I've come here today to talk to you about a problem. It's a very simple yet devastating problem, one that spans the globe and is affecting all of us. The problem is anonymous companies. It sounds like a really dry and technical thing, doesn't it? But anonymous companies are making it difficult and sometimes impossible to find out the actual human beings responsible sometimes for really terrible crimes. So, why am I here talking to all of you? Well, I guess I am a lifelong troublemaker and when my parents taught my twin brother and I to question authority, I don't think they knew where it might lead. (Laughter) And, they probably really regretted it during my stroppy teenage years when, predictably, I questioned their authority a lot. And a lot of my school teachers didn't appreciate it much either. You see, since the age of about five I've always asked the question, but why? But why does the Earth go around the sun? But why is blood red? But why do I have to go to school? But why do I have to respect the teachers and authority? And little did I realize that this question would become the basis of everything I would do. And so it was in my twenties, a long time ago, that one rainy Sunday afternoon in North London I was sitting with Simon Taylor and Patrick Alley and we were busy stuffing envelopes for a mail out in the office of the campaign group where we worked at the time. And as usual, we were talking about the world's problems. And in particular, we were talking about the civil war in Cambodia. And we had talked about that many, many times before. But then suddenly we stopped and looked at each other and said, but why don't we try and change this? And from that slightly crazy question, over two decades and many campaigns later, including alerting the world to the problem of blood diamonds funding war, from that crazy question, Global Witness is now an 80-strong team of campaigners, investigators, journalists and lawyers. And we're all driven by the same belief, that change really is possible.
Kam ardhur sot ketu te flas per nje problem. Eshte njekohesisht shume i thjeshte dhe shkaterrues, nje problem qe shtrihet ne te gjithe globin dhe po na prek te gjitheve. Problemi eshte kompanite anonime. Tingellon si nje ceshtje e thate dhe shume teknike, apo jo? Por kompanite anonime po e bejne shume te veshtire dhe ndonjehere te pamundur te gjejne njerezit qe jane pergjegjes ndonjehere per krime shume te tmerrshme. E pra, perse kam ardhur ketu t'ju flas ju te gjitheve? Ndoshta sepse gjate gjithe jetes kam qene nje ngaterrestare dhe kur prinderit na mesuan mua dhe vellain tim binjak te vendosnim ne pikepyetje autoritetin, s'besoj se e dinin se ku mund te na conte kjo. (Te qeshura) Dhe, me siguri ata jane penduar per kete. Gjate viteve te adoleshences sime idhnake, e vendosja autoritetin e tyre shpesh ne pikepyetje. Dhe shume nga mesuesve te mi nuk u vinte mire per kete. E dini, qe nga mosha 5 vjecare gjithmone kam bere pyetjen, por perse? Perse toka rrotullohet rreth diellit? Perse gjaku eshte i kuq? Perse duhet te shkoj ne shkolle? Perse duhet te respektoj mesuesit dhe autoritetin? Dhe pak kuptoja se keto pyejte do te ishin baza e cdo gjeje qe do te beja. Dhe keshtu ne te njezetat e mia, shume kohe me pare, ate te diel mbasdite me shi ne Londren Veriore isha ulur me Simon Taylor dhe Patrick Alley, Ishim te zene duke pergatitur zarfet per nje dergese ne zyren e kompanine se fushates per te cilen punonim ne ate kohe. Dhe si zakonisht, po flisnim per problemet e botes. Ishim duke folur ne vecanti, per luften civile ne Kamboxhia. Kishim folur per te shume e shume here me pare. Por befas ndaluam dhe veshtruam njeri-tjetrin dhe thame, perse nuk perpiqemi te ndryshojme kete? Dhe nga ajo pyetje paksa e cmendur, per dy dekada dhe shume fushata me vone, duke perfshire njohjen e botes me problemin e financimit te luftes se diamanteve te pergjakur nga ajo pyejte e cmendur, Deshmitaret Global eshte sot nje ekip i forte prej 80 aktivistesh, hetuesish, gazetaresh dhe avokatesh. Te gjithe udhehiqemi nga i njejti besim, se ndryshimi me te vertete eshte i mundur.
So, what exactly does Global Witness do? We investigate, we report, to uncover the people really responsible for funding conflict -- for stealing millions from citizens around the world, also known as state looting, and for destroying the environment. And then we campaign hard to change the system itself. And we're doing this because so many of the countries rich in natural resources like oil or diamonds or timber are home to some of the poorest and most dispossessed people on the planet. And much of this injustice is made possible by currently accepted business practices. And one of these is anonymous companies. Now we've come up against anonymous companies in lots of our investigations, like in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where we exposed how secretive deals involving anonymous companies had deprived the citizens of one of the poorest countries on the planet of well over a billion dollars. That's twice the country's health and education budget combined. Or in Liberia, where an international predatory logging company used front companies as it attempted to grab a really huge chunk of Liberia's unique forests. Or political corruption in Sarawak, Malaysia, which has led to the destruction of much of its forests. Well, that uses anonymous companies too. We secretly filmed some of the family of the former chief minister and a lawyer as they told our undercover investigator exactly how these dubious deals are done using such companies. And the awful thing is, there are so many other examples out there from all walks of life. This truly is a scandal of epic proportions hidden in plain sight. Whether it's the ruthless Mexican drugs cartel, the Zetas, who use anonymous companies to launder profits while their drugs-related violence is tearing communities apart across the Americas. Or the anonymous company, which bought up Americans' tax debts, piled on the legal fees and then gave homeowners a choice: Pay up or lose your home. Imagine being threatened with losing your home sometimes over a debt of just a few hundred dollars, and not being able to find out who you were really up against.
Keshtu qe, cfare ben ekzaktesisht Demshmitaret Global? Ne hetojme, raportojme, per te demaskuar njerezit te cilet jane me te vertete pergjegjes per financimin e konflikteve-- per vjedhjen e milionave nga qytetaret perreth botes, te njohur ndryshe si plackitje e shtetit, dhe per shkaterrimin e mjedisit. Ne bejme nje fushate te forte per te ndryshuar sistemin ne vetvete. Dhe e bejme kete sepse shume nga vendet e pasura ne burime si nafte, diamante apo lende drusore jane vendet me njerezit me te varfer dhe me te shpronesuar ne planet. Shume nga kjo padrejtesi behet e mundur nga praktikat aktuale te pranuara te biznesit. Nje nga keto jane kompanite anonime. Ne kemi ndeshur kompani anonime ne shume nga hetimet tona, si ne Republiken Demokratike te Kongos, ku demaskuam sesi marreveshjet sekrete te cilat perfshinin kompanite anonime i kane privuar qytetaret e nje prej vendeve te me varfera ne planet me shume se nje miliard dollare. Kjo eshte sa dyfishi i buxhetit te shtetit per shendetesine dhe edukimin sebashku. Ose ne Liberi, ku nje kompani nderkombetare e prerjes dhe e grabitjes te pyjeve perdorte kompani te tjera ne perpjekjen per te marre nje pjese shume te madhe te pyjeve unike te Liberise. Ose korrupsioni politik ne Sarawak, Malajzi, i cili ka cuar ne shkaterrimin e shume prej pyjeve te tij. Gjithashtu ne kete rast perdoreshin kompanite anonime. Ne filmuam ne menyre sekrete disa nga familjaret e ish kryeministrit dhe nje avokat ne te cilen ata i tregonin hetuesit tone te fshehte ekzaktesisht sesi realizohen keto marreveshje te dyshimta duke perdorur keto kompani. Dhe gjeja e tmerrshme eshte, se ka kaq shume raste te tjera nga te gjitha sferat e jetes. Ky vertet eshte nje skandal me permasa epike mu nen hunden tone. Qofte karteli i pameshirshem meksian i droges, Zetat, te cilet perdorin kompani anonime per te pastruar fitimet e tyre nderkohe qe dhuna e tyre e lidhur me drogen po shkateron komunitetet pergjate Amerikave. Apo kompanite anonime, te cilet blene borxhin e taksave te amerikaneve, te mbuluar me tarifa ligjore dhe me pas i dhane pronareve te shtepive nje zgjedhje: Paguaj ose humb shtepine tende. Imagjino te kercenohesh me humbjen e shtepise tende ndonjehere nga nje borxh prej disa qindra dollare, dhe te mos jesh ne gjendje te zbulosh se ke kishe perballe.
Now anonymous companies are great for sanctions busting too. As the Iranian government found out when, through a series of front companies, it owned a building in the very heart of Manhattan, on Fifth Avenue, despite American sanctions. And Juicy Couture, home of of the velvet track suit, and other companies were the unwitting, unknowing tenants there. There are just so many examples, the horesemeat scandal in Europe, the Italian mafia, they've used these companies for decades. The $100 million American Medicare fraud, the supply of weapons to wars around the world including those in Eastern Europe in the early '90s. Anonymous companies have even come to light in the recent revolution in the Ukraine.
Kompanite anonime jane shkelese shume te mira dhe te saksioneve. Ashtu sic zbuloi qeveria Iraniane kur, nepermjet nje serie kompanish fasade, se zoteronte nje ndertese ne zemer te Manhatan-it ne Fifth Avenue, pavaresisht sanksioneve Amerikane. Dhe Juicy Couture, shtepia e kostumeve sportive kadife, dhe kompani te tjera ishin padashje, dhe paditur qiramarres atje. Ka kaq shume shembuj, skandali i mishit te kalit ne Europe, mafia italiane, i kane perdorur keto kompani per dekada. Mashtrimi prej 100 milion dollare i American Medicare, furnizimi me arme i luftrave perreth botes duke perfshire ato ne Evropen Lindore ne fillim te viteve `90. Kompanite anonime kane dale ne drite bile ne revolucionin e fundit ne Ukraine.
But, for every case that we and others expose there are so many more that will remain hidden away because of the current system. And it's just a simple truth that some of the people responsible for outrageous crimes, for stealing from you and me and millions of others, they are remaining faceless and they are escaping accountability and they're doing this with ease, and they're doing it using legal structures. And really, that is unfair. Well, you might well ask, what exactly is an anonymous company, and can I really set one up, and use it, without anyone knowing who I am? Well, the answer is, yes you can. But if you're anything like me, you'll want to see some of that for yourself, so let me show you. Well first you need to work out where you want to set it up. Now, at this point you might be imagining one of those lovely tropical island tax havens but here's the thing, shockingly, my own hometown, London, and indeed the U.K., is one of the best places in the world to set up an anonymous company. And the other, even better, I'm afraid that's America. Do you know, in some states across America you need less identification to open up a company than you do to get a library card, like Delaware, which is one of the easiest places in the world to set up an anonymous company.
Por, per cdo rast qe ne dhe te tjeret ekspozojme ka kaq shume raste te tjera te cilat do te mbeten te fshehura per shkak te sistemit aktual. Dhe eshte nje e vertete e thjeshte se disa nga njerezit pergjegjes per krime mizore, qe kane vjedhur nga une dhe ti dhe miliona te tjere, ata mbeten te panjohur dhe ata po i shmangen llogaridhenies e po e bejne kete me lehtesi, e po e bejne kete duke perdorur struktura ligjore. Kjo vertet eshte shume e padrejte. Ju shume mire mund te pyesni, se cfare ekzaktesisht eshte nje kompani anonime, dhe a mund te krijoj nje, dhe ta perdor ate, pa e ditur njeri se kush jam une? Pergjigja eshte, po ti mundesh. Por nese je sadopak si une, ju doni ta shihni ate vete, keshtu qe me lejoni t'jua tregoj. Fillimisht duhet te zgjidhni se ku duhet te vendoseni. Tani, ne kete pike ju mund te imagjinoni nje nga ato ishujt e adhurueshem tropikal qe jane parajsa te taksave por ka nje gje, shokuese, vendi im i lindjes, Londra, dhe sigurisht Britania e Madhe, eshte nje nga vendet me te mira ne bote per te krijuar nje kompani anonime. Dhe tjetra, akoma dhe me e mire, kam frike se eshte Amerika. A e dini, se ne disa shtete ne Amerike ju kerkohen me pak mjete identifikimi per te hapur nje kompani sesa ju nevojiten per te marre nje karte biblioteke, si Delaware, qe eshte nje nga ato vendet me te lehta ne bote per te krijuar nje kompani anonime.
Okay, so let's say it's America, and let's say it's Delaware, and now you can simply go online and find yourself a company service provider. These are the companies that can set your one up for you, and remember, it's all legal, routine business practice. So, here's one, but there are plenty of others to choose from. And having made your choice, you then pick what type of company you want and then fill in a contact, name and address. But don't worry, it doesn't have to be your name. It can be your lawyer's or your service provider's, and it's not for the public record anyway. And then you add the owner of the company. Now this is the key part, and again it doesn't have to be you, because you can get creative, because there is a whole universe out there of nominees to choose from. And nominees are the people that you can legally pay to be your company's owner. And if you don't want to involve anyone else, it doesn't even have to be an actual human being. It could be another company. And then finally, give your company a name add a few more details and make your payment. And then the service provider will take a few hours or more to process it. But there you are, in 10 minutes of online shopping you can create yourself an anonymous company. And not only is it easy, really, really easy and cheap, it's totally legal too. But the fun doesn't have to end there, maybe you want to be even more anonymous. Well, that's no problem either. You can simply keep adding layers, companies owned by companies. You can have hundreds of layers with hundreds of companies spread across lots of different countries, like a giant web, each layer adds anonymity. Each layer makes it more difficult for law enforcement and others to find out who the real owner is. But whose interests is this all serving? It might be in the interests of the company or a particular individual, but what about all of us, the public? There hasn't even been a global conversation yet about whether it's okay to misuse companies in this way. And what does it all mean for us?
Keshtu qe le te themi se eshte Amerika, dhe le te themi se eshte Delaware, dhe tashme ju mund te shkoni online dhe mund te gjeni nje kompani sherbimesh. Keto jane kompani te cilat mund te krijojne nje per ju, dhe kujtohu se kjo eshte e gjitha ligjore, praktika rutine biznesi. Pra, nje rast por ka dhe shume te tjera nga mund te zgjedhesh Dhe pasi keni bere zgjedhjen tuaj, me pas zgjedh se cfare kompanie deshiron dhe me pas ploteson kontaktin, emrin dhe adresen. Por mos u shqeteso, nuk ka pse te jete emrin juaj. Mund te jete i avokatit tend, ose i kompanise qe te siguroi sherbimin, dhe sido qe te jete nuk eshte informacion per publikun. Me pas shton pronarin e kompanise. Tani ceshtja thelbesore, dhe perseri nuk ka pse te jeni ju, sepse mund te beheni kreativ, sepse atje jashte ka nje univers te tere me te nominuar nga mund te zgjedhesh. Dhe te nominuarit jane njerezit qe ju mund ti paguani ligjerisht per te qene pronaret e kompanise suaj. Dhe nese nuk do te perfshish askend tjeter, ne fakt nuk ka pse te jete nje qenie humane. Mund te jete nje kompani tjeter. Dhe me pas ne fund, vendosi kompanise suaj nje emer shto dhe disa detaje te tjera dhe kryej pagesen. Dhe me pas kompanise e cila te ka siguruar sherbimin do ti duhen pak ore per ta procesuar ate. Por ja ku jeni, me 10 minuta online shopping mund te krijoni nje kompani anonime. dhe jo vetem qe eshte kaq e lehte, shume, shume e lehte dhe e lire, por eshte totalisht ligjore. Por kenaqesia nuk ka pse te perfundoje ketu, ju ndoshta deshironi te jeni edhe me shume anonim se kaq. Edhe kjo nuk eshte aspak problem. Thjesht, vazhdoni shtoni shtresa, kompani te zoteruara nga kompani. Mund te keni me qindra shtresa me qindra kompani te shperndara ne shtete te ndryshme si nje rrjet gjigand, cdo shtrese shton anonimitetin. Cdo shtrese e ben edhe me te veshtire per zbatimin e ligjit dhe te tjeret, per te gjetur pronarin e vertete. Por per interes te cilit sherben e gjitha kjo? Mund te jete ne interes te kompanise ose te nje individi ne vecanti, por per te gjithe ne, publikun? Ne fakt akoma nuk ka pasur nje bisedim nderkombetar nese kjo eshte ne rregull apo jo per te keqperdorur kompanite ne kete menyre. Dhe cdo te thote kjo per ne?
Well, an example that really haunts me is one I came across recently. And it's that of a horrific fire in a nightclub in Buenos Aires about a decade ago. It was the night before New Year's Eve. Three thousand very happy revelers, many of them teenagers, were crammed into a space meant for 1,000. And then tragedy struck, a fire broke out plastic decorations were melting from the ceiling and toxic smoke filled the club. So people tried to escape only to find that some of the fire doors had been chained shut. Over 200 people died. Seven hundred were injured trying to get out. And as the victims' families and the city and the country reeled in shock, investigators tried to find out who was responsible. And as they looked for the owners of the club, they found instead anonymous companies, and confusion surrounded the identities of those involved with the companies. Now ultimately, a range of people were charged and some went to jail. But this was an awful tragedy, and it shouldn't have been so difficult just to try and find out who was responsible for those deaths. Because in an age when there is so much information out there in the open, why should this crucial information about company ownership stay hidden away? Why should tax evaders, corrupt government officials, arms traders and more, be able to hide their identities from us, the public? Why should this secrecy be such an accepted business practice? Anonymous companies might be the norm right now but it wasn't always this way. Companies were created to give people a chance to innovate and not have to put everything on the line. Companies were created to limit financial risk, they were never intended to be used as a moral shield. Companies were never intended to be anonymous, and they don't have to be.
E pra, nje shembull qe me perndjek mua eshte nje me te cilin jam ndeshur kohet e fundit. Eshte ajo e nje zjarri te tmerrshem ne nje klub nate ne Buenos Aires rreth nje dekade me pare. Ishte nje nate perpara nates se nderrimit te viteve. Tre mije festues shume te lumtur, shume prej te cileve adoleshente, u ngjeshen ne nje hapesire vetem per 1000 persona. Dhe tragjedia ndodhi, filloi nje zjarr dekorimet plastike po shkriheshin nga tavani dhe tymi toksik mbushi klubin. Njerezit u perpoqen te dilnin por zbuluan se dyert kunder zjarrit ishin mbyllur me zinxhir. Me shume se 200 persona vdiqen. Shtateqind u plagosen nderkohe qe perpiqeshin te largoheshin. Ndersa familjet e viktimave, qyteti dhe i gjithe vendi qendruan te shokuar, hetuesit u perpoqen te gjenin se cili ishte pergjegjes per kete. Ndersa kerkuan per pronaret e klubit, ne fakt gjeten kompani anonime, dhe konfuzioni rrethonte identitetin e atyre qe ishin te perfshire ne keto kompani. Se fundmi, nje numer personash u arrestuan dhe disa shkuan ne burg. Por kjo ishte nje tragjedi e tmerrshme, dhe nuk do te kishte qene kaq e veshtire te perpiqeshe te gjeje fajtoret e vertete per ato vdekje. Sepse ne keto kohera ku ka kaq shume informacion haptazi, pse duhet qe nje informacion kaq i domosdoshem per pronesine e kompanive te qendroje i fshehur? Pse duhet evaduesit e taksave, zyrtaret e korruptuar te qeverive, trafikantet e armeve e te tjere, te jene ne gjendje te fshehin identitetin e tyre nga ne, publiku? Pse duhet qe nje sekret i tille te jete nje praktike e pranuar biznesi? Kompanite anonime mund te jene nje standart tani por nuk ka qene gjithmone ne kete menyre. Kompanite krijoheshin per ti dhene njerezve nje menyre per te qene krijues dhe jo per te vendosur cdo gje ne vije te drejte. Kompanite krijoheshin per te limituar riskun financiar, nuk kishin kurre si qellim te perdoreshin si nje mburoje morale. Kompanite nuk ishin me qellimin qe te ishin anonime, dhe nuk kane pse te jene.
And so I come to my wish. My wish is for us to know who owns and controls companies so that they can no longer be used anonymously against the public good. Together let's ignite world opinion, change the law, and launch a new era of openness in business. So what might this look like? Well, imagine if you could go online and look up the real owner of a company. Imagine if this data were open and free, accessible across borders for citizens and businesses and law enforcement alike. Imagine what a game changer that would be. So how are we going to do this? Well, there is only one way. Together, we have to change the law globally to create public registries which list the true owners of companies and can be accessed by all with no loopholes. And yes, this is ambitious, but there is momentum on this issue, and over the years I have seen the sheer power of momentum, and it's just starting on this issue. There is such an opportunity right now. And the TED community of creative and innovative thinkers and doers across all of society could make the crucial difference. You really can make this change happen. Now, a simple starting point is the address behind me for a Facebook page that you can join now to support the campaign and spread the word. It's going to be a springboard for our global campaigning. And the techies among you, you could really help us create a prototype public registry to demonstrate what a powerful tool this could be. Campaign groups from around the world have come together to work on this issue. The U.K. government is already on board; it supports these public registries. And just last week, the European Parliament came on board with a vote 600 to 30 in favor of public registries. That is momentum. (Applause) But it's early days. America still needs to come on board, as do so many other countries. And to succeed we will all together need to help and push our politicians, because without that, real far-reaching, world-shifting change just isn't going to happen. Because this isn't just about changing the law, this is about starting a conversation about what it's okay for companies to do, and in what ways is it acceptable to use company structures. This isn't just a dry policy issue. This is a human issue which affects us all. This is about being on the right side of history. Global citizens, innovators, business leaders, individuals, we need you. Together, let's kickstart this global movement. Let's just do it, let's end anonymous companies. Thank you. (Applause)
Dhe keshtu une vij tek deshira ime. Deshira ime eshte qe ne te njohim kush i zoteron dhe i kontrollon kompanite keshtu qe ato te mos perdoren me si kompani anonime kunder te mires publike. Se bashku le te ndezim opinionin boteror, te ndryshojme ligjin, dhe te fillojme nje ere te re hapjeje ne biznes. Keshtu qe si mund te duket kjo? Imagjinoni se mund te shkoni online dhe mund te shikoni emrin e vertete te pronarit te kompanise. Imagjinoni se keto te dhena jane te hapura dhe falas, te arritshme pertej kufijve per qytetaret dhe bizneset dhe per ligjin njelloj. Imagjinoni sesi kjo do ta ndryshonte lojen. Keshtu qe a do ta bejme kete gje? Ka vetem nje menyre. Se bashku, duhet te te ndryshojme ligjin globalisht te krijojme regjistrat publike te cilet listojne pronaret e vertete te kompanive dhe kane qasje nga te gjithe pa shtigje. E pra, kjo eshte ambicioze, por ka nje vrull per kete ceshtje dhe pergjate viteve kam pare pushtetin e dukshem te ketij vrulli dhe sapo ka filluar per kete ceshtje. Ka nje mundesi kaq te madhe ne kete moment. Dhe komuniteti i TED i realizuesve dhe menduesve kreativ dhe inovativ ne te gjithe shoqerine mund te bejne ndryshimin thelbesor. Ne te vertete ju mund ta realizoni kete ndyshim. Tani, nje pikenisje e thjeshte eshte adresa pas meje per nje faqe Facebook-u qe mund ti bashkoheni menjehere per te mbeshtetur fushaten dhe te perhapni fjalen. Ka per te qene nje trampoline per fushaten tone globale. Te apasionuarit mbas teknologjise ne mesin tuaj, ju mund te na ndihmoni ne krijimin e nje prototipi e nje regjistri publik per te treguar se cfare mjeti i fuqishem mund te jete. Grupet e fushatave perreth botes jane bashkuar per te punuar per kete ceshtje. Qeveria e Britanise se Madhe ka rene dakord; per te mbeshtetur keto regjistra publik. Dhe vetem nje jave me pare, Parlamenti Evropian ra dakord me 600 vota pro, 30 kunder ne favor te regjistrave publike. Ky eshte momenti. (Duatrokitje) Por jane ditet e fillimit. Amerika akoma duhet te bashkohet ashtu si shume vende te tjera. Dhe per te patur sukses, ne te gjithe duhet te ndihmojme dhe te shtyjme politikanet sepse pa ate, nuk kane per te ndodhur ndryshime reale ne te gjithe boten. Sepse e gjitha kjo nuk eshte vetem per te ndryshuar ligjin, kjo eshte per te filluar nje bashkebisedim se cfare eshte ne rregull te bejne kompanite, dhe ne cfare menyre eshte e pranueshme te perdoren strukturat e kompanive. Kjo nuk eshte thjesht nje ceshtje e thate politike. Kjo eshte nje ceshtje njerezore e cila na prek te gjitheve. Kjo eshte me te qenit ne anen e duhur te historise. Qytetaret global, inovatoret, liderat e biznesit, individet, ne kemi nevoje per ju. Se bashku, le te fillojme kere levizje globale. Le ta bejme kete, t'i japim fund kompanive anonime. Ju faleminderit. (Duartrokitje)