Cempaka Belanda: Is the Netherlands too soft on corruption?

"A Summary" – Apr 2, 2011 (Kryon channelled by Lee Carroll) (Subjects: Religion, Shift of Human Consciousness, 2012, Intelligent/Benevolent Design, EU, South America, 5 Currencies, Water Cycle (Heat up, Mini Ice Ace, Oceans, Fish, Earthquakes ..), Middle East, Internet, Israel, Dictators, Palestine, US, Japan (Quake/Tsunami Disasters , People, Society ...), Nuclear Power Revealed, Hydro Power, Geothermal Power, Moon, Financial Institutes (Recession, Realign integrity values ..) , China, North Korea, Global Unity,..... etc.) - (Text version)

"The Timing of the Great Shift" – Mar 21, 2009 (Kryon channelled by Lee Carroll) - (Text version)

“ … Here is another one. A change in what Human nature will allow for government. "Careful, Kryon, don't talk about politics. You'll get in trouble." I won't get in trouble. I'm going to tell you to watch for leadership that cares about you. "You mean politics is going to change?" It already has. It's beginning. Watch for it. You're going to see a total phase-out of old energy dictatorships eventually. The potential is that you're going to see that before 2013.
They're going to fall over, you know, because the energy of the population will not sustain an old energy leader ..."

"Update on Current Events" – Jul 23, 2011 (Kryon channelled by Lee Carroll) - (Subjects: The Humanization of God, Gaia, Shift of Human Consciousness, 2012, Benevolent Design, Financial Institutes (Recession, System to Change ...), Water Cycle (Heat up, Mini Ice Ace, Oceans, Fish, Earthquakes ..), Nuclear Power Revealed, Geothermal Power, Hydro Power, Drinking Water from Seawater, No need for Oil as Much, Middle East in Peace, Persia/Iran Uprising, Muhammad, Israel, DNA, Two Dictators to fall soon, Africa, China, (Old) Souls, Species to go, Whales to Humans, Global Unity,..... etc.)

"The Recalibration of Awareness – Apr 20/21, 2012 (Kryon channeled by Lee Carroll) (Subjects: Old Energy, Recalibration Lectures, God / Creator, Religions/Spiritual systems (Catholic Church, Priests/Nun’s, Worship, John Paul Pope, Women in the Church otherwise church will go, Current Pope won’t do it), Middle East, Jews, Governments will change (Internet, Media, Democracies, Dictators, North Korea, Nations voted at once), Integrity (Businesses, Tobacco Companies, Bankers/ Financial Institutes, Pharmaceutical company to collapse), Illuminati (Started in Greece, with Shipping, Financial markets, Stock markets, Pharmaceutical money (fund to build Africa, to develop)), Shift of Human Consciousness, (Old) Souls, Women, Masters to/already come back, Global Unity.... etc.) - (Text version)

“… The Shift in Human Nature

You're starting to see integrity change. Awareness recalibrates integrity, and the Human Being who would sit there and take advantage of another Human Being in an old energy would never do it in a new energy. The reason? It will become intuitive, so this is a shift in Human Nature as well, for in the past you have assumed that people take advantage of people first and integrity comes later. That's just ordinary Human nature.

In the past, Human nature expressed within governments worked like this: If you were stronger than the other one, you simply conquered them. If you were strong, it was an invitation to conquer. If you were weak, it was an invitation to be conquered. No one even thought about it. It was the way of things. The bigger you could have your armies, the better they would do when you sent them out to conquer. That's not how you think today. Did you notice?

Any country that thinks this way today will not survive, for humanity has discovered that the world goes far better by putting things together instead of tearing them apart. The new energy puts the weak and strong together in ways that make sense and that have integrity. Take a look at what happened to some of the businesses in this great land (USA). Up to 30 years ago, when you started realizing some of them didn't have integrity, you eliminated them. What happened to the tobacco companies when you realized they were knowingly addicting your children? Today, they still sell their products to less-aware countries, but that will also change.

What did you do a few years ago when you realized that your bankers were actually selling you homes that they knew you couldn't pay for later? They were walking away, smiling greedily, not thinking about the heartbreak that was to follow when a life's dream would be lost. Dear American, you are in a recession. However, this is like when you prune a tree and cut back the branches. When the tree grows back, you've got control and the branches will grow bigger and stronger than they were before, without the greed factor. Then, if you don't like the way it grows back, you'll prune it again! I tell you this because awareness is now in control of big money. It's right before your eyes, what you're doing. But fear often rules. …”

Wednesday, May 18, 2011

Is the Netherlands too soft on corruption?

RNW, 18 May 2011, by Marco Hochgemuth

Don't even think about approaching Dutch companies with a bribe. Corporate corruption just doesn't fit in with Dutch culture. At least, that's what the Dutch like to think.

(photo: stockphoto.com)

While US courts have handed down billions of dollars' worth of fines to companies found guilty of corruption and bribery over recent years, similar investigations in the Netherlands rarely get off the ground. But is that because Dutch firms don't do it, or because Dutch justice authorities don't deal with it?

Polish hospitals

MP Afke Schaart, trade and export spokesperson for the governing conservative VVD party, admits it's strange.

"It is odd, especially since we're the world's fifth-largest exporting country and seventh-largest importing country. The Netherlands is really dependent on export and trade abroad. But I do think that self-regulation within Dutch companies and legislation and regulations drawn up by parliament work well enough to ensure that there's less corruption than in other countries."

That it does actually happen was demonstrated this week in Poland. Prosecuting authorities there say a German office of the Dutch multinational Philips systematically bribed Polish hospital managers. They are alleged to have purchased Philips equipment in exchange for the money. The Philips branch is said to have set up a special fund to finance the bribes.

Iranian government

Philips is not the only Dutch company to have been accused of bribery in recent years. Shell, for instance, was under fire for a long time for making payments to officials in Nigeria. The Anglo-Dutch multinational got itself out of trouble by agreeing to a settlement with US justice authorities.

Chemical conglomerate AkzoNobel was fined around 4.25 million euros by the US for paying bribes to members of the Iranian government. Less well-known Dutch companies have also been at the receiving end of US fines for bribery.

US courts were able to deal with the companies because the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act makes it possible to prosecute for bribery and corruption committed abroad.

Billions

Could a similar approach work in the Netherlands? Gijs van der Mandele from the anti-corruption group Transparency International says, "Of course it could work here as well, but the law and regulations aren't as aggressively enforced as they are in the US".

Mr Van der Mandele prefers not to say whether he thinks Dutch firms are more or less guilty of corruption than foreign ones. However, Transparency International has given a cautious estimate that about 10 billion euros can be linked to bribery in the Netherlands.

Rogue incidents

The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development has for years been critical of the Dutch approach to corruption. It says it's remarkable that there have been so few investigations and prosecutions for bribery in a country so much involved in international trade.

Is the Netherlands too lax, and should its justice authorities follow the lead of the United States and be more pro-active? Ms Schaart doesn't think so:

"I don't think we're easier on this than the United States, not at all. I think good agreements have been made and that people are keeping to them, and that the Dutch system works. There will always be rogue incidents, such as now with Philips. If it looks like we should tighten up the legislation and regulations in this area, I believe this should be done at the EU or global level, in order not to damage the competitiveness of the Netherlands unnecessarily."

Fraud in the property sector

In recent years the Dutch property sector has failed to report a billion euros in turnover to the taxman. Investigations carried out by the Tax Office reveal that estate agents and pension funds avoided hundreds of millions of euros in taxes. Public broadcaster NOS reports that they sometimes used front men and sometimes misrepresented the value of properties in order to mislead tax authorities.

In 2007 the Tax Office started its large-scale investigations into tax evasion and fraud within the property sector. As a result 600 companies were faced with 330 million euros worth of fines and retroactive tax payments. A total of 1291 companies were investigated, which means that nearly half were found to be guilty of irregularities.

This is not the first time the property sector has faced scandal. At the beginning of this century it became clear than the sector had cheated the government out of hundreds of millions in the construction of schools and hospitals. In 2007 it was shown to have misused pension funds to increase its own salaries. The current revelation of a billion euros in tax evasion is the third time the property sector has been disgraced.

Related Articles:

Philips suspected of bribery in Poland
Corruption at Dutch army's materiel service

Bribery rife across Europe's top companies-survey

J&J settles bribery, kickback allegations: SEC
IBM Agrees to Pay $10 Million to Settle SEC Foreign-Bribery Allegations
Greece to seek damages from Siemens over bribery claims
HP bribes case includes the Netherlands

"The Timing of the Great Shift" – Mar 21, 2009 (Kryon channeled by Lee Carroll)(Text version)

“ ….. Let me give it another name: It's an actual shift to a higher vibration of Human nature. "Kryon, that's impossible. Human nature is Human nature. We can't change it." Well, you've already begun it. You're starting to clean up your financial institutions worldwide. Did you notice? Dear ones, if anyone had ever told you 30 years ago that you were going to clean up your financial institutions, they would have laughed. For don't you know the way society works? Those who have the money win. Banks hold all the cards, and they are run by the those in high places. They are untouchable, since the government is often the same people! Well, why don't you tell them that today. Look around you, because something just happened. It's not working that way, is it? What would make the difference? Consciousness. A new paradigm. You can see it in the news…..”
(Live Kryon Channelings was given 7 times within the United Nations building.)