Shiv Nair brokers deals for China in countries where there is no democracy or where democracy is very weak. That’s why he has been able to broker this deal for China in Malta.
Mario Vella – the Labour stooge who, as chief of Malta Enterprise, recruited both China’s deal-broker, the shadowy Shiv Nair, and the energy minister’s wife
The Anglo-Indian (wrongly described throughout the international press as Maltese-Indian because his business is registered in Malta) mega-broker Shiv Nair has been named by Malta Enterprise as its new consultant.
This shadowy character, who has made his millions by brokering deals which further China’s interests in those parts of the world where democracy is weak or nonexistent – mainly Africa and Latin America – has courted Joseph and Michelle Muscat assiduously since the Opposition years.
He is the missing link – or rather, the link everybody keeps missing.
Now we have to ask: is Shiv Nair working for Malta Enterprise or is Malta Enterprise working for Shiv Nair?
Is the energy minister’s wife working for Malta Enterprise, or is she working for Shiv Nair?
It is screamingly obvious, when you join up the dots, that Shiv Nair brokered the deal between China and Muscat’s government on the sale of 35% of Enemalta, and because there is nothing intrinsically in it for China – why spend Eur200 million buying 35% of a corporation that owes Eur800 million? – it is also obvious that this deal was not brokered or negotiated in isolation.
It is obvious, too, that the deal was brokered when Labour was still in Opposition. This is the plan they were talking about back then, without specifying what it was.
China’s most notorious deal-broker befriends the leader of the Opposition, now the prime minister, then fetches up as a ‘consultant’ to Malta Enterprise. Thirty-five per cent of Malta’s energy monopoly is sold to China on terms unspecified to the public, the press or parliament, and the energy minister’s wife suddenly becomes another business development consultant to Malta Enterprise, along with Shiv Nair, and is then dispatched to China, which is his client and her home.
Meanwhile, neither the cabinet minister responsible for Malta Enterprise, nor its board members, know anything about Sai Mizzi Liang’s recruitment, though an appointment like that would always be discussed at board level. The directors say they found out through the press.
That’s because she’s probablynot working for Malta Enterprise, but for Shiv Nair.
Think about it – would any other government of an EU member state have been able to get away with something like this, selling 35% of an energy monopoly to China without discussion, debate, transparency, press information or political accountability?
No.
Shiv Nair targetted Joseph Muscat and his party because he recognised that their ethical and democratic standards are low and that democracy and political accountability would be weakened (further) under a Labour government and make it possible for him to do what he does in Venezuela or Ghana.
He never tried it on with any Nationalist government. When I asked several individuals who were in those governments what they knew about him – the sort who would have had to know had Nair tried anything of what he has done with Muscat – they had no idea who he is. They do now.
Why would Shiv Nair have been courting, wining and dining, as far back as three years ago, the leader of the Opposition rather than the prime minister or any member of his cabinet? You’d have to be very slow and naive not to work it out.
Now read this. There’s a link to the piece down below.
GHANA NEW TARGET OF CHINESE FDI
(…)
What has gone unnoticed is the presence at both the MOU signature ceremonies of a petite Chinese lady, Ms. Yi Qian Ran, whose business card describes her as Project Director of a Maltese company called British Borneo Holdings. Open source documents show that this company is the vehicle of Maltese Indian business man Shiv Shankaran Nair.
Nair, whose business activities span three continents has been in the forefront of the Chinese invasion of Africa. Using his friendship with some of the most powerful decision-makers in Africa and Latin America, he has very discretely opened doors for his Chinese clients in over 13 countries.
His obsession with privacy is so great that no public pictures of him appear anywhere on the web.
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http://www.free-press-release.com/news-ghana-new-target-of-chinese-fdi-1279107387.html
This is HUGE. Not sure which is worse, this quite incredible development, or the continuing Dalli debacle. I think it’s this one, considering what’s been offered up on a plate, and its ramifications.
No doubt, Muscat was flattered by the attention and the puffed-up sense of importance his pre-election contact with Nair gave him.
Remember his smug pronouncements on returning from a meeting with Gaddafi? He didn’t hide the fact that he’d cut a deal. He BOASTED about it.
Remember, too, his confident boast that water and electricity bills would be reduced because of the introduction of gas? All along, we were looking at a done deal brokered by a shadowy international broker.
http://www.borneoholdings.com/pages/management_team
Shiv Shankaran Nair MBA (SBS), FCIM, FIE, MRIIA
Group Managing Director
With an MBA in Political Risk from the Scottish Business School, Mr. Nair has spent his entire career, working with Governments in Africa, CIS and Latin America. In 1996, he was appointed the first foreign advisor in the Cabinet of Ministers of Turkmenistan, a role that was replicated subsequently in several of the CIS countries.
Mr. Nair has specialized in working with the China Africa Development Fund and Chinese Exim Bank, advising countries on tapping into Chinese infrastructure Financing. Among the projects he has been involved in are The Chinese loans to Ecuador, The Ghana Rail Rehabilitation Facility, The South Sudan Facility for Dams on the Nile and the South Sudan-Uganda Railway Lines. He has been so successful on behalf of his Chinese clients, that The Economist magazine once dubbed him .
Among his past and present advisory positions are Political Advisor to The President of Kalmykia, Advisor on International Finance to The Deputy Prime Minister of Somalia, Advisor on Debt Restructuring to The Prime Minister of Grenada, Advisor on International Finance to The Minister of Energy, S Sudan, Advisor on Debt Financing to The Governor of The Central Bank of The Maldives. Advisor on International Energy Acquisitions, Poly Energy China. Project Advisor to CAMCE, CCECC, Sinopec, China Railways, CETC, China Shipbuilding and Sinoma.
Mr. Nair has private interests in oil exploration, mining, agriculture and logistics. He was the co-founder of The British Caucasian Insurance Company in Georgia, which was subsequently sold to The Bank of Georgia, and is presently the co-founder of The British American Insurance Company in S.Sudan
The Scottish Business School? Does it even exist? Tried googling it and I got various business schools based in Scotland, but no Scottish Business School.
Yi Qian Ran looks after Nair’s company’s China interests. She graduated from the University of Malta.
http://www.borneoholdings.com/pages/management_team
Yi Qian Ran. Bcom., MA (Finance)
Director Operations
Yi Qian Ran, with a Masters in Financial Services from the University of Malta, and a Graduate degree in Law from Sichuan, leads the Group’s China related activities.
She has extensive experience in structuring sovereign to sovereign credit transactions and has been involved in most of the major Chinese Bank funded projects initiated and closed by us.
She headed the Group’s team involved in the new aerial early warning system of the Government of Ecuador, the construction of the western railway line in Ghana, upgrading of the Tema oil refinery in Ghana, the new gas pumping station and allied works for the Jubilee field.
Ms.Ran has been closely following the top Chinese contracting companies, and was also involved in negotiations with a major Chinese oil company for assistance in operations in Turkey and Nigeria.
Ms.Ran is based in our Valletta office
One of Nair’s company employees is Mark L Zammit who was responsible for daily foreign exchange dealings with Bank of Valletta’s customer base, and was formerly a PA to the director of St James Capua hospital.
He’s a director in at least two companies that are owned by Nair – Bureau Securitas and Lonestar. Bureau Securitas is a wholly owned subsidiary of Nair’s company. Its website describes it as the company’s pathway to “political penetration to the highest levels in selected emerging countries.”
Zammit doesn’t list his directorships of Lonestar and Bureau Securitas on his LinkedIn profile though his connections to those companies are listed on the website of Premium Borneo Communications Ltd.
The latter is registered at Nair’s Valletta office address. It is owned by Nair and a company called USB communications whose owners are Dutch, and is listed on Premium Borneo’s MFSA records as Premium Routings Ltd.
http://www.premiumborneo.com/pages/ourteam/
Mark L Zammit MBA (Henley)
Mr. Zammit is a recent MBA graduate specializing in Business Transformation and Strategy. Mr. Zammit is an experienced Banking Professional with over 11 years experience in Banking with past experience in Financial Markets, Human Resources, Business Development and Training and Consultancy. Currently Mr. Zammit is Operations Manager for British Borneo Holding Company in Malta; and is responsible for business generation and development in the various areas of the holding company, including Security Consultancy, Public Procurement, Oil and Gas Exploration and telecommunications. Mr. Zammit is a key facilitator in the operations of RAM Borneo Associates and is also Director of Lonestar Corporation (www.lonestarltd.com) and Bureau Securitas Ltd (www.bureausecuritas.com).
Good to read at last that someone (this blog) is shedding light on Labour’s roadmap which Muscat seemed reluctant to divulge.
Lonestar Holdings, registered in Malta (company registration number C 44202), lists Nair as shareholder/director. The registered secretary is
RUSTAM ISMAILOV (ID 48968A) of MARTIN COURT FLAT 11, UNIVERSITY STREET, MSIDA .
Mr Ismailov is 26 years old. He is listed as the director of Bureau Securitas, registered in Malta (company number C 42105).
His nationality is listed as ‘Russian’ but his registered address as director of Bureau Securitas is
FLAT 5, BOFANDA STREET 6, DUSHANBE, TAJIKISTAN
Tajikistan is not famously known as the world’s greatest democracy.
SHIV PREYAN SHANKER NAIR has an address in London as director of BURMAH OIL COMPANY LIMITED: 135, HOLLAND PARK AVENUE, LONDON, UK, W11 4UT
Shiv Nair and Rustam Ismailov own and run BRITISH BORNEO STEAM NAVIGATION COMPANY LTD (formerly Ayen Ltd), which is registered at Nair’s Holland Park address. See: http://www.dellam.com/cgi-bin/main.pl?web=yes&foundnumber=05918716
Ayen Ltd (the former name of Borneo Steam Navigation Company Ltd) was registered as a non-trading company, at Nair’s Holland Park address. See: http://www.creditgate.com/companysearch/ayen+limited.aspx
Nair’s service address as secretary of that company is listed as ‘Valletta’. Ismailov’s service address is listed as London
W11 4UT. He was appointed to that company on 2nd May 2012.
What is Nair’s relationship to Patricia Hills, London Executive Assistant to Edward de Bono, who is registered at the same address at 135b, Holland Park Avenue, whilst her husband Richard Hills is listed with “Shiv Shankor” at 135a, Holland Park Avenue?
Is it normal that there are so many versions to his name?
How many facets are there to Pradeep Prenyan Shivshankar Nair? and to his deals?
What happens to those who get in the way?
Is the Malta connection pure coincidence?
From Shiv Nair’s LinkedIn profile.
As late as last July, Nair was
Advisor to the President, Global energy assets aquisition, Poly Technologies Inc. Beijing, PRC.
Fast foward two months, and Malta signs an agreement to have China take over more than one third of our sole energy company.
Special Advisor, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Govt. of Vanuatu
February 2013 – Present (6 months) | Port Vila, Vanuatu
Special advisor to the Govt. on European Relations ,Trade Issues and inward Investment
CEO, british borneo
February 2005 – Present (8 years 6 months)
Advisor to the Deputy Prime Minister, Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, Transitional Federal Govt. Somalia
May 2011 – November 2011 (7 months)
co-founder, British caucasian insurance, Tbilisi Georgia
1998 – 2006 (8 years)
Advisor to First deputy Prime Minister, Cab Min Turmenistan
1996 – 2000 (4 years)
Advisor to the Minister, Ministry of Power Energy and Mining, Govt. Of S.Sudan
May 2011 – Present (2 years 3 months)
Advisor to the President, Africa/Latin America, China Railways international
April 2011 – Present (2 years 4 months)
Advisor to the President, Global energy assets aquisition, Poly Technologies Inc. Beijing, PRC
January 2011 – Present (2 years 7 months)
Just a thought: We should be pushing for a referendum on this deal. This is way more important than what we should put on our flag or whether we should allow transgender people change their sex category on their ID card.
This is a matter of national importance. Provision of electricity affects a country as much as provision of food or control of all roads in the country would.
Moreover it is a matter of European importance. After all, that’s what China is after: Malta’s veto. Actually I’m surprised that the EU hasn’t said anything on this deal when it is patently obvious what China is up to.
Really, isn’t there anyone in the EU that’s watching Malta? Can the government broker such a shady deal which goes against what it says in its electoral manifesto, and the EU lets it go scot free?
It’s in the EU’s interests that this deal falls through.
Well said!
Karl de Gucht, EU Trade Commissioner.
From FT.com:
An EU trade spokesman said that “Commissioner De Gucht . . . made it very clear to the Vice-Minister that he was aware of the pressure being exerted by China on a number of EU member states which explains why they are positioning themselves as they are in their advisory positions towards the European Commission”.
All of the above information is in the public domain. Why hasn’t Malta Today picked up the trail? It’s not like them to pass over a juicy story.
Maybe it’s an inconvenient juicy story.
http://www.maltatoday.com.mt/en/businessdetails/business/businessnews/Indian-energy-guru-Shiv-Nair-is-Malta-s-energy-consultant-20130722
http://mt.linkedin.com/pub/shiv-shankaran-nair/19/bba/0
http://www.borneoholdings.com/pages/management_team
Yi Qian Ran. Bcom., MA (Finance)
Director Operations
Yi Qian Ran, with a Masters in Financial Services from the University of Malta, and a Graduate degree in Law from Sichuan, leads the Group’s China related activities.
She has extensive experience in structuring sovereign to sovereign credit transactions and has been involved in most of the major Chinese Bank funded projects initiated and closed by us.
She headed the Group’s team involved in the new aerial early warning system of the Government of Ecuador, the construction of the western railway line in Ghana, upgrading of the Tema oil refinery in Ghana, the new gas pumping station and allied works for the Jubilee field.
Ms.Ran has been closely following the top Chinese contracting companies, and was also involved in negotiations with a major Chinese oil company for assistance in operations in Turkey and Nigeria.
Ms. Ran is based in our Valletta office.
No wonder Anglu Farrugia had a lot of to reveal about what was happening on the fourth floor at red glass house in Hamrun. The pieces of the jigsaw puzzle are falling into place.
In a very short time all these underhand dealings will be unfortunately exposed too late to the detriment of the remaining good and hard working Maltese citizens.
1. “Now we have to ask: is Shiv Nair working for Malta Enterprise or is Malta Enterprise working for Shiv Nair?
Is the energy minister’s wife working for Malta Enterprise, or is she working for Shiv Nair?”
My questions:
(a) Now we have to ask, is the government of Joseph Muscat working for Shiv Nair?
(b) Is the Minister for Energy working for Shiv Nair? Did you notice how Konrad Mizzi tried to assure journalists that his wife’s work will not be related to his Ministry?
2. “That’s because she’s probably not working for Malta Enterprise, but for Shiv Nair.”
My questions and observations:
(a) If Mrs. Mizzi Liang is working for Shiv Nair, and if she discussed her position in Shanghai with her husband as he himself admitted, then does it not follow that the Minister is also implicated in working for Shiv Nair because of his direct relationship with his wife?
(b) Why did Joseph Muscat make Konrad Mizzi (considering he is married to Mrs. Mizzi Liang) spokesperson, and now Minister of Energy, replacing Marlene Farrugia?
http://www.independent.com.mt/articles/2008-05-30/news/maltese-company-to-assist-with-beijing-olympics-security-208326/
China usually invests in countries and companies which have natural resources and/or valuable expertise to offer. Enemalta has neither so one wonders what China is going to gain from its investment.
My take on it is this:
Having been reprimanded for dumping solar panels on the EU, China has been looking for less conspicuous ways of doing the same. If the solar panels are produced in Malta, they can be traded all over the EU without restrictions or extra tariffs.
Do you remember Joseph Muscat promising unskilled young people that they too will find jobs during the electoral campaign? Do you remember Joseph Muscat encouraging young people to take up manufacturing a couple of months ago?
Why would he make such outrageous and outdated claims unless he has a trick up his sleeve?
It is often said that China is the world’s biggest factory. Joseph Muscat’s and China’s vision is that Malta will become an extension of that factory, with the benefit of being in the EU.
You might think that high labour costs will stop China from doing this. Not really. First of all, labour costs are not the only consideration and, secondly, wages in China have been rising rapidly in the last decade anyway. When companies want to produce stuff really cheaply, they don’t go to China these days. They go to Bangladesh or Myanmar or some other less developed Asian country. All things considered, Malta’s labour costs are not that expensive, and Joseph Muscat has long dropped his policy of pursuing a living-wage.
It’s a win-win situation for China and Joseph Muscat. China will get unfettered access to the EU market, Joseph Muscat will be able to claim that he’s generating jobs (the sub-literate and low-skilled won’t complain about working conditions or low wages).
What’s more? China will get a voice in the EU through Malta akin to Syria’s voice in the UN through Russia.
So China has a lot to gain by investing in Malta.
And it’s not only China. I have a sneaking suspicion that Joseph Muscat has been running around promising every monarch and dictator he can lay his hands on the same three things:
1) Backdoor access to the EU market,
2) A belligerent voice in the EU,
3) No questions asked
Naturally, the services come at a price: cheap oil, a free study about a bridge, investment in a faltering company and so on and so forth. It’s not so much beggar-bowl diplomacy as it is shameless and cheap prostitution.
Lest you think that I’m turning into the infamous conspiracy theorist kev, read this:
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-06-23/china-solars-move-factories-overseas-to-avoid-eu-duties.html
You credit Muscat with far more political insight and skill than he actually has.
I knew already that this bunch are corrupt criminals, but I never realised just how deep the rabbit-hole goes.
And they made such a fuss about Tonio Fenech’s miserable clock.
I must say I’m sick to my stomach right now.
So the ‘roadmap’ wasn’t kept under wraps because the Nationalist Party would steal their ideas, but because all their deals are shady at best.
No wonder they hate the fact we are members of the European Union. These going ons are bad enough but imagine what they would get up to if we weren’t members.
Malta’s EU membership is what makes it so attractive to China.