An NBC News and Reuters joint investigation found deep ties between investors of the Trump Ocean Club International Hotel and Tower in Panama City and the Russian mafia, organized crime, and drug traffickers. The Trump Organization issued a statement disavowing any knowledge or involvement with the criminals who financed the property. Even if that's true, it doesn't meant they are innocent, however.
"The Trump Organization was not the owner, developer or seller of the Trump Ocean Club Panama project," the statement said. "Because of its limited role, the company was not responsible for the financing of the project and had no involvement in the sale of units or the retention of any real estate brokers."
From The Hill:
Still, legal experts contacted by Reuters for the story said Trump should have asked those questions.
Because Panama is "perceived to be highly corrupt," said Arthur Middlemiss, a former assistant district attorney in Manhattan and a former head of JPMorgan's global anti-corruption program, those who do business there should perform due diligence on others involved in their ventures.
If they fail to do so, he told Reuters, they risk being liable under U.S. law of being found having turned a blind eye to wrongdoing.
Photo of Trump: Flickr/Gage Skidmore
