In one day of August in 1995 Potanga Babany Sissoko entered the office of the Islamic Bank of Dubai and asked me to give him a loan to buy a car. The loan he approved. Then Alex invited me to his home for dinner, a Bank employee, who issued him the loan.
This is only a prelude to one of the world's largest scams, carried out only through the ability to convince and to have people, says BBC correspondent Bridget Schaeffer, versed in this intricate story.
At dinner, Alex made an amazing confession. He told the Bank Manager Mohammed Ayub that he had magical powers. For example, he can take any amount of money and double it. Then he invited the Bank Manager to come to him again, but with money so that he could show him their magical abilities.
Black magic in Islam is considered a sin and equates to blasphemy, but many Muslims believe in it. So Ayub trusted colorful and mysterious businessman who came to the UAE from a remote village in Mali.
When Mohammed Ayub came to visit Sissoko for the second time, he ran out of the room, saying that he had just been attacked by an evil spirit - Jinn. The owner asked Ayub not to do anything that might offend the Djinn, or the money that he brought, will not be doubled.
Mohammed Ayub left the money in the room and waited.
According to him, he saw a bright light, smoke and heard the voices of spirits. Then there was silence, and he found in the room amount is two times bigger than the one that left.
"He believed that this was all due to black magic that Sissoko really has the ability to double the monetary amount," says Alan FEIN, a lawyer from Miami, which Dubai Bank was asked to investigate the case of Sissoko.
"So he was transported Sissoko the Bank's money and expected to get back a sum twice as large," adds Alan fine.
From 1995 to 1998, Ayub made 183 transfers to Sissoko accounts worldwide. Also in the name of Sissoko in the Bank was approved credit card for a huge amount - it was about millions of dollars, says Alan fine.
"In 1998, I lived in Dubai and I heard rumors that the Islamic Bank of Dubai serious trouble - says Bridget Scheffer. - When the media reported that the Bank has problems with the receipt of cash, the office of the Bank gathered a large crowd of depositors who wanted to take their savings."
But the UAE authorities have downplayed the scale of the crisis faced by the Bank. They called what was happening "small difficulties that did not lead to any financial losses, and do not threaten neither the Bank's investments nor the deposits of customers."
But it wasn't true.
Warlock or rogue?
"For the owners of the Bank it was a great shock. The losses were not covered by insurance. The Bank was saved only through the intervention and assistance of the authorities. But saving the Bank had to spend a lot of money," says fine.
And where were at this time "magician" Fotango Babany Sissoko? Already far.
One of the advantages of the scheme, which came up enterprising Malian - that he did not need to be in Dubai to get money from the Bank.
In November 1995, just a few weeks after Mohammed Ayub's demonstration of his magician abilities, Sissoko visited one of the new York banks ' offices. There he did more than open an account or get a loan.
"One day he went to Citibank, met with the female operationist and married her. You can guess that now all the issues with Citibank were solved much easier. He opened an account to which, as far as I remember, more than $ 100 million was transferred," Alan fine says.
Dubai Islamic Bank has addressed in court with the claim against Citibank. According to the materials of the Dubai Bank, 151 million dollars was transferred to the Citibank account from the correspondent account in the Islamic Bank of Dubai - all this was done without the necessary permission. Later, the Dubai Bank refused its claims against Citibank.
Sissoko paid his new wife more than half a million dollars for your help. "I have no idea how their marriage was arranged, but he called her his wife, and she considered herself his wife. However, she knew that he has many other wives. Some are from Africa, others from Miami and new York," says fine.
Thanks to the money coming from Dubai Bank, Sissoko was able to realize his dream: he founded his own airline in West Africa. He bought a used Hawker Siddeley 125 business jet and several older Boeing 727s. This was the beginning of a short history of Air Dabia, named after the Malian village where Sissoko was born.
Everything went according to plan, but in July 1996 Sissoko made a gross mistake - he tried to buy two Bell uh-1 Iroquois helicopters, which were used during the Vietnam war. It is still unclear why he needed combat "Iroquois".
"He explained the purchase by the fact that he wanted to use these helicopters as an "ambulance" for delivery to hospitals of victims. But the helicopters, which he was interested in, were quite large, they are usually not used to transport the wounded," says fine.
Polygamist and a spender
Since these helicopters could be converted to military use, a special permit was required to purchase them, which Sissoko did not have. His people tried to solve the problem in an expedited manner, giving a bribe of 30 thousand dollars to a customs officer. Then they were arrested. Interpol has issued a warrant for the arrest and Sissoko. He was detained in Geneva, where he was just about to open another Bank account to receive transfers from the UAE.
Tom Spencer, a lawyer from Miami who was hired to protect Sissoko, remembers their first meeting at the Geneva prison.
"I spoke with the prison warden, who asked me whether Sissoko will be extradited to the US. I told him that while I don't know anything. He told me: please try to postpone the moment as far as possible. I asked: why? And he said," Because he brings us delicious food from Paris every night, " Tom Spencer recalls.
The courthouse in Miami, where the trial of Sissoko (now it is closed)
Sissoko was quickly extradited to the United States, where he mobilized many influential supporters to defend himself.
The readiness of American diplomats to vouch for Sissoko shocked the judge, who considered the issue of the measure of restraint. Surprised and Tom Spencer, learning for example that Sissoko is ready to be charged former U.S. Senator birch Bay.
"I can't understand why they were all so worried about the fate of a foreigner who had no special value for the United States. I still don't know the answer to this question," says fine.
The US authorities insisted on the arrest of Sissoko, but it eventually was released on bail of 20 million dollars. It was a record amount for the state of Florida at the time. Barely Sissoko was released, he immediately began to squander money.
His lawyers he gave a Mercedes and a Jaguar. But it was only the beginning. In one jewelry store, he left 500 thousand dollars at a time. A few hundred thousand dollars he spent in other jewelry stores. In the clothing store he bought a lot of things more than 150 thousand dollars.
"He came to the dealership and bought two, three, four cars at once, came back in a week and bought the same amount. It seemed that money for him - the water," says dealer Ron Duprin.
According to his calculations, Sissoko bought 30-35 cars from him.
The robber or Robin hood?
Soon Sissoko was in Miami celebrity. He already had several wives, but this did not prevent him from entering into new marriages. For his spouse, he rented an apartment-rented 23 apartments in the city.
"Playboy is the right definition for him. It is very elegant, attractive. He has a sense of style in his clothes. He pulled a lot of money in Miami," says a cousin of makan Moussa Sissoko.
Sissoko was generous to charity. The trial was approaching, and he knew the value of good PR.
His cousin was a witness, as he gave 413 of thousands of dollars of student musical group on a trip to new York for a parade in honor of thanksgiving.
Sissoko gave the musicians more than 400 thousand dollars on a trip to new York
Another lawyer, Professor Smith recalls how on Thursday his client was driving around and handing out money to homeless people.
"I thought, this is a modern Robin hood? Why would he steal the money and then hand it out? Miami Herald published an article shortly after Sissoko left the United States: according to journalists, Sissoko gave the homeless about $ 14 million. In just 10 months. More than a million dollars a month, " - says the lawyer.
Alan fine has a different view of the breadth of Sissoko's soul - more cynical.
"Almost everything he did was done for his own image, so that the people thought of him as a very powerful and fantastically rich man. He did hand out money, but as far as I know, he always did it in public," Alan fine says.
Spending huge amounts of money on PR, Sissoko, when his case was heard in court, did not follow the advice of lawyers and pleaded guilty.
Perhaps he hoped that it would help him avoid many questions about the origin of his wealth.
He was sentenced to 43 days in prison and a fine of 250 thousand dollars, which, of course, was paid by the Islamic Bank of Dubai - without the knowledge of the Bank.
After serving half his sentence, he was released from prison in exchange for a donation of $ 1 million to build a shelter for the homeless. He was to serve his remaining sentence under house arrest in Mali.
But he returned home a hero.
Around the same time, the auditors of the Islamic Bank of Dubai noticed that the case is unclean. Ayub became nervous, and Sissoko stopped answering his calls.
As a result, Ayub told one of his colleagues about the scale of the Bank's losses. He not in forces was to name the amount out loud, so I wrote it on a piece of paper: 890 million dirhams ($242 million).
He was found guilty of fraud and sentenced to three years in prison. There were rumors that he also had to go through a ritual of banishing demons.
Sissoko court Dubai in absentia sentenced to three years in prison on charges of fraud and class black magic. Interpol has issued an arrest warrant for Sissoko, who is still wanted.
"I got transcripts of court sessions in which Sissoko was not present (one of the sessions was held in Paris), - says the correspondent Bridget Scheffer. - His lawyer claimed that Sissoko was a scapegoat, that someone else got the money from the Islamic Bank.
However, the court did not take into account the allegations and accused Sissoko of money laundering.
Sissoko was a member of the Malian Parliament for 12 years
For 12 years, from 2002 to 2014, Sissoko was a member of Parliament in Mali, which gave him immunity from prosecution. Now he is no longer a Deputy, but he is saved by the fact that the Malian authorities have not signed an extradition Treaty with any country.
Dubai Islamic Bank is still trying to bring Sissoko to justice.
Correspondent Bi-bi-si Brigitte Schaeffer:
I flew to the Malian capital, Bamako, to find people who could tell me about Sissoko.
I managed to find his dressmaker, who remembers him with great warmth.
"The last time I saw him was two or three years ago, he bought the whole suitcase of clothes. If he didn't give gifts, he felt unhappy. It's his style. He likes to give people, " she says.
I also managed to find his driver, Lukali Ibrahim.
"What is it good for-when everything is in order, you get a lot of gifts from him. He likes to help people. Bad about him I can say a bit. He always tries to reassure people, but instead of telling the truth, he just leads by the nose, " says Lukali Ibrahim.
On the market I met a jeweler who only praised Sissoko: he was his client and often ordered different gifts for friends.
I was told that I will be able to find Sissoko in his native village, dhabihi were granted, after which he named a short-lived airline.
After a long road by car I found a house that was suitable for my description.
House of Sissoko in Mali
That's where I found him, surrounded by armed guards. Babani Sissoko is probably 70 years old now.
He agreed to an interview. The setting was somewhat tense and a bit surreal. The story he started with, as came to light.
"My name is Sissoko of Potanga Dit Babany. You know, the day I was born, there was a fire and all the villages around here burned down. The inhabitants went about shouting: "Marietta a boy was born". And the fire was spreading. Everywhere the Bush" - began his story Sissoko.
Then he told, as village tried to rebuild anew in 1985, and also about money, which he received. At one time, according to Sissoko, he had $ 400 million.
According to Sissoko, once he had 400 million dollars, and now he is poor
I decided to ask him about the $ 242 million he received from the Islamic Bank of Dubai.
"Madam, as far as these $ 242 million are concerned, it's a bit of a stupid story. This gentlemen bankers should explain how they lost the money. That's $ 242 million. Look, how could that money leave the Bank like this? That's the problem. And it's not just this man [Ayub], who gave permission for the transfer of money. When the Bank transfers funds, it is not the responsibility of one person, but several", - said Sissoko.
The millionaire or the poor man?
I replied that, according to the testimony of Ayub, he did all these transactions, under the spell of Sissoko. "The gentleman you're talking about? Yes, I saw him and met him", - does not deny Sissoko.
But Bank, on his assurances, he didn't steal.
"I only talked to him once when I came for a loan to buy a car. The Bank approved the loan, and I've already paid it. It was a Japanese car," says Sissoko.
Could he influence people with the help of "magical powers"?
"MA'am, if a person has such ability, why did it work? If you have that kind of power, you can, without moving from this place to Rob all the banks in the world. In the United States, France, Germany, everywhere. even in Africa. You can Rob any Bank you want, " says cissoko.
I asked him if he was rich right now. "No, I'm not rich anymore. I'm poor, " he said.
Challenging Interpol, Sissoko spent 20 years on the run. Even if he squandered all the money and now will never be able to leave Mali - it was bright.
Because he robbed a Bank with the help of black magic, this guy has not been in prison a single day.