INDEPENDENT NEWS

Cablegate: Extrancheck: Post Shipment Verification: (Felton Success

Published: Thu 5 Nov 2009 02:08 AM
VZCZCXYZ0000
RR RUEHWEB
DE RUEHHK #2038/01 3090208
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 050208Z NOV 09
FM AMCONSUL HONG KONG
TO RUCPDOC/USDOC WASHDC
INFO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 8886
RHMFIUU/HQ BICE WASHINGTON DC
UNCLAS HONG KONG 002038
USDOC FOR 532/OEA/LHINES/MCANNER
USDOC FOR 3132 FOR FCS/OIO REGIONAL DIRECTOR PATRICK SANTILLO
BICE FOR OFFICE OF STRATEGIC INVESTIGATIONS
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: BMGT BEXP HK ETRD ETTC
SUBJECT: EXTRANCHECK: POST SHIPMENT VERIFICATION: (FELTON SUCCESS
LIMITED) BKN GROUP
REF: A) BIS e-mail request dated August 14, 2009
1.Unauthorized disclosure of the information provided below is
prohibited by Section 12C of the Export Administration Act.
2. As per reftel A request and at the direction of the Office of
Enforcement Analysis (OEA) of the USDOC Bureau of Industry and
Security (BIS), Export Control Officer Philip Ankel (ECO) conducted
a post shipment verification (PSV) at Felton Success Limited, Unit
6, 21/F, Enterprise Square Two, No. 3 Sheung Yuet Rd., Kowloon Bay,
Kowloon, Hong Kong (Felton). The items in question for this PSV are
256 CPUs exported to Felton on or about October 31, 2007. According
to the exporter, these items are classified under Export Control
Classification Number (ECCN) 3A991, meaning that they are controlled
for anti-terrorism reasons and would require a license to Iran. The
exporter is MA Labs of San Jose California.
3. According to the Hong Kong Companies Registry, Felton has been
in existence since August 2008. Its paid up share capital is the
Hong Kong equivalent of USD 125,000. The Hong Kong Companies
Registry lists BVI company, Rise Sonic Group Limited, as the sole
shareholder and director. The registered address of Rise Sonic
appears to be the address of a range of BVI companies.
4. According to the company's web site (www.Felton.com.hk), Felton
is a trading company founded in 1993 that specializes in computer
related component business and focused on CPU and memory
distribution business. The company claims to be able to supply a
wide range of products including those from AMD, Micron, Toshiba,
IBM, Western Digital and Quantum.
5. It took some time to arrange a visit to Felton. Eventually,
Nelson Chow, Account Manager, agreed to meet with the ECO to discuss
the transaction in question. On September 4, 2009, ECO and
Commercial Assistant Carrie Chan visited the company and met with
Chow. He explained that Felton is a trading company specializing in
various computer parts. He stated that the company has been in
existence for 14 years (likely under a previous name since the
current company appears only to have been registered in 2008) and
has worldwide customers. When asked how Felton obtains its
customers, Chow stated that they come from referrals and that the
company has many long-standing customers. Chow stated that he knew
nothing about the director of the company. He further stated that
the company has Middle East based customers as well as customers in
Iran.
6. As to the specific transaction in question, Mr. Chow stated that
the customer was Sayed Mousavi Trading in Dubai. He claimed not to
know about BKN Group (another company linked to this transaction).
Mr. Chow stated several times that he believed that this customer
was located in Dubai. When confronted with e-mail correspondence on
which he had been copied showing that the customer was in Iran, Mr.
Chow eventually conceded that the customer was located in Iran. Mr.
Chow subsequently stated that Mr. Mousavi of Sayed Mousavi Trading
had come to Felton headquarters and had done prior business with
Felton. Mr. Chow claimed not to be able to find a copy of Mr.
Mousavi's card. Mr. Chow further stated that for this particular
order, Mr. Mousavi had appointed a courier to pick up the items.
That courier, according to Mr. Chow, had picked up the items as well
as all corresponding documentation of the order. As a result, Mr.
Chow claimed that he had no documentation for this order. Mr. Chow
stated that Mr. Mousavi is an infrequent customer (ECO doubts this
assertion). In some cases, Felton purchases on behalf of Mousavi
while in other instances, Mousavi purchases the items and uses
Felton as a ship to address (as occurred in this instance). Despite
repeated requests from ECO, Mr. Chow declined to provide any
additional information about the company's dealings with Sayed
Mousavi Trading and/or its affiliated companies.
7. On October 21, 2009, ECO returned again to Felton to meet with
Mr. Chow. At this meeting, Mr. Chow stated that BHK Group and Sayed
Mousavi Trading are all related although Mr. Chow stated that he did
not know how they were related. Mr. Chow allowed ECO to look at Mr.
Mousavi's business card (although he refused to provide a copy).
Mr. Mahdi Mousavi is listed as a representative of Hitech Computer
Peripherals, Block 16, No 12 Gilam Street with phone number
982188942760 and fax 889422483 and a contact e-mail of
info@hitech-smc.com. Mr. Chow stated that Felton has a four to five
year history with Sayed Mousavi Trading. Mr. Chow stated that Sayed
Mousavi Trading never issues purchase orders but that orders are
typically done by phone or e-mail with wire transfers for payment.
Sayed Mousavi Trading uses APM as its freight forwarder in Hong Kong
(this is likely APM Global Logistics (Hong Kong) Company Limited,
16/F, One Kowloon, 1 Wang Yuen Street, Hong Kong).
8. Mr. Chow denied that Sayed Mousavi Trading and/or Mr. Mousavi
own Felton but he declined to provide ECO with the name of the
director of Felton (although he stated that he was not of Middle
Eastern origin).
9. ECO believes Felton to be a most unsuitable recipient of U.S.
origin technology. Mr. Chow was both evasive and untruthful on a
number of occasions. In ECO's opinion, Mr. Chow (and Felton more
generally) is aware of restriction on trade with Iran even if Mr.
Chow initially denied knowledge of any restrictions. ECO recommends
a close review of all shipments to Felton (and its address) as well
as a review of shipments to APM and its address.
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