publically-traded.

And why did you find it to be not ready?

The business was badly controlled despite its success and rapid expansion. There was no reliable internal control system for any side or aspect of the business.  Deidre Ward was in control of the entire operation and she is not qualified to do so; she previously ran Metavia into bankruptcy.  The operations reports of satellite stations were coming late, aircraft were departing and arriving without proper orders and accounting, it was crazy; too much business and no system to control the multi-country operations. Victor was happy about having expanding business and hi-demands, he was just running around to make sales and secure new aircraft, although adding new destinations and new aircraft was simply like adding wood to a fire burning out of control. 

Did you share your opinion and findings with Victor Bout?

Of course I did, I actually told him that unless he quickly implements a good system of internal control he will go bankrupt in a year. Victor did not like what I said; however, he offered me to stay and work with him, but I declined.

And why did you decline the offer?

Because at that time I had already accepted an employment offer from the United States government to work with the US Department of Justice.

While in South Africa have you notice any questionable activities in Victor’s business?

Yes I did, there was some “questionable activities” as you put it, namely by Deidre Ward and Sergey Denisenko. I informed Victor about it but I think he did not take my concerns seriously.

Did you convey any of this information to the US government?

Sure, all of what I am telling was published on my website since 2005 and the government was examining my site on a daily basis, they actually used copies of some pages on my site as evidence.  The government is bias, they are not interested in the truth, they lied to invent a case and at this time all they are concerned with is not to be exposed. If this case comes to light there will be too many people who will lose their job, their credibility, or both. Too many high-up people and political figures.

In your opinion, why would the US Well chose not to acts on or include any of this information, do you think it is a conspiracy?

Although it may have turned into a conspiracy and criminal collusion recently, I actually think it was started by prejudice, ignorance, and pure stupidity.  The US government in reality did not ever hear about Victor Bout from any person who actually knew Victor or Victor’s business and operations, or physically examined the records as I personally have. 

The US government was never pursuing the facts; it was pursuing other certain agenda just similar to what they did in Iraq. The US government used the internet as a credible source of information as you can see in OFAC’s support to the freezing note, and then used propaganda to amplify whatever served their objectives.  Most of the cheap media were more than happy to oblige the Bush administration, and character like Douglas Farah and alike were benefiting financially from the matter.  It is a fact that Farah was the person asked by the congress to testify concerning Bout twice in 2005 and 2008. Think about Farah testifying before the financial and the foreign relations committees; Farah a person who never seen Victor or came close to Bout’s records and operations was testifying on a hear-say basis. What Farah knew about Finance, transportation, foreign relations, arms, or aviation? Can you see the picture, Douglas Farah testifying about a person and business he never seen or experienced?

Mr. Chichakli were you ever asked or summoned to testify in connection with the matter of Victor Bout prior to the US government action against you in 2005?

No, I was not ever questioned or asked to testify by any entity or before any authority

Were you ever questioned or asked to testify after the US government action against you in 2005?

Yes I was, for a matter of fact on April 26, 2005 immediately after the government unrightfully destroyed my business and froze my assets the government stated that they are interested in hearing what I know about Victor and his business.

And did you provide a testimony?

No, I told them they should have asked before destroying my life and after. The law states that we must first convict people of wrongdoing before we punish them, you do not execute a person and then try him; otherwise you are just dealing with a dead man. I was effectively dead subsequent to OFAC action and there was no reason left for me to talk to them before they undo the wrong they have already inflected upon me and my family.

Was that the only time you were questioned or asked to testify?

No, the DEA in Moscow called me after they arrested Victor to ask me whether I “think” Victor was a drug trafficker.  I laughed at these people; they were lost and trying to make up something in order to create case

Anytime and every time the story of Viktor Bout is being recited, it usually comes packaged with two additional names. The first is of an accountant named Richard Chichakli, and the second is of a former journalist named Douglas Farah. Chichakli is by all counts the only person in this world who questioned the merit of the allegations against Bout; while Farah is, also by all counts, the only source in this world for all the media allegations against Viktor Bout. One may say that the original source is Johan Peleman the UN contractor; and to that I reply: when listening to Peleman and Farah, you will easily conclude that one of them is repeating the other. Same phrases, same stories, same references, even the same words, it is just a different person. The few public video clips posted on Youtube.com of Farah and Peleman provide enough ground to conclude that the two persons are one when it comes to Viktor Bout.

Both Douglas Farah and Johan Peleman are “Self-proclaimed Experts” in Arms trafficking. Peleman did all the United Nations writing about Viktor Bout, while Farah did all the testimony that ever given before the US Congress about Viktor, and all of the anti Bout NGO-financed books and the internet writings; and that bring me to the point where I see the “funny stuff” related to the anatomy of an arms deal.

Farah and Peleman claimed that in order for an arms deal to materialize a document called “End User Certificate – EUC” must be produced to the seller of the arms in order to confirm that the buyer is a legitimate government, etc. etc., and they both also claimed that Viktor Bout was forged EUC in order traffic arms. The case they said to have discovered revealed that Bout allegedly purchased arms under an EUC issued by Togo; however, he diverted the merchandises to Angola. Well, they also claimed that he did that so massively so the amount of arms purchased for the Togo exceeded the population of that country. The entire so-called “discovery” was focused on the End User Certificate which in their words provided the ultimate evidence.

The thing that bother me in that story, and frankly in every story I hear about Viktor Bout is the fact that I only hear the name of Bout and no one else! I wonder why nobody else is bothered by that, no one has even asked about the role of the seller of the arms? I mean how come we never hear Peleman and talking about the source of the Arms?

We all agree that if Viktor Bout have trafficked arms he had to buy it from somebody. Why we do not question those sellers, better, why the mighty US government go after the source as they claimed to be doing in their war against drugs for example. Then, are we suppose to believe that because Bout allegedly provided a fake End User Certificate in order to acquire arms, the seller did not notice that the amount is massively larger than what a country like the Togo could use – and these are the exact words of Douglas Farah. So why don’t we hold the seller of such dangerous goods accountable, don’t they have to do due diligence? It is not very complicated, if I enter a store and ask to purchase 1000 hunting rifle for my personal use, that would very likely sounds “hard to believe”, if not straight out suspicious. So how come when Viktor allegedly provided the fake EUC to the seller in justification of buying huge some of arms for a country with no army, the seller found the request “reasonable” and gave Viktor all the arms he needed to become the largest trafficker in the history of man as the US government alleged, and Douglas Farah propagated? Why don’t we question this? To me, Viktor Bout resembles nothing more than a scapegoat for what the government-sponsored traffickers are doing, just a name to use in covering their tracks.

• Isn’t strange that we want to hold Bout accountable but not those who sold arms to him?
• Isn’t hard to believe that we say Bout faked EUCs but we do not mention or question those who accepted the alleged fake document? 
• Isn’t difficult to understand how we run our mouths about the arms transporters but we just hush-up and fear to talk about the arms sellers, users, or those financing the deals

The list goes on and on, and the hypocrisy is too thick and to disgusting to go through. The standard of double stands is a cancer to this world, a cancer that causes wars and misery, and it is a disease that is promoted by the US and its propaganda parlors.

•  
  • The double standard is to hear about Viktor Bout but shut-up about Neil Bush and his involvement with the US sponsored, UK–residing Russian arms trafficker and financer of the Terrorism in Chechnya
  • The double standard is to suppress information about the US and UK businesses involved in selling arms out of Eastern Europe and Gibraltar while propagating that a swimming pools cleaning company is involved in arms trafficking
  • The double standard is to call a person like Richard Chichakli a “naturalized-Syrian American” but not a disabled United States Armey American Veteran
  • The Double standard is hearing Farah and alike second-classing the patriotism of Richard Chichakli while none of them had one of service in the United States military

The anatomy of an arms deal involves a buyer, a seller, a financer, and a transporter. Viktor Bout if he was the person the double standard propaganda projected to us he will be nothing but 25 percent of the deal… Well, the American double standard seems to suggest that we should not talk about the other 75 percent because of national interest.