1. What is Sakto Corporation?
Sakto Corporation is a Canadian real estate company, located in Ottawa, Canada. The company has been in business in Canada for over 35 years and has enjoyed steady growth while building a strong reputation in the business community.
The mid-size company owns and manages five properties; four commercial buildings and one rental apartment building. Sakto is proud to provide high quality and consistent professional project and property management to all its tenants, including the Government of Ontario.
The privately held corporation operates in full compliance with the strict Canadian and Ontario financial and regulatory oversight regimes and has consistently demonstrated good corporate governance and accountability.
Owned and operated by Sean and Jamilah Murray, Sakto employs 25 staff, and has won prestigious awards for its building designs and services.
For further details, see the website: https://www.sakto.com/about/
The mid-size company owns and manages five properties; four commercial buildings and one rental apartment building. Sakto is proud to provide high quality and consistent professional project and property management to all its tenants, including the Government of Ontario.
The privately held corporation operates in full compliance with the strict Canadian and Ontario financial and regulatory oversight regimes and has consistently demonstrated good corporate governance and accountability.
Owned and operated by Sean and Jamilah Murray, Sakto employs 25 staff, and has won prestigious awards for its building designs and services.
For further details, see the website: https://www.sakto.com/about/
2. Who is behind this website and what is it about?
This site is maintained by Sakto Corporation’s legal counsel in Canada, noticia LLP. It contains documents and facts uncovered in the Canadian and Swiss courts of law as part of Bruno Manser Fonds’ (BMF) campaign against Sakto Corporation.
It provides evidence that the BMF allegations against Sakto and its founders are based on suspicion and conjecture, rather than facts.
This site also provides news and current information about the civil and criminal legal steps that Sakto Corporation is taking in Basel, Switzerland, to put an end to the Lukas Straumann and BMF deceptive and unfounded campaign.
It provides evidence that the BMF allegations against Sakto and its founders are based on suspicion and conjecture, rather than facts.
This site also provides news and current information about the civil and criminal legal steps that Sakto Corporation is taking in Basel, Switzerland, to put an end to the Lukas Straumann and BMF deceptive and unfounded campaign.
3. What are Bruno Manser Fonds (BMF) alleging?
Since 2009, Sakto Corporation and its founders have been a target of attacks on their business and personal reputations by BMF. They have alleged that Sakto Corporation and its founders have been involved in money laundering and corruption.
Specifically, BMF have tried – and failed – to demonstrate that Sakto, a Canadian company, was founded with, and has been funded by, proceeds of allegedly corrupt activities of Abdul Taib Mahmud in Malaysia.
Specifically, BMF have tried – and failed – to demonstrate that Sakto, a Canadian company, was founded with, and has been funded by, proceeds of allegedly corrupt activities of Abdul Taib Mahmud in Malaysia.
4. Having investigated the Taib family and Sakto Corporation for over 10 years, what has been the impact of the campaign by BMF and Executive Director Lukas Straumann?
They have caused reputational harm to Sakto Corporation as well as its founders, in their business and personal lives.
For years BMF's strategy has been to create the appearance that legitimate law enforcement agencies are investigating Sakto. In fact, BMF manufactures allegations and then self-publishes each complaint as if each was breaking news of independent evidence of wrongdoing.
Not one of BMF’s complaints has led to action by any law enforcement agency.
In June 2017, BMF submitted thousands of pages of documents to a Canadian court (the Ontario Superior Court of Justice) and asked to have a secret trial where they would be able to obtain private Sakto records from several of Canada’s largest financial institutions. The judge denied their request for a secret trial, and Sakto was given the chance to cross-examine Lukas Straumann, Executive Director of BMF.
Having read all the evidence submitted by all parties, and considering the transcript of the cross-examination of Lukas Straumann, Justice Sean Dunphy dismissed the case on 7 February 2018, with detailed written reasons.
The judge was clear in his decision when he said: “[the allegations] depend upon conjecture and suspicion more than evidence.”
Read more about the court case in Canada.
For years BMF's strategy has been to create the appearance that legitimate law enforcement agencies are investigating Sakto. In fact, BMF manufactures allegations and then self-publishes each complaint as if each was breaking news of independent evidence of wrongdoing.
Not one of BMF’s complaints has led to action by any law enforcement agency.
In June 2017, BMF submitted thousands of pages of documents to a Canadian court (the Ontario Superior Court of Justice) and asked to have a secret trial where they would be able to obtain private Sakto records from several of Canada’s largest financial institutions. The judge denied their request for a secret trial, and Sakto was given the chance to cross-examine Lukas Straumann, Executive Director of BMF.
Having read all the evidence submitted by all parties, and considering the transcript of the cross-examination of Lukas Straumann, Justice Sean Dunphy dismissed the case on 7 February 2018, with detailed written reasons.
The judge was clear in his decision when he said: “[the allegations] depend upon conjecture and suspicion more than evidence.”
Read more about the court case in Canada.
5. Based on the information that BMF has gathered and propagated so far, isn’t it common sense that Sakto is guilty of money laundering?
The common sense conclusion is that BMF is engaged in an illegitimate campaign against a company that has done nothing wrong.
To prove that something illegal has happened (e.g., money laundering or corruption), evidence needs to be provided which can be investigated by authorities, interrogated in court, and decided upon by a judge.
Since 2010, BMF has filed and sent a dozen complaints and letters across 6 jurisdictions with various authorities (including government officials, authorities, police, and even heads of state) and promoted each action extensively.
BMF’s allegations were considered and dismissed. Notably, not one of BMF’s complaints has led to action by any law enforcement agency.
Sakto Corporation complies with all Canadian laws and has always provided full transparency on its business and finances to Canadian taxation, regulatory, and law enforcement bodies.
Read more about BMF’s global attacks.
To prove that something illegal has happened (e.g., money laundering or corruption), evidence needs to be provided which can be investigated by authorities, interrogated in court, and decided upon by a judge.
Since 2010, BMF has filed and sent a dozen complaints and letters across 6 jurisdictions with various authorities (including government officials, authorities, police, and even heads of state) and promoted each action extensively.
BMF’s allegations were considered and dismissed. Notably, not one of BMF’s complaints has led to action by any law enforcement agency.
Sakto Corporation complies with all Canadian laws and has always provided full transparency on its business and finances to Canadian taxation, regulatory, and law enforcement bodies.
Read more about BMF’s global attacks.
6. Are BMF spending a lot of money on their lengthy campaign against Sakto Corporation?
Clearly, a campaign of this duration and intensity will have absorbed a considerable portion of BMF’s donations.
Indeed, in his judgment of 7 February 2018, Justice Dunphy of the Superior Court of Justice – Ontario, Canada, stated that the “intensity of the long-running, multi-front battles undertaken by BMF (of which this application is but one chapter) strongly suggest very considerable financial resources have been devoted to this project”.
It is public knowledge that BMF was ordered to pay more than CAD 176,000 (USD 134,000) in costs by the Court in Ottawa after the judge dismissed their case, in addition to their own significant legal costs.
In media interviews, Lukas Straumann has admitted that in the past two years alone, BMF spent CAD 771,000 in legal fees and court costs in Canada.
It is questionable whether BMF’s leadership gives financial matters much consideration. Tellingly, in speaking about the Canadian Court case, Lukas Straumann has said: “We have nothing to lose except money.”
Indeed, in his judgment of 7 February 2018, Justice Dunphy of the Superior Court of Justice – Ontario, Canada, stated that the “intensity of the long-running, multi-front battles undertaken by BMF (of which this application is but one chapter) strongly suggest very considerable financial resources have been devoted to this project”.
It is public knowledge that BMF was ordered to pay more than CAD 176,000 (USD 134,000) in costs by the Court in Ottawa after the judge dismissed their case, in addition to their own significant legal costs.
In media interviews, Lukas Straumann has admitted that in the past two years alone, BMF spent CAD 771,000 in legal fees and court costs in Canada.
It is questionable whether BMF’s leadership gives financial matters much consideration. Tellingly, in speaking about the Canadian Court case, Lukas Straumann has said: “We have nothing to lose except money.”
7. What legal action is Sakto taking against BMF in Switzerland?
Sakto Corporation and its founders have applied for injunctive relief and filed main civil court proceedings in the Basel Civil Court for violation of personality (defamation).
8. Why is Sakto attacking BMF?
This is not an attack on BMF, it is a legal response to their defamatory campaign. Sakto has been unfairly attacked by BMF and is taking steps to have the court order them to retract and remove their false and defamatory allegations from the public domain and to stop their campaign.
Sakto and its founders have been the targets of BMF’s unfounded allegations and false campaign since 2009. Not one of their claims has led to action by any law enforcement agency.
Sakto and its founders have been the targets of BMF’s unfounded allegations and false campaign since 2009. Not one of their claims has led to action by any law enforcement agency.
9. What is Sakto Corporation’s connection to Switzerland?
The legal action is being undertaken in Switzerland as Basel is the domicile of BMF. Sakto is a privately held Canadian company which operates exclusively in Ottawa, Canada.