Lobbyist Paid $ 2 Million To ‘Declare’ Myanmar Coup On Behalf Of Junta

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – An Israeli-Canadian lobbyist hired by the Myanmar junta will receive $ 2 million to “help explain the real situation” of the coup to the United States and other countries, documents suggest have been filed with the United States Department of Justice.

More than 60 protesters have been killed and 1,900 people have been arrested since February 1, when Myanmar’s generals seized power and detained civilian leaders, including state adviser Aung San Suu Kyi.

Ari Ben-Menashe and his firm, Dickens & Madson Canada, will represent Myanmar’s military government in Washington, as well as lobby for Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Israel and Russia, and international agencies such as the United Nations, according to a consultancy -agreement. .

The Montreal-based company will “assist in the formulation and implementation of policies for the beneficial development of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar, as well as in explaining the real situation in the country,” the agreement said Monday to the United States. Department of Justice as part of compliance with US Foreign Agent Registration Act and published online.

A spokesman for Myanmar’s military government did not answer calls from Reuters asking for comment.

In a pitch that met widespread skepticism, Ben-Menashe told Reuters that he was tasked with convincing the United States that Myanmar’s generals wanted to move closer to the West and away from China. He said the generals wanted to resettle Rohingya Muslims who had fled a military attack in 2017 for which the United Nations accused those same generals of overseeing a genocide.

“It is highly unlikely that he could convince the United States of the story he is proposing,” said John Sifton, Asia advocacy director at Human Rights Watch.

Other documents submitted by Ben-Menashe showed that an agreement had been reached with the junta’s defense secretary, General Mya Tun Oo, and that the government would pay the company $ 2 million.

Mya Tun Oo and other top generals have been sanctioned by the US Treasury Department and the Canadian government, so the paperwork says payment will be made “when permitted by law.”

Lawyers told Reuters Ben-Menashe may be in violation of sanctions.

“To the extent that he provides services to sanctioned parties in the United States without authorization, that appears to be a violation of US law,” said Peter Kucik, a former senior sanctions adviser with the US Treasury.

The US Treasury declined to comment.

Ben-Menashe told Reuters he had received legal advice that he would need permits from the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Asset Controls (OFAC) and the Canadian government to accept payment, but that he would not be breaking the law by lobbying for the junta.

“There are technicalities here, but we leave it to the lawyers and OFAC to handle it,” he said, adding that his lawyers were in contact with Treasury officials.