Final update - 02/07: Stem the flow of Bavarian blood-money to Zimbabwe: Take ACTION against Giesecke & Devrient
50 000 000 000 50 000 000 000 000 note, released on the 15th may and has just come into circulation - never forget to put back the three noughts removed by Gono in 2006
Final Update ~ 2 July 2008
The German company Giesecke & Devrient has decided to stop printing bank notes for the Zimbabwe regime. Thank you to everyone who supported this call! Links to articles here.
Yesterday, the German Development Minister, Heidemarie Wieczorek-Zeul, requested that Giesecke & Devrient stop delivering banknote paper (which is printed to denominations in Harare) to Zimbabwe. She said that the firm had signed an ethical code to which it is bound, that this code included human rights violations, and that the delivery of money served to stabilise Mugabe’s regime.
Download the Giesecke & Devrient Code of Conduct here (PDF format)
Giesecke & Devrient yesterday responded by saying it was ‘unsuitable for their organisation to act according to political beliefs‘. They also added that they deliver only to central banks accredited by the World Bank: “Es stehe dem Unternehmen nicht zu, bei der Lieferung von Banknoten und Papier politisch zu agieren. Das Unternehmen beliefere keine politischen Systeme, sondern vielmehr Zentralbanken und auch nur die, die bei der Weltbank akkreditiert sind”.
What Giesecke & Devrient are conveniently failing to appreciate, is that the central bank of Zimbabwe, the Reserve Bank, is headed by Gideon Gono who is a member of JOC: his job is to finance the terror camapign being run by JOC.
Giesecke & Devrient are insisting that they are not violating international trade embargos and keeping ’strictly’ to World Bank guidelines. They are however completely violating their own ethical guidelines.
When pressed, however, the Giesecke & Devrient spokesman said that Giesecke & Devrient were “reconsidering” the situation. This is a significant change in their stance. Remind them that their association with the Nazi party in the past haunts them; do they want to compound that history through association with another Dictator?
Yesterday also saw demonstrations by human rights organisations in front of the corporate headquarters in Munich. While CDU and Green Parliamentary members have spoken out against Giesecke & Devrient’s support of Mugabe’s regime, the German Development Minister’s request is the first sign of action from the German government. Angela Merkel, German President, had previously said that Giesecke & Devrient’s relationship with Zimbabwe is a “private matter”.
ACTION: We are calling on all our supporters and subscribers to phone, email and write to Giesecke & Devrient and demand that they immediately suspend their contract with the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe. We want them to stem the flow of Bavarian blood-money to Zimbabwe, and to give the Zimbabwean people a chance to survive, to heal, and to determine their own future without fearing for their lives.
Things are starting to move. We need to keep up the pressure.
Giesecke & Devrient now need to be put under external pressure into reconsidering their contract with Robert Mugabe’s Regime. Governments and Giesecke & Devrient’s corporate partners need to be reminded of Giesecke & Devrient’s role.
- Write to, or telephone, Giesecke & Devrient. Thank them for reconsidering their actions. Remind them that the world is watching, and that they take care to follow the law by making their actions consistent with their code of conduct. See the letter suggestions provided here - link
- Politely point out to Giesecke & Devrient that a stain on a company’s reputation can last a very long time indeed. Send them the link to this article that appeared in the Australian media today and reminds the world of how Giesecke & Devrient got very rich under the Nazi party and even used slave labour supplied by Heinrich Himmler from prisoners in concentration camps. Giesecke & Devrient have only recently had to pay compensation to these poor people, do they want another stain so soon?
- Write to the World Bank at civilsociety@worldbank.org
- Write to the press and point out the relationship between the Governer of the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe and JOC
- A readers’ letter in response to the news stories going about this may also be effective. See the story links in the original post and send your responses to these stories to the newspapers concerned
- Write to European leaders about the responsibility of European companies, and the questionable legality of their actions. Raise the issue of the World Bank policy and guidelines. Ask them to urgently review the subject of trade sanctions to include Giesecke & Devrient’s banknote paper which props up the regime
- If you’re a European citizen, write to your MEP. Find your MEP here -link (please send us links to other resources like this one for other parts of the world)
This post contains a variety of information which will be updated as the campaign evolves. The recent updates section highloight information that has changed. We have provided a set of jumplinks at the top to help you navigate to the different sections. Please read through it and take action! As always, your comments and suggestion are very welcome.
Quick links to different sections of this Action Alert:
- Why is Sokwanele asking you to support this campaign?
- Letters you can send to Giesecke & Devrient
- Contact details
- Recent Updates
- Background information on Giesecke & Devrient
- News articles about Giesecke & Devrient and Zimbabwe
- Receive updates via Twitter
Letters:
Please feel free to write your own letters if you wish to, or use ours and adjust to include your own words, or simply send them as they are. This letter has also been translated into German.
Dear Dr. Ottenberg, Dr. Zattler, Dr. Schlebusch, Mr. Wolfgang Kunz, Mr. Kuemmerle and Mr. Mihatsch:
Please accept this letter as protest against Giesecke & Devrient’s involvement in sustaining the activities of the Zimbabwean government.
We note that one of the guiding principles included in the Code of Conduct on Giesecke & Devrient’s website is to “respect the personal dignity, privacy, and rights of every individual, regardless of their origin, nationality, culture, religion, or gender.” We believe that this principle, in relation to Zimbabwean civilians, is compromised by the contract Giesecke & Devrient has with the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe to print banknotes.
The Reserve Bank is headed by Gideon Gono, one of five individuals making up the Joint Operational Command (JOC), which is responsible for coordinating and carrying out a multitude of human rights violations against civilians. Gideon Gono’s responsibility is to finance the terror, using notes supplied by Giesecke & Devrient. A UN Security Council statement issued on 23 June 2008 makes it very clear that the Government of Zimbabwe is responsible for the violence in Zimbabwe.
On 22 June, the MDC party in Zimbabwe withdrew from an election scheduled to be held on the 27th June. They said: “We in the MDC cannot ask [Zimbabweans] to cast their vote on June 27 when that vote will cost them their life.” On the same day, an international newspaper provided one example of how money is used in Zimbabwe to fund terror: it reported that a bounty of £12,500 was placed on an MDC district councillor’s head. The article stated that this equates to approximately Z$25 trillion - notes supplied by Giesecke & Devrient.
In addition to this single example, we must point out that the money Giesecke & Devrient prints is being used every single day to pay war veterans and youth militia deployed to beat, torture, and intimidate Zimbabwean civilians. This has resulted in approximately 3,000 cases of political violence (including grotesque torture), and more than 200,000 people who have been internally displaced from their homes in the two months following the March 29th elections. Nearly 90 people have been murdered, including a woman who had both her arms and her legs cut off before she was thrown still alive into a burning hut.
We believe that Giesecke & Devrient’s contract with the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe is complicit in these acts of terror in that it enables Gideon Gono to fulfil his role in the Joint Operational Command. We believe that the continued supply of banknotes to the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe is playing a critical platform in sustaining a despotic regime.
We remind you that the Government of Zimbabwe has stopped the activities of many humanitarian organisations in Zimbabwe, critical for providing sustenance to desperate Zimbabweans. We were horrified to read in a major newspaper article (in March) that Giesecke & Devrient earns approximately £382,000 (US$750 000) of Zimbabwean taxpayers’ money a week to print banknotes for the Zimbabwean government.
Please be advised that 1 bag of ground maize meal, the staple diet in Zimbabwe, equates to roughly US$1, 80 per kg, about £1 per kg. A 10 kg bag would feed a child for a week if that child was eating two meals a day. Most children only get one meal a day, if they are lucky. This means that the money Giesecke & Devrient earns to print money that bankrolls the Zanu PF regime’s terror, translates to food for approximately 76,400 children every week.
We ask that you consider this letter in light of Giesecke & Devrient’s guiding principles and in light of the many statements condemning the activities of the Zimbabwean Government emanating from the UN, SADC and many other regional and international governments and human rights organisations. In particular, Genocide Watch issued a statement on the 19 June 2008 saying “ZANU-PF militias, the Zimbabwe army and police, and ZANU-PF mobs have pushed Zimbabwe to Stage 6, the Preparation stage immediately preceding political mass murder.” This is not just an issue of corporate social responsibility, but a question of whether Giesecke & Devrient will or will not serve as a willing financer of politicide.
We ask that Giesecke & Devrient suspends their contract with the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe immediately.
Yours Sincerely,
Sehr geehrte Herren Dr. Fink, Dr. Zattler, Dr. Schlebusch, Kunz, Kuemmerle und Mihatsch,
bitte betrachten Sie diesen Brief als Protest gegen Giesecke & Devrients Beteiligung an der Aufrechterhaltung der Regierung Simbabwes.
Ein leitendes Prinzip des Verhaltenskodexes Ihrer Firma ist es, auf “die persönliche Würde, die Privatsphäre und die Persönlichkeitsrechte jedes Einzelnen, unabhängig von seiner Herkunft, Nationalität, Kultur, Religion oder Geschlecht” zu achten. Wir glauben, dass Ihr Geschäftsvertrag mit Simbabwe, der den Druck von Banknoten ermöglicht, direkt Mugabes Regime unterstützt, damit zum Leiden der Zivilbevölkerung Simbabwes beiträgt, und somit gegen Ihre ethischen Grundsätze verstößt.
Die Zentralbank Simbabwes wird von Gideon Gono geleitet; Herr Gono ist einer der fünf Kommandeure der Joint Operational Command (JOC – das Integrierte Obermilitärkommando Simbabwes) - die für unzählige Menschenrechtsverletzungen und Brutalitäten gegen Zivilisten verantwortlich ist. Gideon Gono hat die Aufgabe, diesen Terror zu finanzieren – und dazu benutzt er Banknoten, die von Giesecke & Devrient gedruckt werden. Eine Aussage des UNO-Sicherheitsrates vom 23. Juni 2008 macht die Regierung Simbabwes verantwortlich für die Gewalttaten in Simbabwe.
Die Menschen in Simbabwe fürchten den Genozid. Wollen Sie daran beteiligt sein?
Am 22. Juni hat die MDC-Partei in Simbabwe ihren Kandidaten zur Präsidentschaftswahl am 27. Juni zurückgezogen. Sie sagten: “Wir in der MDC können nicht verlangen, dass die Menschen in Simbabwe ihre Stimme für uns abgeben, wenn diese Abstimmung sie das Leben kosten könnte.” Am selben Tag gab ein internationaler Zeitungsbericht ein Beispiel dafür, wie Terror in Simbabwe benutzt wird: Es wurde berichtet, dass eine Prämie von Z$25 Milliarden auf den Kopf eines Bezirksratsmitgliedes ausgesetzt wurde - Banknoten, die von Giesecke & Devrient gedruckt wurden.
Zusätzlich zu diesem einzelnen Beispiel, möchten wir Sie darauf hinweisen, dass die simbabwischen Banknoten, die von Giesecke & Devrient gedruckt werden, jeden einzelnen Tag dazu benutzt werden, “war veterans” (sogenannte Kriegsveteranen) und Jugendmilizen dafür zu bezahlen, Zivilpersonen in Simbabwe zu schlagen, zu foltern und einzuschüchtern. Das Resultat: Beinahe 3 000 Fälle politischer Gewalttaten (inklusive Folter der groteskesten Art) und mehr als 200 000 Menschen, die aus ihren Häusern vertrieben worden sind, seit den Wahlen am 29. März. Bis jetzt wurden beinahe 90 Personen ermordet, inklusive einer Frau, deren Arme und Beine abgesägt wurden, bevor sie, noch lebend, in eine brennende Hütte geworfen wurde.
Wir glauben, dass Ihre Firma, Giesecke & Devrient, sich durch ihren Geschäftsvertrag mit der Zentralbank Simbabwes mitverantwortlich für diesen Terror macht, weil er es Gideon Gono ermöglicht, seine Rolle im Joint Operational Command auszuführen. Wir glauben, dass die kontinuierliche Lieferung von Banknoten an die Zentralbank Simbabwes eine kritische Rolle in der Unterstützung dieses despotischen Regimes spielt.
Wir möchten Sie daran erinnern, dass die Regierung Simbabwes die Arbeit vieler humanitärer Organisationen in Simbabwe verboten hat, obwohl – oder eben weil – sie eine kritische Rolle bei der Lieferung von Nahrungsmitteln spielen. Wir waren erschrocken, zu erfahren, dass Giesecke & Devrient ungefähr US$750 000 pro Woche am Druck der Banknoten für die Simbawische Regierung verdient – Geld, dass von Simbabwischen Steuerzahlern kommt.
Sie müssen wissen, dass ein Sack Maismehl, das Grundnahrungsmittel in Simbabwe, ungefähr US$ 1,80 pro Kilo kostet. Ein 10kg-Sack Mehl könnte ein Kind für eine Woche, bei zwei Mahlzeiten am Tag, ernähren. Die meisten Kinder bekommen allerdings nur eine Mahlzeit am Tag, wenn sie Glück haben. Das heißt, dass Giesecke & Devrients Verdienst Nahrung für ungefähr 76, 400 Kinder für eine Woche finanzieren könnte.
Wir bitten Sie, diesen Brief zum Anlass zu nehmen, Giesecke & Devrients Verhalten mit den Grundprinzipen ihres Verhaltenskodex zu vergleichen, und im Licht der vielen starken Aussagen gegen die Simbabwische Regierung, die jetzt von der UN, SADC und vielen anderen regionalen und internationalen Regierungen kommen, zu betrachten.
Die Organisation Genocide Watch machte die folgende Aussage am 19. Juni, 2008:
“ZANU-PF Milizien, die Simbabwische Armee und Polizei, und ZANU-PF-Mobs haben Simbabwe zum 6. Stadium, dem Vorstadium, das direkt dem politischen Massenmord zuvorgeht, gebracht.”
Es geht hier nicht nur um das verantwortliche und ethische Verhalten Ihrer Firma. Es geht darum, ob Giesecke & Devrient Willens sind, einen politischen Genozid mitzufinanzieren.
Wir bitten Sie, Giesecke & Devrients Geschäftsvertrag mit der Zentralbank Simbabwes sofort aufzuheben.
Vielen Dank,
Contact details for Giesecke & Devrient:
Visit our Action Contact Database and select Germany from the country options available. People can also search the database by company name looking for Giesecke and Devrient - all contacts worldwide are listed there. This will allowe you to send personalised emails or letters to named individuals (these tend to have more impact). Our database allows you to generate lists of email addresses, based on your selections, to copy and past into your email package to send.
Try sending the letter above to the six named people with their addresses in this format:
karsten.ottenberg@gi-de.com
peter.zattler@gi-de.com
walter.schlebusch@gi-de.com
michael.kuemmerle@gi-de.com
peter.mihatsch@gi-de.com
Recent Updates:
2 July 2008 ~ 13.00
The German company Giesecke & Devrient has decided to stop printing bank notes for the Zimbabwe regime. Thank you to everyone who supported this call!
28 June ~ 12.30
Updated information at the top of the post; new contact details have been added to the Action Contact Database; new news articles have been added to the articles section
Why is Sokwanele asking you to support this campaign?:
The money that is used to fund Robert Mugabe and the Joint Operational Command’s (JOC) campaign of terror is exclusively supplied by the German company Giesecke & Devrient in the form of banknotes printed and delivered to Zimbabwe. The Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe, which is headed by Gideon Gono (one of the five people comprising JOC), is supplied with ever increasing quantities of banknotes despite the fact that printing money leads to spiralling hyper-inflation.
Our sample letter provides more information on why we want you to lobby Giesecke & Devrient, but we would like to particularly call your attention to the fact that the money printed by Giesecke & Devrient is used by the Zanu PF regime to pay war veterans, militia, the army and the police to conduct a carefully coordinated campaign of violence and brutality against the Zimbabwean people. Please note that a recent statement released by Genocide Watch includes this terrible warning:
ZANU-PF militias, the Zimbabwe army and police, and ZANU-PF mobs have pushed Zimbabwe to Stage 6, the Preparation stage immediately preceding political mass murder (full statement here)
Printing money might be a lucrative business opportunity for Giesecke & Devrient, but it has brought our nation to the brink of Politicide - just under 90 people have died so far. It has also increased hunger and poverty in Zimbabwe; contributed to the economic collapse of Zimbabwe; destroyed our health sector to such an extent that life-expectancy for women has been reduced to 34 years; and it has made it impossible for businesses to survive in such a hostile economic and political environment.
Background information on Giesecke & Devrient:
- Link to Giesecke and Devrient’s main website
- Business Ethics at Giesecke & Devrient
- Download the Giesecke & Devrient Code of Conduct here (PDF format)
News articles about Giesecke & Devrient and Zimbabwe:
- Zimbabwe Can’t Paper Over Its Million-Percent Inflation Anymore - Final in this action
- No paper for Zimbabwe banknotes - Final in this action
- Bankrolling terror - the German company behind dictator’s cash (28 June 2008)
- German firm told to cut ties with Zim (27 June 2008)
- Capital MP urges banks to use influence to help oust Mugabe (23 June 2008)
- Shame on British banks (20 June 2008)
- U.S. won’t punish Giesecke & Devrient over Zimbabwe aid, source says (19 June 2008)
- Mugabe’s economics dip into billions (31 May 2008)
- UNI-Europa in E-Kart protest (27 May 2008)
- Planeloads of cash prop up Mugabe (2 March 2008)
- $1000 note hits snag Government does not have 6m Euros needed for project (24 August 2003)
In the German Media
- German Company Stops Bank Note Shipments to Zimbabwe - Final in this action
- Banknote delivery suspension request (27 June 2008)
- Konzern soll nicht für Mugabe drucken (27 June 2008)
- Münchner Unternehmen soll ein Banknotenpapier mehr liefern (27 June 2008)
- Mugabe’s Schmierstoff aus Muenchen (Mugabe’s lubricant from Munich) (24 June 2008)
- ‘Blood-money from Bavaria’ (12 June 2008)
… if you find any more relevant media links please add them to comments so we can include them in this list
Receive updates via Twitter:
If you have a Twitter account (it is free to set one up ) then you can register your mobile phone details with your account, link up with our Sokwanele account on Twitter, and subscribe to receive our short updates on your mobile phone. We will send out short updates on this action in addition to using our blog.
June 25th, 2008 00:42
Ah, this is interesting. I saw the Scotsman newspaper article (top link above) this week about the MP asking bank customers to write to our UK banks about their connections with Giesecke & Devrient.
I emailed my bank, HBOS bank, who according to the Giesecke & Devrient website are a key-client and also mentioned in an annual report…The reply was as follows:
“HBOS has not purchased any banknotes from Giesecke & Devrient at all. A number of years ago, we bought a couple of note counting machines from the company. We have made no further purchases. G&D is one of very few companies that supply such machines to banks around the world.”
hmm..ok..I believe him..more or less. Does anyone know any different? I shall now try writing direct to Giesecke & Devrient. However, I think a very good tactic is to also write to clients of Giesecke & Devrient (i.e. banks). Other UK banks mentioned were Royal Bank fo Scotland, and HSBC. Anyone tried them yet?
June 25th, 2008 00:52
I attempted to send the letter to the following email addresses for the management board (as it follows the general format for other employees):
karsten.ottenberg@gi-de.com
peter.zattler@gi-de.com
walter.schlebusch@gi-de.com
michael.kuemmerle@gi-de.com
peter.mihatsch@gi-de.com
Peter Mihatsch’s email is the only one that bounced back to me so far.
June 25th, 2008 01:16
Some trade union complaints about G&D affiliates
http://www.uni-europa.org/unieuropan.nsf/fff4a2b8da7e5278c125701a003204ac/51fe38104c12c0f5c125745600470764?OpenDocument
Any chance Dr Ottenberg is still on the board of Philips? Seems ambiguous - G&D bio says he left, but zoominfo may indicate otherwise.
In general, it may be worth finding out if the directors are sitting on the boards of other big multinationals.
June 25th, 2008 01:55
Have emailed everybody on Giesecke & Devrient site, including Australian branch, and Malaysia.
Does anyone know where the notes are printed. The Giesecke & Devrient web site says there is a banknote plant in Mugabe’s buddy country, Dr Mahathir’s Malaysia.
Is Air Zimababwe the courier? Is there another plant closer to Zimbabwe? The reason being that the plant itself should be bombarded with complaints.
June 25th, 2008 04:13
I would like to say I am surprised about this company, but it’s not the first time I’ve seen businesses putting profit before involvement with even the worst of tyrants. What a shame.
June 25th, 2008 04:32
With any luck Zanu PF will self combust very soon.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/jun/25/zimbabwe1
June 25th, 2008 09:20
G&D make smart cards. They have a agreement with Nokia to supply them. The Senior Vice president is Dr. Kai Grassie. He is on the board of the Max Plank Inst. and is connected with the supply of Smart Cards to most of the banks in Europe via the 2New Business” section of G&D. Still searching for other leads and contact info
June 25th, 2008 10:31
Tracked down dr Kai Grassi. He’s a member of Phillips Group also.
email kai.grassie@philips.com
June 25th, 2008 10:52
Message sent to all contacts at German Printer copied to Gordon Brown, David Milliband, Thabo Mbeki, ZANU PF, MDC, etc.
June 25th, 2008 11:15
Suggest we also bombard German government and German press and ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly
Chair
Glenys Kinnock, MEP
Labour European Office, Transport House, 1 Cathedral Road, Cardiff CF11 9SD
Tel: +44 029 2022 7654
Fax: +44 029 2022 4725
Email: glenys.kinnock@europarl.europa.eu
Email: contact@welshlabourmeps.org.uk
Secretary - debbie@welshlabourmeps.org.uk
Researcher - ruth@welshlabourmeps.org.uk
Press Officer - lisa@welshlabourmeps.org.uk
Vice-chair: michael.gahler@europarl.europa.eu
Members: astrid.lulling@europarl.europa.eu
jim.allister@europarl.europa.eu
other ACP-EU contacts at: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/members/expert/otherBodies/search.do?body=1558&partNumber=1&language=EN
African Press Organization - APO
MCM - 1, rue du Grand Chêne - Case 574
1001 Lausanne - Suisse
Telephone : + 41 22 534 96 97
Roaming : + 33 6 61 79 77 18
France : + 33 1 70 90 87 76
Fax : + 33 1 79 75 30 95
E-mail : apo.org@apo-opa.org
Email: sec.sg@apo-opa.org
Deutsche Welle
press
Germany
Tel. +49.228-429.0
Fax. +49.228-429.3000
info@dw-world.de
Previous support for this - with idea of getting German banking unions to support us - from:
Owen Tudor, Head of TUC European Union and International Relations Department
Congress House, Great Russell Street, London WC1B 3LS
Tel: +44 (0) 20 7467 1325 — Fax: +44 (0) 20 7467 1343 — Mobile +44 (0) 7788 715261 OTudor@tuc.org.uk,
June 25th, 2008 11:19
German government emails:
German Banking Workers Union: lbz.hessen@verdi.de,
poststelle@auswaertiges-amt.de,
poststelle@bmf.bund.de,
poststelle@bmz.bund.de,
info@bmfsfj.bund.de,
InternetPost@bundesregierung.de,
press@gi-de.com,
government@gi-de.com,
banknote-printing@gi-de.com,
June 25th, 2008 11:23
Just read this - I know its not to do with the
German currency printers, but don’t know where
else to say this.
Suffice to say, I am utterly flabergasted!!!
MBABANE (Reuters) - Southern African leaders will hold an emergency meeting on Wednesday to discuss Zimbabwe’s crisis, but the region’s designated mediator, South African President Thabo Mbeki, will not attend, officials said.
The leaders of a SADC security troika of Tanzania, Angola and Swaziland would attend the meeting, the Tanzanian government said in a statement.
It said Mbeki had been invited, together with Zambian leader Levy Mwanawasa, but Mbeki’s spokesman said he would not go.
Mbeki spokesman Mukoni Ratshitanga told Reuters: “We are not going to Swaziland. We have had no invitation to go to any meeting, especially Swaziland.” He said Mbeki also had no plans to visit Zimbabwe this week.
June 25th, 2008 20:38
Just to let you know that I sent a short email to the gi-de addresses above and will ask my friends to do the same.
Thanks for your tough work and for informing us every day about the situation. I was longing for something I could do and will keep on looking here if new things come up.
June 25th, 2008 21:50
I am a german living in zimbabwe and horribly ashamed of youe companys actions… are you not?
June 25th, 2008 22:45
Perhaps mention should be made that there is a good chance that Giesecke & Devrient may have to negotiate a contract with a new government. Perhaps if they consider the Zimbabwe region to be so lucrative they would do well to think about forging a new outlook with respect to a future client, and start showing a profile that would be compatible with their new client’s ethos.
Anyway, are these guys the only ones who print money in the world?
June 25th, 2008 22:58
One other thing, whilst I think about it…Barclays has today been given a huge cash injection from an American corporation. Can we be assured that not one cent of this will find it’s way to Mugabe. I thought the US had a sanction policy which was supposed to prevent any American company or individual doing business that aids the Mugabe regime - and we all know about Barclay’s involvement in Zimbabwe. We’ve also heard in the past of Barclays absolving themselves of any moral involvement with Mugabe and Co. by heaping the responsibility on the external partner’s stake in their organisation. No doubt this is the line that Barclay’s American associates will take.
Though, isn’t this like saying ‘the gun was in my right hand when I shot him, but because I’m left-handed I’m therefore innocent”
June 26th, 2008 15:44
Giesecke & Devrient serves many corrupt rogue regimes….
It is on record that Giesecke & Devrient have meddled in numerous countries ruled by
rogue and corrupt leaderships, in persuit of quick money. Mobuto was supported by
shipments from Munich until his very end. Tanzania recently uncovered a bribery
scandal, involving the governor of the central bank who since fled to the USA with
several Million Dollars, received from Giesecke & Devrient, as has been proven
without fail, by the Tanzanian authorities. The company is alleged to have expended
almost half a billion US Dollars in bribes to Nigerian officials during the the past 12
years, securing lucrative bank note orders for their Leipzig and Ontario printing plants.
As a coverup of their scull daggery, a Dubai shopfront is being utilized most effectively
for a decade, through which merchandize is invoiced craftily, saving huge amounts of
taxes, as the mother company invoices the Dubai subsidiary only half the amount the
clients get invoiced and pay Dubai. The difference is reportedly used for bribing corrupt
officials in a grand style, securing orders all over Africa and Asia. In order to make
things more efficient even, the German company prides itself with employing routine
cartel practices with competing firms, in order to keep prices high. According to a key
company executive, all major international currency printing tenders, in which the
company participates, are, as a rule, subject of arrangements with the 3-4 big private
competitors. Another well known client of the Munich enterprize is the regime in Burma,
with whom Giesecke & Devrient have been doing business for the past 30 and some
years.
Their current Zimbabwe activities would appear modest, in comparison to the 2 Billion
dollars of revenues earned worldwide………..
June 26th, 2008 19:27
Here are a few German newspapers that might be worth writing about Giesecke & Devrient, if you can get a German translation. They are more likely to accept letters that are in response to a previously published article or comment
Seuddeutsche Zeitung would be especially helpful because it is based in the same city as G&D and has a large readership. The paper just published an article on Zimbabwe (Simbabwe) on June 25 that reported people criticizing the company “Anglo American” for an investment plan in Zim. I “replied” to that report by saying we should also be criticizing Giesecke & Devrient.
The email addresses are for “letters to the editor.”
Seuddeutsche Zeitung (published in Munich, 1.1 million readers daily)
leserbriefe@sueddeutsche.de
Die Welt
forum@welt.de
Berliner Zeitung (Berlin’s largest subscription newspaper)
leserbriefe@berliner-zeitung.de
June 26th, 2008 19:50
Wow…
June 27th, 2008 02:30
OK this sounds good - but I think that we should send individually worded letters to the editor on this one, to make sure they have the best chance of being published or noticed.
If anyone would like their letters translated into German, post them here or send them to CCZim@live.com and I’ll reply asap.
June 27th, 2008 17:49
Your Campaign SUCCESSFUL as…
German firm told to cut ties with Zim
June 27 2008 at 03:32PM
Berlin - Germany said on Friday it has asked a Munich-based firm to stop supplying Zimbabwe with paper used for banknotes because of concerns it was helping prop up President Robert Mugabe’s regime.
There is “serious concern” that the supplies are “providing additional support to the system in Zimbabwe, which from our point of view is not acceptable”, a spokesperson for the development ministry said.
Development Minister Heidemarie Wieczorek-Zeul “has written to the firm asking it to stop immediately the shipments”, the spokesperson told a news conference.
Officials from the firm, Giesecke and Devrient, were unavailable for comment.
Once a vibrant economy, Zimbabwe has suffered a financial collapse in recent years with the Mugabe government responding to runaway inflation by printing more and more banknotes of ever higher denominations.
The rate of inflation is officially put at 165 000 percent but economists believe it is many times higher still.
Zimbabweans voted in a presidential runoff election on Friday with Mugabe the only candidate after opposition leader and first round winner Morgan Tsvangirai withdrew because of violence.
The European Commission slammed on Friday the election as a “sham” whose result will be “hollow and meaningless”. - Sapa-AFP
June 27th, 2008 18:09
G&D are now ‘reviewing’ the situation.
Looks like this battle is won, pending a turnaround.
June 27th, 2008 18:10
http://www.tah.de/afp/story.html?xF=afp/deutsch/journal/dos1/080627135229.oqda445l.xml
June 27th, 2008 18:22
(WE MUST WAIT FOR CONFIRMATION THAT THEY HAVE TAKEN ACTION BEFORE TAKING OFF THE PRESSURE!!!!)
G&D are still refusing to give a date for when they will implement any actions. We must breathe down their necks UNTIL THE PRINTING PRESSES STOP.
June 28th, 2008 14:00
For those who have been following this campaign by receiving comment updates, this post has just been updated.
June 28th, 2008 14:10
The code of conduct starts,
Dear employee,
As you go about your daily work for our enterprise, you must certainly have asked yourself numerous times, “What responsibilities do we bear in our activities and decisions for the company, and on what ethical basis do we exercise that responsibility?”
June 28th, 2008 14:41
In an LA times article of June 19, the US government decided not to punish Giesecke & Devrient for a number of security reasons.
I guess the Germans will not have the clout to stop them either.
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/washingtondc/la-fg-zimbabwe19-2008jun19,0,5475254.story
I go with Desmond Tutu, and put in place a total flight ban over Zimbabwe. That means Mugabe can’t fly to Egypt for the AU summit, Gono can’t fly out his foreign exchange loot to Dubai every week, and Giesecke and Devrient can’t fly in the worthless Z$ banknotes.
Supplies can still made via road transport, but at least this buys some time in the pressure cooker stakes.
June 28th, 2008 14:49
Tinotenda, Asante Sane. Thank You. Zimbabweans are suffocating under this regime. Good action by germany government. Ethics in business.
June 28th, 2008 15:33
Good stuff… emailed. Thanks for keeping up the pressure.
June 28th, 2008 15:42
From Time Magazine 27/7/08
http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1818771,00.html
“Some European governments have recently moved to cut business ties. German officials on Friday ordered a Munich company, Giesecke and Devrient, to stop supplying Zimbabwe with the paper on which it prints its near-worthless banknotes — with Zimbabwe’s estimated annual inflation rate at about 165,000%, the printers of Zimbabwe dollars have been a regular client of Giesecke and Devrient.
But there’s been no rush for the exits by the corporate giants that have helped keep Zimbabwe ticking along, including Royal Dutch Shell, British American Tobacco, and the Anglo American Corporation, which owns a platinum mine in the country. Many of the 79 companies listed on the Harare Stock Exchange are, in fact, earning solid returns, despite the daily misery of most Zimbabweans amid severe shortages of food, electricity and fuel. Last year the London-based commodities firm Lonrho began an investment fund called LonZim, aiming to snap up investments before the collapse of Zimbabwe’s government. Zimbabwe’s immense mineral wealth was “cheap as chips” and going for “fire-sale prices,” Lonrho Africa’s chairman David Lenigas told reporters when the fund launched. Investors willing to take the risk now could be well positioned to take advantage of the immense opportunities of a post-Mugabe economy being rebuilt from scratch.”
Any suggestions about how to widen this campaign to the other companies mentioned?
June 28th, 2008 15:43
The German Development Minister has in fact contradicted the President Angela Merkel’s earlier comments. This may indicate a shift. It tells us that action to date on Giesecke&Devrient has been effective. It’s one of a number of signs indicating that now is the crucial time to apply more pressure.
Giesecke&Devrient feel that they can get away with it because of the LEGAL status of the Zimbabwean Regime at the world bank, and because TRADE SANCTIONS do not exist.
They would be forced to stop if the World Bank took Zimbabwe off their accredited list of National Banks.
Calls for sanctions to the World Bank and to all our leaders might be pretty appropriate right now
June 28th, 2008 15:51
Well done!
June 28th, 2008 22:07
Have you seen the article in the Australian media?
Bankrolling terror - the German company behind dictator’s cash
http://www.theage.com.au/world/bankrolling-terror–the-german-company-behind-dictators-cash-20080627-2y3y.html
June 29th, 2008 15:32
Hi Sokwanele
New link - posted it somewhere else.
Public & govt protests and protesters outside HQ in Munich.
http://www.sueddeutsche.de/ausland/artikel/577/183009/
keep going
July 2nd, 2008 14:24
So so happy about this! Yay! This just goes to show that if you shout loud enough, someone will eventually pay attention.
July 2nd, 2008 16:29
SUCCESS !
Giesecke & Devrient said it would stop providing paper for banknotes immediately following a “political and moral assessment” of conditions there.
Giesecke & Devrient said it had taken the decision to withdraw from Zimbabwe following an official request to do so from the German government.
See this link
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/7484838.stm
This is GREAT !
Somebodies email must have through.
Congratulations SOKWANELE !
July 2nd, 2008 18:21
Press release from G&D off of website…
Great job Sokwanele!
Giesecke & Devrient halts deliveries to the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe
Munich, July 1, 2008 - The Management Board of Giesecke & Devrient GmbH, Munich, today decided to cease delivering banknote paper to the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe with immediate effect.
The company has taken this step in response to an official request from the German government and calls for international sanctions by the European Union and United Nations.
“Our decision is a reaction to the political tension in Zimbabwe, which is mounting significantly rather than easing as expected, and takes account of the critical evaluation by the international community, German government and general public,” explains Dr. Karsten Ottenberg, Chairman of the Management Board and CEO of Giesecke & Devrient GmbH.
In delivering banknotes and banknote paper, Giesecke & Devrient is subject to strict rules defined by the World Bank. The company continues to rely on the political and moral assessment provided by international trade regulators.
July 2nd, 2008 19:19
Although this is a good and positive move by the German company, who have been both under pressure as well as losing business elsewhere for their greedy and lucrative supply, I wonder if it is a good idea per se for many smaller companies to pull out? Many only do business in a small way with Zimbabwe and that business only benefits the small farmers etc. like the fairtrade deals by supermarkets like Waitrose. I agree go after the big boys that benefit the Zanu party, but be careful not to put the small traders and their employees out of work. Many of those farmers rely on these contracts to survive.
July 2nd, 2008 20:14
I agree with you @True Grit. This isn’t a 0 /1 or this or that decision.
In the case of the bank notes, their role not only in propping up the regime but in fueling inflation was obvious.
The overwhelming case against was also clear for the An Yue Jiang.
For other companies, I think we expect something different. Thoughtful compassionate and visible leadership about the right way to act under the circumstances.
I think the British and South African governments and the Australian government to a lesser degree have an obligation to call together all their businesses and to ask them : what are you going to do? We don’t need to tell them - we need to ask them.
I think Tutu, though he has been outspoken, could play a good role in this. Call the business people and ask them. What is the right way to proceed? They all know who is handing over money and who is not.
When they see we expect them as a community to take a stand we might find interesting responses that we don’t can’t even imagine at this point.
July 15th, 2008 23:33
In the article in the Los Angeles Times: ‘Lack of bank note paper threatens Zimbabwe economy’
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-money14-2008jul14,0,3947241.story
they said: ‘Apart from the paper crisis, the real fear inside Fidelity is that its
software license for the European bank note design technology that it uses
could be withdrawn because of new sanctions threatened against the Mugabe
regime, the staffer said.’
This is important: who might know more about this
software license for the European bank note design technology????
July 17th, 2008 02:03
Well, some sources are saying that they are about to run out of banknotes…
http://blogs.usatoday.com/ondeadline/2008/07/pressure-mounts.html
http://www.smh.com.au/news/world/not-worth-the-paper-they-dont-have-to-write-it-on/2008/07/15/1215887628568.html
I read somewhere, however, that G&D only printed 50% of the banknotes - anyone heard anything more?
(In which case the design technology issue definitely seems one to follow up)
July 17th, 2008 02:58
I don’t understand why people still use these banknotes. Surely slices of bread keep their value for longer? Not to mention well-proven media of exchange like shells or gold.
Whoever comes up with a viable medium of exchange tomorrow would own the economy within weeks.
July 23rd, 2008 18:28
In the Guardian just now:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/jul/23/zimbabwe
SOLDIERS AWAIT PAY AS ZIMBABWE RUNS OUT OF PAPER TO PRINT MONEY
The Zimbabwean government was today struggling to find enough cash to pay its workers, and more importantly the military, after it was forced to severely cut back on printing money because sanctions severed its supply of banknote paper from Europe.
Officials involved in the printing of money said the regime was fearful that the presses could be shut down altogether if further political pressure causes the withdrawal of software licences used to design and print the notes.
Paper money was already in desperately short supply because the state-run Fidelity Printers & Refiners in Harare was unable to keep up with the demand created by hyperinflation and rapid devaluation that had caused notes to lose almost their entire value within weeks of being issued.
But the problems became acute after the Bavarian firm that supplied the watermarked banknote paper - Giesecke & Devrient, which printed worthless cash for the Weimar Republic in the 1920s and supplied Rhodesia’s white minority regime with currency - cut off deliveries last month, under pressure from the German government.
Zimbabwe was looking to Malaysia as an alternative source of paper but the government feared that the licence for the specialist software supplied by another European firm would be withdrawn as part of the boycott of Robert Mugabe’s regime.
The software is supplied by Jura JSP, a Hungarian-Austrian company that specialises in security printing. A knowledgeable source inside Fidelity Printers said the software issue had created an air of panic.
July 23rd, 2008 19:25
Thanks CC. I’ve just added a new post about this here.