The Skripal attempted assassinations have brought the Sergei Magnitsky affair back into the headlines, as well as Deutsche Bank scandal, money-laundering suspect Russian funds into the New York property market, which may impact on the Mueller Investigation.

Magnitsky was a Russian lawyer, imprisoned after reporting officials for major fraud and died as a result of a beating. (More Magnitsky details in old post below.)

His former employer financier Bill Browder is still fighting his corner, relentlessly lobbying governments to sanction corrupt Russians laundering their money in the West. His book Red Notice: How I Became Putin’s Number 1 Enemy is being made into a film – Amal Clooney is his lawyer.

Browder, who was deported and had his Moscow investment fund expropriated by corrupt officials, said in an interview (below): ‘The reality is that the entire Russian government is the mafia.’ He describes it as a ‘gangster state.’ And he gave evidence this week to a UK Commons select committee and said: “I believe they want to kill me. They haven’t figured out a way yet where they can kill me and get away with it.”

His Magnitsky Act, intended to impose visa sanctions and asset freezes on corrupt officials, has now been introduced in seven countries including Britain, the US and Canada. As a result he lives in a “warzone”, receiving numerous death threats: text messages and voicemails from unregistered Moscow numbers.

A few years ago the Russian prime minister Dmitry Medvedev told reporters in a briefing: ‘it is a shame Sergei Magnitsky is dead and Bill Browder is still alive and running around’. In 2015, he says, US intelligence authorities alerted him to an illegal rendition plot being formulated against him.

https://www.countryandtownhouse.co.uk/culture/bill-browder-interview/

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/men/thinking-man/bill-browder-putins-no1-enemy-live-life-assuming-want-kill/

Browder, born 23 April 1964 Chicago, Illinois, is a Sun, Jupiter, Mercury in Taurus trine Uranus Pluto in Virgo – suited to the money business, stubborn, rebellious, not one to budge easily; especially with Saturn in Pisces opposing his Uranus Pluto. His Mars in pro-active Aries is under assault from a tr Pluto square, 2017/18, finishing this September/October, which is not only frustrating but also high-risk.

His relationship chart with Putin is stressed and aggravated with a Yod of Mars sextile Saturn inconjunct Sun. And it will be under extraordinary pressure in 2018/19 with tr Pluto square the composite Sun. Browder’s Mars opposes Putin’s Saturn Neptune in Libra and squares Putin’s Uranus – so he will be a thorn in Putin’s flesh.

Despite Putin being a walkover for this election he does not look remotely happy or clear headed with tr Pluto moving to square his Neptune from late March till late 2019 – which tends to be devastating and scandal-prone.

The Labour MP Yvette Cooper, chairwoman of the home affairs select committee has pressed this week for police to reopen investigations into 14 suspicious deaths in Britain linked to Russia in recent years. This would include Russian financier Alexander Perepilichnyy, who died while jogging in the UK in 2012, after handing information to Browder’s firm with information on the people behind Magnitsky’s murder. Despite US intelligence agencies saying there was Russian involvement in his death, the Surrey Police ruled out murder.

July 25 2017 Post.   The drip drip of toxic info keeps coming about the Trump dynasty’s Russia connection. This is just background about one, now deceased, piece of a jigsaw that is slowly coming together, involving Russian money-laundering through the New York property market and through the German Deustche Bank, already under investigation for same, whom certain Trumps had significant dealings with and loans therefrom.

Sergei Magnitsky was a Russian lawyer/accountant, arrested after accusing Russian officials of tax fraud. He died a year later in custody after beatings in 2009. As a result of his death, the Magnitsky Act came into being which put banking restrictions on Russian officials implicated in human rights abuses. It’s those sanctions which Putin is keen/desperate to get lifted. The lawyer involved in last year’s meet with Don Jnr and Jared Kushner is heavily involved with the main players in the above.

Magnitsky, born 8 April 1972 in Odessa, Ukraine, was an Aries Sun in a rebellious/activist opposition to Uranus. He also had a communicative Air Grand Trine of Pluto trine Saturn Venus Mars trine North Node (Moon) in Aquarius with Pluto opposition Mercury – so a crusader (NNode in Aquarius), gutsy with Pluto Saturn Mars, though maybe not too practical. He also had Neptune opposition Saturn Mars Venus which formed the boundary of his Half Grand Sextile – idealistic, slightly fanatical or head in the clouds, but talented.

When he died tr Neptune was squaring his Solar Arc Uranus opposition Sun; tr Saturn was just over the conjunction to his Pluto and trine his North Node.

His reforming Uranus was conjunct Vladimir Putin’s rigid authoritarian Saturn (Sun Neptune) with Magnitsky’s Saturn Venus Mars falling in Putin’s secret 8^th conjunct his Gemini Moon so arousing anger.

This year the Magnitsky family lawyer fell/was pushed from a 4^th storey window and seriously injured.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/jul/24/jared-kushner-new-york-russia-money-laundering.

Add on: As ever with any story involving Russia, high finance and money-laundering the waters get exceeding muddy.

A slightly different view from: https://consortiumnews.com/2017/07/13/how-russia-gate-met-the-magnitsky-myth/

https://newrepublic.com/article/126760/fighting-putin-doesnt-make-saint

There are however undisputed facts.

1. Magnitsky was beaten in prison, denied medical treatment and died.
2. Russian money-laundering through US and indeed UK property deals is an accepted fact.
3. Deutsche Bank in May 2017 agreed to pay $41 million to settle Federal Reserve allegations that its U.S. operations failed to maintain adequate protections against money laundering, the latest in a string of fines that have cost the German lender billions of dollars. Deutsche Bank has recently reached settlements with the U.K. and New York State’s Department of Financial Services over trades that allegedly helped wealthy Russians move some $10 billion out of the country.

   

 

Never believe red carpet smiles and cuddles. It now transpires that Colin Firth and his Italian wife Livia were separated during several togetherness-outings onto the paparazzi-walk last year. All of which has emerged since she reported an Italian journalist whom she was having an affair with during their spousal time apart for stalking her after she broke up with him and returned to Firth.

Colin Firth, born 10 September 1960; Livia Giuggioli, 4 September 1969.

This makes them both Sun Virgos. He with Pluto, North Node and Mercury also in Virgo; she with Pluto. Her Venus is in Leo and his in Libra which isn’t a bad combo at all. His Moon is in steady Taurus while hers is in restless Gemini.

It is an odd match. She describes herself as a ‘ball-breaker’ and she certainly has a challenging chart with Mars in Sagittarius probably opposition her Moon and square Pluto, so controlling and ultra-determined. Her Pluto is conjunct Colin’s Mercury with her Mars in square – so she’ll tend to dominate discussions. His Mars opposes Jupiter squaring onto his Mercury, which will make him enthusiastic, optimistic, quite nervy with a focal point Mercury. Her Saturn in Taurus opposes his Neptune for uncertainties and suspicion and her cool  Saturn may conjunct his Moon, certainly is trine his Pluto. Her Jupiter, Mercury, Uranus is conjunct his Venus – so a superficially glamorous connection though a widely travelled schedule will suit, giving her space. His Neptune is square her Venus – so she’ll have problems pinning him down.

Their relationship chart would make you wonder how they’ve stayed together this long. There is a composite Venus, Uranus, Sun, Pluto opposition Saturn possibly square Moon – so a constant roller-coaster; chained-together by Saturn Pluto; possessive from Sun Pluto; but disruptive with differing agendas from Saturn and Sun close to Uranus. There is an idealistic, head-in-the-clouds Jupiter Neptune. It has had tr Neptune in an undermining opposition to the composite Venus Uranus and conjunct Saturn recently and tr Neptune is now moving to oppose Sun Pluto through this year and next. So the future looks highly uncertain.

   

 

Trump is euphoric with what he regards as his unique achievement in bringing Kim Jong Un to the negotiating table with the dangled carrot of North Korea giving up its nuclear programme. Even commentators grudgingly admit only Trump’s idiosyncratic and blustering approach to Kim Jong Un could have produced this surprising turn of events. However caveats are legion. North Korea has ploughed ahead to finish its nuclear testing, even with sanctions removing a third of their already impoverished economy. Nuclear weapons gives them leverage against the USA and protection. Trump’s childish glee in rushing to accept without conditions has two drawbacks. The first is it puts Kim Jong Un on the same footing as Trump. The second is there is no indication of what pre-conditions Kim would demand – for example removing US troops from South Korea and the end of the US-South Korea Alliance. Nor how much access he would allow to check on the denuclearization programme.

One diplomat said: “Kim is not inviting Trump so that he can surrender North Korea’s weapons. Kim is inviting Trump to demonstrate that his investment in nuclear and missile capabilities has forced the United States to treat him as an equal.”

Two things are clear from the astrology. One is that Kim Jong Un’s Leadership chart is undergoing a complete turnaround at the moment with the Solar Arc Uranus exactly square the 10^th house Sun Pluto. I had rather hoped that might topple him, but no sign as of that just of this moment. However tr Saturn is conjunct the Leadership Sun Pluto now, repeating twice before the year end, which doesn’t look exactly ecstatic – blocked and discouraged. Tr Uranus will oppose the Saturn come April, and again later in the year into 2019, which looks high-tension, irritable, self-willed, kicking against restrictions. With a slippery, evasive tr Neptune square his Mercury in May and again later into 2019. He will get a lucky break also in May from tr Uranus conjunct the Jupiter. But his way ahead isn’t straightforward or clear cut.

The other astro-point of interest is Rex Tillerson, who only the day before had said negotiations weren’t a realistic option in the near future, only to be contradicted hours later by his chief. He looks more than usually aggravated with Trump at the moment with tr Saturn square their composite Mars, repeating late May and again in the autumn. He looks teeth-gritted also at the moment with tr Pluto trine his Mars/Saturn midpoint and devastated come April with tr Uranus square his Sun/Neptune midpoint; and further unenthused come May.

The offer isn’t on paper, merely passed on by the South Koreans – and to be noted also the proposed Russian gas pipeline through North Korea will give him eastern protection, so less need of an active nuclear programme.

If anything South Korea looks more unsettled with the USA than NK, so there could be a revision of USA involvement there. Anything is possible but the prospect of Trump rushing in to cut a deal must be giving the State Department panic attacks.

 

 

Jupiter goes retrograde in Scorpio tomorrow till early July. Jupiter is expansive, lucky, idealistic, successful. But when it goes retrograde it leads to a reappraisal of what success really means. The vision which Jupiter brings often has to go back to the drawing board during this phase for a period of introspection and meditation.

Since the #metoo campaign really kicked off when Jupiter went into Scorpio late October 2017 it’ll be interesting to see whether the momentum slows and a new direction emerges come July as a result of deliberation. Scorpio rules all matters sexual – and also financial. Jupiter shone a light on dark places.

   

 

There’s a welter of claims, counter-claims and hot denials flying over the Stormy Daniels affaire. She’s a porn star who allegedly had a one night stand with Donald Trump four months after his youngest son Barron was born; and was paid off by his lawyer in a confidentiality agreement just before the 2016 election. Apart from the scandal itself, firmly denied (not that dirt ever appears to stick to Trump) there are additional ethics questions about whether or not he knew about the pay-off and therefore did not disclose the financial liability which violates several laws.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/right-turn/wp/2018/03/08/three-potential-calamities-for-trump-aside-from-mueller/?utm_term=.9083c5e57155

She was born 17 March 1979, Baton Rouge, Louisiana and is a Sun Pisces in a Water Grand Trine to Jupiter in Cancer trine Uranus in Scorpio – creative certainly, not always too practical, lives in her own dream world. Her Mars also in Pisces is in a hard-edged opposition to Saturn in Virgo which makes sense of a sex worker; and her Mars in is a high-adrenaline trine to Uranus. Her Venus in detached Aquarius is in a seductive trine to Pluto.

Her relationship chart with Trump has a composite affectionate Sun Venus trine Uranus Jupiter so it would provide a lively chemistry. Jupiter Uranus is in an adventurous square to Mars. But the Sun is also in a slippery opposition to Neptune and a blocking square to Saturn. So not a match destined to last.

Her Venus opposes his Pluto for a strong attraction; and her Pluto is conjunct his 2^nd house Jupiter so tussles over money are hardly unexpected. Her Mars squares his 10^th house Uranus, which has led to outbursts and could knock him off track.

She’s on tenterhooks this year, alternately bullishly confident and then panicking; with similar in 2019/2020.

 

 

There have been demonstrations in Ethiopia against the state of emergency declared after the ruler stepped down saying he wanted to clear the way for reforms. It is Africa’s second most-populous nation with a booming economy and a staunch Western ally in the fight against Islamist militancy. Ethnic tensions are behind part of the unrest.

Ethiopia has an ancient history with no obvious start date. Emperor Haile Selassie was deposed on 12 September 1974 with 6.15am given as a time for a new beginning. 27 April 1993 for an independence declaration is another date.

The 1974 chart does look stuck and discouraged with tr Saturn square Pluto Mercury now and on and off till later this year. With no sign of an easy transition ahead to the democratic reform which the population and the international community would like to see. Tr Pluto will have a longish run opposition the Cancer Moon and square Uranus from 2019 to late 2021 – which looks emotionally stressed and prone to uprisings and rebellions. With a disappointing, undermining tr Neptune opposition the Virgo Sun and square the midheaven in 2019 to 2021.

The 1993 chart also looks highly-strung, nervy, discouraged, disruptive this year; and in a fair amount of turmoil stretching from 2018 to 2020. So it will take time to find a solution to the present problems.

 

 

Martin Selmayr, Juncker’s chief of staff, in what is being described as Machiavellian machinations – parachutage in French – has been dropped at speed into the top civil servant job in the European Commission. He is said to be too junior, without the normal experience for such a job and it adds another German to a top role. There are allegations of buying of commissioners’ support for the promotion by increasing the severance packages they receive at the end of their term – all hotly denied. Selmayr is known as domineering and ‘has long shown disdain and disregard for the traditional workings of the Commission, and a willingness to strong-arm colleagues and bulldoze opponents, earning him the nickname Monster of the Berlaymont.’ (Politico EU)

Born 5 December 1970 in Bonn, he is a Sagittarius like Juncker; with Venus Jupiter in Scorpio, where Juncker has Venus Saturn in Scorpio. Selmayr’s Jupiter Venus oppose Saturn in Taurus – certainly stubborn. His bullying tendencies will come from house positions which we don’t know without a birth time.

Tr Uranus will oppose his Mars late this April into May, repeating later into 2019, which is explosive and insecure, prone to reckless decisions; with similar from tr Pluto square his Mars/Uranus midpoint, now until late 2019. Though he’ll get a boost from tr Pluto sextile his Jupiter in 2019/2020.

His Pluto is exactly conjunct the EU’s Virgo Ascendant, so he will try to coerce the EU into bending to his will and will impose his idea of how it should present itself. His Sun is in the EU’s 3^rd house conjunct the EU Mars and Saturn – he will provoke major irritation. His relationship chart with the EU is both slippery and chained-together. And with the UK, is at odds with a composite Saturn square Uranus – on conflicting agendas, cold, and likely to be fiery and argumentative in 2019/2020.

Juncker’s Sun is getting the tr Neptune square from this May onwards till late 2019, so low energy and morale, which might be health since he isn’t in good shape; or his plans not working out. Several countries are unhappy about the technocrats approach to Brexit for one thing, beginning to grasp the damage to their economies if the deal is too punitive for the UK.

Michael Barnier, if his birth time is sound, has tr Neptune conjunct his midheaven from May 2019 till late 2020 which doesn’t suggest constructive career progress; and high insecurity through 2019/2020 as well from tr Uranus square his Sun/Mars midpoint. Plus tr Neptune square his Jupiter/Saturn midpoint in 2020 which is often job loss or damage.

There will be ructions between France and Germany this April, and into 2019 – so Brussels won’t be boring in the time ahead.

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Angela Merkel will be sworn in for her fourth term on March 14^th. That gives an exact confident Sun sextile Pluto and trine Jupiter, and square Mars. Mars in turn trines Uranus still in square to Pluto. Saturn squares Venus Mercury. It won’t be without its moments of high stress, risk and argument, more than usually. But it’ll also be lucky and firmly controlling, running at times into resistance and unpopularity with a strong Pluto and Saturn Venus. Much will depend on the start time.

Her own personal chart looks less certain with a jolting tr Uranus opposition her 10^th house Saturn from this July onwards; and a confusing (devastating) tr Pluto square her 10^th house Neptune in 2019/2020; plus a highly disruptive tr Pluto opposition her 8^th house Uranus in 2019/2020 and opposition her Sun in 2020/21. And a panicky-failure Solar Arc Neptune conjunct her Mars in 2020.

What doesn’t help her at the moment is tr Saturn moving through her less successful First Quadrant, now into its nadir for three years. She’ll struggle to find the energy, motivation and luck she had earlier in her political career.

Her relationship with Emmanuel Macron is aggravated at points this year especially September/October and frosty through 2019.

Her faith in the EU (and vice versa) will be tested over the next two years with tr Neptune square the composite Mars; and in a degree of turmoil with tr Uranus square the composite Uranus from July onwards; with a distinct chill in 2019.

Her domestic popularity may continue to worry her. Her relationship chart with Germany looks highly confused from later this month onwards; 2019 will be discouraging; with a complete turnaround in outlook between the two come 2020/2021.

   

 

Boris Johnson, UK Foreign Secretary, has leapt in with both feet over the seeming poisoning of a Russian living in the UK. Sergei Skripal and his daughter are critically ill in hospital after being found unconscious in Salisbury. He is a former army officer who spied for MI6 and was freed from Russian prison in a spy-swap a few years ago. Counter Terrorism Police have taken over the investigation though have said there is no risk to the general public, so unlike the killing in 2006 of Alexander Litvinenko, a defector and former Russian secret service agent who died from radioactive polonium. Porton Down, the UK’s secret weapons research facility, is trying to establish what the unknown substance in this instance is.

Boris Johnson said he was not pointing fingers at this stage but described Russia as “a malign and disruptive force”. Mr Skripal’s relatives have told the BBC Russian Service that the former spy believed the Russian special services might come after him at any time. His wife, elder brother and his son have died in the past two years, some in mysterious circumstances, the family believe. Russia has denied any involvement.

Sergei Skripal, 23 June 1951, is a Sun Uranus in Cancer with his Uranus on the point of a T Square to Jupiter in Aries opposition Neptune – rebellious, keen to see changes and spearhead reform, not always practical or realistic. His Jupiter is also in a confident trine to Pluto Venus in Leo.

Tr Pluto is opposition his Mars/Pluto midpoint at the moment. And that pairing is also highlighted in his relationship chart with Russia (8 November 1917) which has a composite Uranus opposition Venus square Mars Pluto. That indicates a life or death power struggle with deep hostility on both sides. Tr Uranus is square the composite Pluto Mars at the moment. That chart also has a deeply suspicious and undermining composite Sun Saturn Neptune conjunction. Skripal’s reforming Uranus is conjunct the Russia 1917’s controlling 10^th house Pluto, so he would react badly to the authoritarian rule.

The UK/Russia relationship chart also looks set back on its heels and irritable at the moment with tr Saturn exactly opposition the composite Mars. It’ll rumble for a few months. But it’s likely to pater out. During Theresa May’s time as Home Secretary she refused an inquiry into Litvinenko’s death, since it would ‘upset’ diplomatic relations. London is host to a great many Russian criminals and wealthy oligarchs. Though into 2019/2020 relations between the two countries will move through a highly disruptive phase.