... a far-fetched and increasingly bizarre tale

... various lies, half-truths, deceptions, and distortions

... greed, fraud, corruption, deceit, police raids, torture, and mysterious deaths

Banned documentary – “The Magnitsky Act: Behind the Scenes”

The excellent documentary “The Magnitsky Act” exposes the various lies, half-truths, deceptions, and distortions in Bill Browder’s 2015 book “Red Notice.”  

It’s a tale of greed, fraud, corruption, “illegal” police raids, allegations of torture, mysterious deaths, and more. There are also unhealthy doses of “wooly math,”  deceit, equivocation, and obfuscation.

“The Magnitsky Act: Behind the Scenes” ...

Watch full documentary HERE – on DLive  

_{(or watch TRAILER at link below)}

_{(Screening of this documentary has been banned in several locations at different times, and the video has been removed from several sites. Let’s hope it remains at the link above.)  (Image source. You will notice that the video of “The Magnitsky Act” has been deleted from the site at this link. Fortunately, you can watch it on DLive at the above link.)}

Whodunit

The entire Browder–Magnitsky affair can be summarized as a “he-said, he-said” conflict. But one with profound geopolitical implications.   

The hedge-fund manager Bill Browder has accused Russian prison guards of beating to death his so-called "good friend,"  a supposedly innocent Russian “lawyer” named Sergei Magnitsky, after Magnitsky purportedly reported the alleged criminal behavior of certain Russian police officers and various other parties.*

Furthermore, Browder has accused those parties – his so-called Russian “enemies”  – of stealing $230 million through tax fraud.    

In the film “The Magnitsky Act,” Andrei Nekrasov shows that, in fact, Sergei Magnitsky had NOT reported any criminal behavior by those aforementioned parties, and that Magnitsky himself was being questioned by the police regarding the tax fraud by Browder's companies.    

Also, there is NO evidence that Browder’s supposed “enemies” stole the $230 million – apart from Browder's assertions. On the other hand, Browder himself and his companies were being investigated for tax fraud. In fact, a Russian court ruled that “Browder had deliberately bankrupted his company and engaged in tax evasion.”  The court sentenced Browder to 9 years imprisonment, in absentia.  Source   _{(right-click on link)}

As is already clear, Bill Browder and his companies were themselves  being investigated and even prosecuted for tax fraud. But that’s something that Browder apparently forgot – since he never mentions it. And as he says in the film when asked about details of the affair, “I don’t know. I don’t remember.”    

Moreover, when a Canadian news anchor asked him about the Russians’ charging him with tax evasion, he replied, very hesitantly, “They-they-they-they-they-they-they’ve made that argument.” _{(Image source. You will notice that this site has been censored.)}

* _{You will note that the second paragraph in the above section contains the words "supposedly," "purportedly," "allegedly," and two instances of "so-called."   That's because very little of the story is based on facts or evidence. Almost all of the story has come to us through the filter known as Bill Browder.}

Trailer

For a short preview ...

"Magnitsky Act"  trailer – "There are strange holes in his story"   _{(right-click)}

Bill Browder – CEOligarch

Bill Browder is a financier / hedge-fund manager / billionaire / oligarch-wannabe who moved to Russia in the mid-1990s, where he operated his hedge fund Hermitage Capital Management. Apparently, he realized that, after the fall of the USSR, there was much money for the taking in Russia. So he went there and set up shop, to take part in the grab for cash.    

His hedge fund was very successful. However, a Russian provincial court convicted him of tax evasion, to the tune of approximately $40 billion. Subsequently, in November 2005, his visa was revoked and he was barred from re-entering Russia. According to Browder, he was barred simply because he had been “exposing corruption.”  That assertion has become increasingly dubious.

Oh, and one more point – a point that becomes increasingly salient as this affair progresses. … Apparently Browder does not like to pay taxes on his overseas earnings (as US firms and citizens are required to do.) Therefore, in 1998, Browder gave up his US citizenship, and became a UK citizen.   

“Red Notice” … or Whitewash?

In a bold but boneheaded attempt to exonerate himself of any wrongdoing – as well as to implicate various others – Browder apparently concocted a far-fetched and increasingly bizarre tale in which he presented himself as an anti-corruption crusader, a campaigner for justice, a bringer of truth and light, and a noble and honorable man with only the best intentions for all concerned and for civilized society as a whole.   _{(Image source)}

But as the Russian police officer Pavel Karpov succinctly stated, Browder's story is nothing more than "a contrived plot."

(To put the above statements into context, remember that Browder was a typical hedge-fund manager, who made billions$$$ for producing nothing and for providing no service of any sort. ‘Nuff said.)  

And with regards to the various crimes, he presents himself and his accountant (that's right, his "accountant,"  not his lawyer) Sergei Magnitsky as completely innocent victims. He goes so far as to call himself “Putin’s #1 Enemy” – as stated in the subtitle of “Red Notice,” his book about the affair.   

The Usual Suspects

In his tell-tall tale “Red Notice,” Browder presents us with the usual suspects – from Russian cops to Russian prison guards, from Russian oligarchs to Russian government officials.

And if that paranoia-inducing list aint enough (y'know ... "Russia! Russia!" ), he tries to convince us that the villainy extends all the way up to Vladimir Putin. (y'know ... "Russia! Putin!! Time to panic!"  You get the picture.)  _{(Image source)}

As presented in “Red Notice,” all those “suspects”  were supposedly involved in unusually brazen crimes, ranging from illegal raids, theft, alleged torture, a mysterious death, and grand theft in the form of tax fraud.   

However, Browder provides little or no solid evidence to support many of his claims or accusations. And in fact, there are numerous instances where the story in “Red Notice”  runs contrary to many actual details which have subsequently come to light. 

Just Another Red Scare from Red Square 

What Browder does not  tell us is that his company was accused of tax fraud as early as 2004. And conveniently – well, VERY conveniently – he ignores and / or distorts many facts which clearly exonerate the alleged suspects in this new “red scare.”    

Nor does he tell us that Sergei Magnitsky had been working as an accountant for Browder’s companies for at least 5 years, nor that Magnitsky “played an important role in setting up the whole scheme that led to Browder’s tax fraud and his ultimate conviction for it.”   Source   _{(right-click on link)}

More and more, it appears that Browder’s crusade is not a fight for truth and justice. In certain ways, it seems to be merely a shameful charade to exonerate himself of any wrongdoing, along with a misguided campaign to demonize Russia, Putin and his cronies, and anyone who might question Browder’s version of the story – without any open investigation, without any due process, and without much concern for the facts.  

Over and over again, Browder repeats the various claims that Putin “really hates the Magnitsky Act” and that “he’s obsessed with me” and that Putin is “so mad.”

Furthermore, Browder is rather fond of proclaiming that if, by chance, he is ever returned to Russia, “I’ll be killed.” Anyone who has followed the recent Browder news has heard him make that preposterous claim more than once.   _{(Image source)}

Reasons to be Fearful

The frightening fact is that far-reaching laws have been put into effect, in both the US and Canada, based solely on Browder’s often unsubstantiated stories. But that’s not all.   

A more frightening thing is that even many media figures have refused to investigate or reveal the truth of what actually happened.   

And that leaves us with a situation that is all the more scary.  Not only have the mainstream media and the powers-that-be refused to investigate, discover, accept, or express the truth, they are now actively trying to suppress the truth. Many facts about the Browder–Magnitsky affair are not being reported or exposed, and various details that should be exposed and clarified are being buried under a deluge of distortions, obfuscations, and lies.   _{(Image source)}

To make matters worse ... and to bury the truth even deeper ... Andrei Nekrasov’s revealing and honest documentary “The Magnitsky Act”  is being banned, deleted, and suppressed. (But that’s typical of what we can expect from the fearful powers-that-be and their sycophants in the global Ministry of Media Propaganda.) 

The Magnitsky Act – Based on The Magnitsky Myth

In 2012, as a result of Browder’s persistent lobbying, the US congress (sic, no initial caps there, Ed) passed the Magnitsky Act, and Barack Obama signed it into law later that year. In 2017, Canada passed its own version of the Magnitsky Act, after which the bill was signed into law. More recently, several other countries have passed versions of the act, and Browder is persistently lobbying more countries to do the same.  

The law allows for “the freezing of assets and visa bans on officials from Russia and other nations considered to be guilty of human rights violations.” (Note that phrase “considered to be guilty.”)  Source   _{(right-click on link)}

As stated on Wikipedia, the goal of the Magnitsky Act is “to punish Russian officials responsible for the death of Russian tax accountant Sergei Magnitsky in a Moscow prison in 2009."    Source   _{(right-click on link)}

More specifically, the law "authorizes governments to sanction human rights offenders in Russia, freeze their foreign assets, and ban them from entering the signing country."    Source   _{(right-click on link)}

Browder’s entire story – as well as the resultant Magnitsky Acts – is based on the assumption that Magnitsky had reported the “theft” of $230 million, supposedly perpetrated by a Russian cop named Pavel Karpov and his cronies.    

But in fact, Magnitsky never did make any such report or allegations. It seems increasingly likely that that story is a convenient lie told by Browder. Partly to demonize Putin, and possibly to distract us from the real facts about what truly happened to both Sergei Magnitsky and the $230 million.  

America(n) Rules

It’s important to realize that, while the Magnitsky Act is a US law, passed in the USA by US lawmakers with input from Bill Browder and other US lobbyists, the law applies not to the US and its citizens; in fact, it is intended to apply globally.    

Presumably, American rules by American rulers enforced in regions where America does not rule mean that America rules. Yikes.    _{(Image source)}

Sergei Magnitsky – Not a Lawyer 

Sergei Magnitsky was an accountant who worked for Browder’s firm. According to the Russian authorities, Magnitsky was an active participant in Browder’s tax fraud. As Tom Luongo wrote in his excellent expose, Magnitsky was hired by Browder to assist in “the money laundering Heritage Capital (sic) was involved in.”  Source   _{(right-click on link)}

As early as 2006, Russian authorities had questioned Magnitsky with regard to tax evasion on the part of Browder’s firms. In 2008, Magnitsky was arrested on charges related to the tax evasion. In November 2009, Magnitsky died while in prison.  _{(Image source)}

Browder consistently and conveniently forgets to tell us the first fact above. But whenever he has the chance to delude anyone, he continues to recite distortions of the latter two facts, as well as other nonsense – ad infinitum and ad nauseum. 

Repeatedly, Browder has stated that Magnitsky was "a lawyer" – and even "my lawyer."  He was not. Browder states in the film that Magnitsky “knew the law backwards and forwards, up and down.”  We know that Browder’s first statement is false, and we can assume that his second statement is also nonsense. And when Browder tries to convince us that Magnitsky was “a lawyer’s lawyer,”  we realize he’s just piling the BS a little bit higher. 

Furthermore, Browder has repeatedly stated that Magnitsky was beaten and tortured, and that he died as a result. But again, there is no actual evidence of that. In fact, the evidence clearly indicates that Magnitsky was not beaten, and that Browder’s various assertions regarding the supposed “beating”  were fabricated by Browder, well after the fact.

In the documentary, Magnitsky’s mother states that her son died owing to negligence on the part of the prison doctor. She explicitly states that the doctor “Ms Gaus bears responsibility.”  She adds that Sergei was alone when he died – which contradicts Browder’s assertion that he was beaten to death by guards.

Apparently his mother has subsequently taken issue with certain points raised by the documentary. Nevertheless, the above facts speak for themselves.

The Shady Shenanigans of Vladimi ... no! ... of Bill Browder

Interestingly, Andrei Nekrasov, the maker of the documentary “The Magnitsky Act,”  had set out to make a film that presented Browder in a good light.

For years, Nekrasov had been a vocal critic of Putin. And since Browder’s book showed Putin in a very negative light, the film-maker simply intended to work with Browder to expose more of the shady shenanigans of Putin and various oligarchs. Nekrasov even thought that Browder was a “hero”  for standing up to various“dangerous”  Russians.    _{(Image source)}

However, as Nekrasov researched the facts behind Browder’s story, he came across numerous and various glaring inconsistencies in terms of time, timelines, places, events, people, and more. And when he confronted Browder with these inconsistencies, Browder stumbled and failed in his sorry attempts to explain the numerous contradictions and inconsistencies in his story.    

From Hero to Hopeless, Bumbling Failure

Moreover, in a subsequent interview, when Browder’s bumbling failures became more evident and his situation became more hopeless, Browder warned Nekrasov that he’d “better be careful about going out and trying to do a whole thing about … sort of … Sergei not being a whistleblower.”

Then Browder's warning descended into mumbling babble about “not true,” “the subtle FSB version,” “cast aspersions,” “we don’t have any man in Crimea, y’know, type of thing,” and more such incoherent blabber. Then Browder simply gave up and walked out of the interview.

Browder's Whole Story was Invented

Fortunately, Nekrasov was not intimidated, and continued to reveal the truth in his unsettling documentary. And what he found is that “the whole story was invented much later.” 

When someone is controlling a narrative, we have to wonder how much is true and how much is false. If Browder has essentially unquestioned control of the entire narrative – of almost everything that is told and everything that is heard, of almost everything that is reported and everything that is read – we have to wonder not only how much  of the narrative he’s controlling, but why  he’s working so hard to control the narrative.   

The Story is a Diversion

And when we realize that Browder is not only controlling the narrative, but that he’s also preventing numerous facts from coming to light, distorting other facts, and outright lying about various aspects of the case, then we have to question his entire narrative.      

Questions beg for answers, and Nekrasov has offered the clearest, most fact-based answer. According to him, Browder concocted his bizarre story simply to “divert attention from his white-collar crimes.” 

Since the facts do not support Browder’s story – and since they actually contradict his story – then we can be certain that his story is poorly conceived scheme that has gone horribly awry. _{(Image source)}

The Mind Likes Truth

By watching “The Magnitsky Act” and learning about what really happened, we can ascertain that much of Browder’s story is far from the truth. Subsequently, we will be able to put most of the pieces on the board, and then will we be able make all the proper connections to discover the truth.

Bill Browder's BS be damned.

Sources

Tom Luongo – " The Curious Case Of Bill Browder"  
Robert Parry – "A Blacklisted Film and the New Cold War"  
Robert Parry – "Guardians Of The Magnitsky Myth: Will The Real Bill Browder Please Step Forward"  
Philip Giraldi – "Is Bill Browder The Most Dangerous Man In The World?"  
Saul Austerlitz – "A dirty business: Bill Browder made millions in Russia until Putin came after him, with fatal consequences"  
Lee Stranahan – "Who is Bill Browder? Globalist Elite Behind Trump / Russia"  
Andrei Nekrasov – " Film-Maker Explains Why Documentary was Banned (Deleted Video"  
Real Video – "Russia Seeks Charges: Top US Officials"  
Real Video – "Who is Bill Browder?"  
Tom Luongo – "The "Magnitsky Trio" Pushes For War With Russia With New Sanctions"  
Fault Lines – "New Findings on Bill Browder (vid)"  
Lucy Komisar – "The Man Behind the Magnitsky Act: Did Bill Browder’s Tax Troubles in Russia Color Push for Sanctions?"  
Ken Dilanian (NBC News) – "The Legal Battle Behind the Trump Tower Meeting"  
Alex Krainer – "The Killing of William Browder (pdf)"  
Real Video – "Deleted Magnitsky Video"  
Real Video – "Deleted Magnitsky Video"  
drive.google.com – "Deleted Magnitsky Video"