Channel 4, HSBC and corruption

Screen Shot 2015-09-15 at 11.10.55I have previously written extensively about the unlawful appointment by David Cameron of HSBC director Rona Fairhead to the post of Chair of the BBC Trust. This had the desired effect of silencing the BBC on negative stories about HSBC; essential given Cameron’s role in covering up the HSBC fraud exposed on this website. The Chair of HSBC, Stephen Green was made a Lord by Cameron in 2010, and then Trade Minister.

I have also written about the peerage for  Sunday Times editor Camilla Cavendish. Following the Sunday Times killing a story about Cameron’s involvement in the cover-up which was due for publication just before the 2015 general election, Cameron gave Camilla Cavendish a job as head of policy at No 10 and then, controversially, a peerage in his resignation honours in 2016.

The Guardian is of course, well covered by HSBC and does not investigate and disclose HSBC crimes. When it reported on the HSBC Swiss Leaks scandal HSBC suspended its advertising with the paper. But they are friends again now and the Guardian supplements its ad revenue with further adverts for Fisher Investments, HSBC’s largest shareholder.

I have now discovered that the much loved Channel 4 News, considered by many to be a bastion of free speech and fearlessness in its coverage of corruption at the highest levels, is in fact involved in corruption at the highest levels. The fraud which I campaign about was carried out by HSBC and its subsidiaries HFC Bank and John Lewis Financial Service. In January this year the Financial Conduct Authority announced that HSBC had “voluntarily” agree to repay £4m to 6,700 customers.

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The true figure should be in excess of £100m to at least 200,000 customers and the total amount defrauded over the years was in excess of £1bn. HSBC had made provision in its accounts in an interim report in 2014, in the sum of $1bn whilst they were being investigated by the FCA. Following a damning report by the Complaints Commissioner on the FCA handling of my complaint the FCA apologised to me and confirmed that they would reopen their investigation. The first thing they did was appoint new non-executive directors from HSBC and John Lewis.

From October 2010 Mark Price was a non-executive director of Channel 4, and from July 2013 was Deputy Chairman of Channel 4. The dates here may be highly significant. It was in November 2010 that Stephen Green of HSBC was made a Lord. In October 2014 Rona Fairhead of HSBC was made Chair of the BBC Trust.

What is the significance of Mark Price? He was also  Deputy Chairman of John Lewis Partnership. He was given a £1.2m pay-off by John Lewis, made a Lord by David Cameron and became Trade Minister. The exact same pattern as with HSBC’s Stephen Green. Price had hoped to become Chairman of Channel 4 but was unsuccessful. This appeared in C4 accounts concerning Price’s interests:

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I have had quite a few dealings with Channel 4 over the HSBC fraud. They have never reported anything. When I first contacted Channel 4 News chief correspondent Alex Thomson, this was his response:

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Subsequently I had a lot of dealings with Thomson’s researcher Guy Basnett

Screen Shot 2017-09-13 at 12.10.32In the event, Channel 4 dumped the story, the election took place and there was another Tory majority. I should make clear that I don’t castigate the reporters in these situations. They are genuinely interested in the story, but when it goes higher up the echelons, the story is spiked for political and commercial reasons. HSBC and John Lewis spend significant amounts advertising on Channel 4. There are only two journalists to my knowledge that have had the integrity to resign because of the hold HSBC has over news coverage, and that was Peter Oborne. and Harry Wilson, from the Telegraph.

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Following the FCA announcement in January this year I was contacted by Joel Hills, of ITV News:

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I had two meetings with Joel Hills, including one of two hours with his producer. No report from ITV News was ever made and I never heard from him again.

I also sent Channel 4 News reporter Cathy Newman a copy of the Guardian article concerning the £4m pay out, having previous elicited her interest, which again was followed by silence. On this occasion she replied stating:

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This of course is utter nonsense and there are no “legal hurdles” with this story. The fraud has already been ruled against by the Office of Fair Trading, the Solicitors Regulation Authority and the FCA’s handling of my complaint the subject of four interrogations by the Treasury Select Committee. I think what Cathy Newman means is that more money is spent at Channel 4 by HSBC and John Lewis than at the Guardian.

In my opinion, as already stated by Mafia expert Roberto Saviano,  Britain is the most corrupt country in the world. Not just because of the money laundering capital, City of London, but also because the banks, particularly HSBC, control the news and politicians. Greek economist Yanis Varoufakis knows exactly what is going on here and has written this in his book “Adults in the Room”:

YV