On 7 Jul 2000 13:06:32 GMT, rkeller@netaxs.com (Rod Keller) wrote:

[big cut, saved to The Unofficial Minton Papers]

> The Presidency is also said to have been discouraged from using Fashanu's
> pronouncement as a lead because of an alleged demand for fee by the former
> footballer. Close to N500 million is reported to have been demanded by the
> United Kingdom (UK) resident, who justified the request by saying he has
> sank his personal money into the investigations.

Translation: "I need the money to buy my way up the bridge to total freedom."

If I understand the situation correctly, the steps were as follows:

1) Nigeria had a huge debt, owed to by various banks.

2) Those banks had no faith that Nigeria could pay the debt.

3) Bright eyed and bushy tailed Bob Minton et al had faith that Nigeria WOULD pay off their debt, or at least a portion of it.

4) Minton et al went to the banks who held the debt and made a deal with them to buy the debt for roughly 20% of its face value. This was much more than the banks believed they would get from Nigeria: the banks were BETTING ON MINTON LOSING HIS SHIRT ON THE DEAL.

5) Minton sells the debt back to Nigeria for roughly 34% of its face value, though a portion of the orginal face value, at 1%, went to Greenland (US$45,000,000). Various portions went to accountants, lawyers, etc.

6) Minton and crew won the wager they made with London Club et al who sold the debt to him. That PISSED OFF the banks who tried to stiff Minton et al, but got stiffed instead. Their lack of faith in Nigeria's willingness and ability to pay some of the debt they owed them cost them aproximately 80% of the debt's face value. Too fucking bad: that's how the process is supposed to work! When they sold the debt to Minton, they believed they were getting the better deal.

7) Scientology comes along and sees an opportunity to send Minton away to prison, thus curbing Minton's campain of truth and education about Scientology's crimes and human rights abuses.

8) Minton used that attack as yet another venue for exposing Scientology's crimes and abuses.

9) Scientology, no longer having feet to shoot themselves in, shoots itself in the knee.

The happy conclusion is that the banks lost; Nigeria and Minton won; the people of Nigeria got a good deal; Scientology bleeds some more.