Bit of reading material for you to digest before you decide...

Bit of reading material for you to digest before you decide whether to invest.......links to articles provided for all text.

summary of Leo Khouri:

Intro:

Underbelly Inc: gangs muscle in on markets

EXCLUSIVE: Gary Hughes and Adele Ferguson | September 13, 2008

Article from: The Australian

UNDERWORLD criminal networks and outlawed motorcycle gangs are exploiting weaknesses in corporate laws and poor regulation of financial markets, reaping multi-million-dollar profits from suspected share market manipulation, asset stripping and the snatching of control of companies they force into administration.

Five state and federal agencies - Victoria Police Purana gangland taskforce, the Australian Federal Police, the Australian Crime Commission, the Australian Securities and Investments Commission and the Australian Tax Office - are investigating financial deals and share transactions worth at least $100 million.

Legitimate business owners have alleged that standover tactics, including physical threats and intimidation, have been used in some cases to try to force through deals or stop people going to the authorities.

Detective Inspector Bernie Edwards, head of the Purana taskforce, told The Weekend Australian the business and finance sectors were rapidly becoming the new "powerbase" of organised crime.

Key figures in some of the investigations include the head of Melbourne's Carlton Crew, Mick Gatto, and his business associate John Khoury, financial adviser and loan provider Tom Karas, high-profile share trader Leo "The Gun" Khouri, who lost tens of millions of dollars in the collapse of stockbroker Opes Prime earlier this year, members of a notorious Melbourne crime family, outlaw motorcycle gangs
in a number of states, including NSW and Victoria, and official administrator Stuart Ariff, who is being taken to court by ASIC over his involvement in a string of insolvencies. All have denied any wrong doing."

link: http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,24338632-601,00.html

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close business ties with Mick 'many names' Shemesian:

"Hong Kong-based Power United, which is controlled by Shemesian and owns 11.5% of Cape Lambert, has given notice that it wants to replace several company directors, including Sage. Power United has nominated its own team for the board, which includes a couple of rather colourful characters.

One is Melbourne day trader Leo "The Gun" Khouri"

link:http://www.businessday.com.au/business/power-play-targets-cape-lamberts-big-cashbox-20080916-4hyg.html

link for Shemesian:
http://www.theage.com.au/business/at-last-a-face-to-the-many-names-and-deals-20090923-g2qw.html

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a longtime associate of alleged murderer John Stratton, and an associate of fellow BPO director and ex Victorian Snr Sgt, Anthony Langdon:

"Following Australian Federal Police investigations into organised crime figures and their involvement in the sharemarket, Victoria Police are also examining [Anthony] Langdon's relationships with a number of colourful characters with links to known crime figures.

These include Melbourne trader Leo ''The Gun'' Khouri, who has made millions trading shares in speculative mining and biotechnology stocks. The Sunday Age has been told that Mr Khouri - a long-time associate of Mr Stratton - instructed Senior Sergeant Langdon to ''warn off'' the private detectives who were carrying out surveillance on the Perth investor on behalf of Mr Kebble's family."

link: http://www.theage.com.au/national/cop-in-murder-probe-threat-20080920-4knz.html?page=2

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former business links with Tom Karas, alleged money launderer and underworld financial adviser:

"AN underworld financial adviser and alleged gangland money launderer is being sued over a sharemarket deal in which investors were promised they would quickly double their money by buying stock in a failed technology company.

Court documents show $100,000 handed over by one investor to the adviser was later paid into a hotel company owned and run by John Khoury, a business associate of Melbourne underworld identity Mick Gatto.

The sharemarket deal involved a plan to relist on the stock exchange the company Circlecom, which was to take over another company, Magnafield Technology, partly owned by high-profile day share trader Leo "The Gun" Khouri.

The largest shareholder in Circlecom at the time was underworld financial adviser Tom Karas, who also stood to gain a bonus issue of shares for helping promote the relisting of the company.

Mr Karas was accused by the Victoria Police Purana gangland taskforce in court last year of being involved in a money laundering operation for a notorious Melbourne crime family"

link: http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,24408165-5006785,00.html

and

"Mr Karas was also a substantial shareholder in Boss Energy along with Leo Khouri, Mr Pamplin, convicted heroin trafficker Amad Malkoun and John Khoury, who flew to Singapore earlier this year with Mr Gatto chasing the missing Opes millions.

Mr Khoury jointly owns a Melbourne property business with Boss Energy director and shareholder Joseph Obeid, a former Victorian policeman who has been involved with Mr Khouri in Range Resources, which has mining interests in Somalia."

link: http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,24338632-601,00.html
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Business connections with the notorious and banned insolvency practitioner Stuart Ariff and NSW bikies -

"As revealed last month [Sept 2008] by The Weekend Australian, Bulla [tip] was sold by Mr Ariff to a company owned by millionaire day share trader Leo "The Gun" Khouri and interests associated with NSW bikies Adrian and Lionel Pamplin."

link: http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,24443951-5013404,00.html

and

"ASIC records show the successful tip and quarry, which was forced into administration by Mr Karas, was bought for $2.2 million by a company jointly owned by Mr Khouri, a business linked to Sydney bikie Adrian Pamplin, who has been named in court as an associate of former crime boss Karl "The Godfather" Bonnette, and another company run by a man once charged but not convicted over a $500,000 cocaine haul."

link: http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,24338632-601,00.html

Ariff's ASIC Ban:
http://www.asic.gov.au/ASIC/asic.nsf/byHeadline/09-150AD%20Liquidator%20(Stuart%20Ariff)%20banned%20for%20life?opendocument

>>The Bulla Tip is mentioned in the schedule for Ariff's banning by ASIC (link above) -
question for ASIC - is Leo Khouri still under ASIC investigation regarding this deal?

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Attended a meeting in London Feb 2009 with Melbourne underworld figures and has links to underbelly figures:

"Full Disclosure has been told the meeting at The Mayfair was attended by [Mick] Gatto, John Khoury, Leo Khouri, [Mick] Shemesian and a representative of [Roman] Abramovich. It was effectively "chaired" by [Frank] Timis."

link: http://www.theage.com.au/business/gatto-goes-global-for-peace-20090611-c4zm.html

and

"One is Melbourne day trader Leo "The Gun" Khouri, who has some well-established links with the Underbelly crowd."

link: http://www.businessday.com.au/business/power-play-targets-cape-lamberts-big-cashbox-20080916-4hyg.html