The African Diamond Trilogy Box Set

by Christopher Lowery

  ‘Insoluble is an alternative word, if you wish,’ from habit, Middleton corrected her and she nodded appreciatively. ‘I vaguely remember a story about the Lee-Win family, is that what you refer to?’

  ‘Possibly. It’s a fascinating but peculiar story. Over several generations, the Lee-Win family built a number of manufacturing plants in China. White goods, car components, industrial equipment, all kinds of machines. They started the microprocessor business in the mid-seventies, and in the eighties Chongkun Lee-Win, the great-grandson of the founder, took over the dynasty. He was quite a visionary and he made an amazing prophesy which was the key to their success. He forecast that the growth and diversity of applications requiring solutions would quickly exceed the memory and speed capabilities of Central Processing Units. Machines would become like businesses, with a CPU as general manager and several microprocessors as specialised members of the management team, like a corporate structure. More and more secondary processors with specific software would be needed to perform these tasks alongside the CPU. This would have two effects: it would reduce the need for CPUs to double or triple in speed or memory every year, and create a whole new industry to build processors to manage solutions for specific applications.’

  ‘And he was absolutely right. In fact, the CPU has mostly been replaced by one extremely complex microprocessor, or several of them. So, he started designing and building them for specific industries?’

  ‘Exactly. He concentrated on machines used by the biggest businesses in the world, multinational manufacturing and banking institutions and, of course, government departments, infrastructure and essential service providers. That’s why Lee-Win now has such a huge international client base and a great reputation in those vital areas.’

  ‘A brilliant pioneer. I was aware of the company’s virtual monopoly in such hallowed circles, but I didn’t know it was down to one man’s foresight all those years ago. However, what I was trying to recall had somehow to do with his death.’

  ‘That’s what’s peculiar about the history. In 2012, when the company was achieving great success, he was killed in a car accident. He was only sixty, such a tragic waste of a brilliant man. What you probably remember is that his widow claimed he was murdered, but nothing was ever proved. A short while later, she left Shanghai with her two sons and moved to Macau, and they’re now involved in the gambling and casino business. It seems certain that the ownership changed hands after Chongkun’s death, but I can’t get the details of what happened; if the family did sell the business, who bought it and why she left Shanghai.’

  ‘Very well, we’ll spread our net a little wider. Can you call your friend, Billy Chillicott, and ask him to assist in our research? He does still owe us a debt of gratitude, if not more.’

  For several years, Washington had been aware of Russian intentions toward Ukraine. Until 2012, they were limited to cyber espionage attacks, using a ‘Trojan Horse’ named BlackEnergy, which opened up a back door to hack into Ukraine industry and government computer control systems. In 2013, increased protests against the pro-Russian President Viktor Yanukovych and calls for his resignation resulted in mass demonstrations, with the death and injury of thousands of protestors. Yanukovych’s ousting in February 2014 caused Vladimir Putin to immediately execute the annexation of Crimea and Sevastopol by the Russian Federation, on 18 March 2014. The pro-European candidate, Petro Poroshenko, was inaugurated as Ukranian President in June 2014 and Ukraine and Crimea entered into hostilities. Russian cyber-attacks on Ukraine began in earnest and Soviet–US relations hit an all-time low. That was when General Billy Chillicott contacted Ilona Tymoshenko.

  The US and Ukraine had been less than friendly since the early 2000s, when the Americans were suspected of accidently ‘losing’ the plans of a Ukrainian defence system which had somehow fallen into the hands of Saddam Hussein, ruler of Iraq. With Ilona’s help, Chillicott gained access to the head of the Ukrainian Security Service, Bohdan Kolisnyk, and information began to be exchanged. Relations between the two nations improved and the Ukraine’s long and painful experience of Russia’s cyber-warfare was of great value to the US in creating defence mechanisms against such attacks. At the same time, Dr Hugh Middleton’s Institute for Global Internet Security became a valued partner of the US Homeland Security Department and GGE Cyber Security. Shortly afterwards, Dr Middleton was invited to join General Chillicott to make their first joint presentation of their concerns about cyber security to the UN Security Council, albeit to no avail.

  Chillicott’s friendship had been of great value to their business. His network of contacts was impressive, and Ilona was expert at wheedling out of him bits of information which often generated new business, especially at governmental level – the most profitable level of all.

  Now, she replied, ‘I’ll drop him a note about the August meeting with the UNSC and tag the request on the end. And if it’s that important, I’ll contact an old friend at the Ukrainian SS to take a look. They’re very good at looking into complicated structures. With the Russians up their noses, they have to be.’ She waited for Middleton’s response to ‘if it’s that important’, wondering why he was so interested in Leo Stewart and his employer.

  ‘Thank you, Ilona. That will be very helpful,’ was his only reply.

  Disappointed, she left him and went to compose a message to Chillicott. There’s more to this than just simple interest, she thought. Nothing in the Stewart family file seemed of the slightest importance, certainly not enough to justify asking a US general to look into Leo’s employer, but for some reason it is to Hugh. I’d better go through it again and try to find what I’m missing. No secrets between partners, she said to herself.

  FIFTEEN

  London, England

  June 2017

  ‘What about proxy shareholder names? Any that you recognise?’ Ilona Tymoshenko was speaking with Ilya Pavlychko, one of her ex-colleagues and a former lover at the Ukrainian SS. He had been doing some digging around the ownership of Lee-Win and had so far drawn a blank.

  ‘None. All the proxies I’ve found are offshore companies or trusts and, before you ask, the shareholders or trustees of those entities are also companies or trusts. Lee-Win has thirty shareholders, of whom fifty-one per cent are domiciled in China, according to company law. But that means nothing, the Chinese shareholders are also companies and behind them are other proxies, so we don’t know who controls them. The forty-nine per cent is owned by six offshore companies and it’s the same there, multiple proxies behind each one. Lee-Win was definitely sold, but on the face of it, there’s not one beneficial owner who is a human being.’

  ‘And the board of directors?’

  ‘There are ten of them. The two top guys are the chairman, Bohai Cheong, a sixty-five-year-old businessman who was appointed after the apparent change of ownership, and the managing director, Han Wang Tāng. He and two other technical directors were part of the previous board, but the others are all new. Shen Fu Liáng is in Dubai managing XPC, and the other five are Chinese lawyers. Probably all straw men controlled by the same interests as the ownership. It tells us nothing about who really owns or runs the company.’

  ‘OK. It’s pretty well what I found myself. For some reason the real owners are desperate not to be identified. That makes me even more inquisitive. Can you put what you’ve found into my Dropbox and let me think about it some more? Thanks Ilya, talk soon.’

  Hugh Middleton was on the telephone with General Chillicott, and gestured to her to sit down. The speaker was on and they were discussing their upcoming meeting with the UN Security Council. ‘Ilona just came in, Billy. I suggest you send your draft topics and text to her, and she can arrange for one of our people to mock up a presentation package that we can play around with to perfect. We have enough time and might as well take advantage of it. The meeting may not produce any results, but at least we’ll present a convincing argument.’

  ‘Hello General, Ilona here,’ she said into the speaker. ‘Jus
t send me what you’ve got and I’ll add the recent items that we’ve unearthed on our end. The problem with these reports is not finding enough material to add, it’s looking through the dross to find the gold. There have been over 100 million stolen records offered on the dark web in the last few months.’

  ‘What kind of stuff are you seeing?’

  ‘You mean apart from the “WannaCry” ransomware attack?’ She was referring to the global cyber-attack the previous month, where an estimated 230,000 computers in 150 countries were blocked until ransoms were paid.

  ‘Don’t remind me, Ilona. That was the scariest attack we’ve seen. It cost world businesses, including your own NHS, billions in costs and ransoms. We’re pretty sure it was organised by the “Lazarus Group”, that Russian outfit, working on behalf of North Korea, raising more dollars for arms purchases.’

  ‘Indeed,’ interjected Middleton, ‘and since they have very few Internet connections in their own country, the west can’t even make a “tit for tat” response, most regrettable. What else have you uncovered, my dear?’

  ‘Take your pick: WikiLeaks published 9,000 documents stolen from the CIA, 77 million accounts exposed on the Edmodo Education platform, more than 250,000 at Wonga, the payday loans company, and 14 million at Verizon Telecoms, £2.5 million stolen from 9,000 online customers of Tesco Bank, and about $150 million has been stolen from 30,000 investors into ICOs, Initial Coin Offerings, using the Ethereum crypto-currency. The latest industry projections are for global cybercrime damage to hit $6 billion by 2022, even though they expect cybersecurity spending to exceed a trillion dollars over the next five years. Is that bad enough?’

  ‘Well, we’re starting to get some traction with the SEC. They’re publicly agreeing with us that the biggest risk faced by the financial system is cybersecurity. And, just like we’ve been doing, they’re calling for more stringent management and controls. Our people are also uncovering a lot of very interesting social media activity around our elections. Everyone knows there was a whole lot of crap went on that seriously disrupted the process and could come back to bite you-know-who. Maybe that kid, Leo Stewart, was right. It’s going to take a massive catastrophe to get people’s attention and that’s certainly where we’re headed. Anyway, thanks for your help, Ilona. I’ll get Lloyd to send our draft over to you today.’

  ‘Speaking of Leo Stewart, General, I dropped you a note about the Lee-Win ownership. Did you make any progress on it? We’ve made none at all.’

  Chillicott’s tone changed. ‘I was coming to that, Ilona. I’ve got somebody on it and the whole ownership issue looks like a can of worms. You mind telling me what this is all about?’

  Middleton interrupted, ‘Just commercial information, Billy. In view of the lack of support from the lower echelons who attended the conference in San Diego, I’m considering contacting the companies directly at a much higher level, to try to bring them onto our side in keeping up the pressure on the UNSC.’

  Ilona raised her eyebrows, but said nothing as Chillicott replied, ‘So this is nothing to do with Leo Stewart and XPC?’

  ‘Billy, since I had never heard of Leo Stewart until you mentioned him to me the other day, I don’t know why you’d make such an assumption. However, if there is anything untoward about that company, I think it’s in the interests of everyone concerned to be aware of it.’

  Ilona Tymoshenko left the room with a frown on her face. I don’t believe that’s Hugh’s motive. He’s looking for something specifically about Leo Stewart and XPC that has nothing to do with our programme. She was even more determined to find out what it was.

  Dubai, United Arab Emirates

  ‘How are you getting on with Ed? He’s quite a guy, isn’t he?’ Leo Stewart had called in to the Corner House for breakfast on his way to the office and Lynne, the Welsh waitress, was on duty.

  ‘He’s a typical Scouser,’ she laughed. ‘All those Liverpool guys are the same, it’s like they think they’re the Beatles reincarnated. But he’s intelligent and really funny. I like his company, reminds me of home.’

  ‘I’m glad to hear it. He’s doing a great job for us, so I don’t want him to get homesick and leave me in the lurch.’

  ‘Oh. I didn’t realise you’re his boss. He just said you work together at XPC.’

  Leo could have bitten his tongue off. Ed would be bound to brag about his job, it was in his nature, especially when there was a girl involved. He didn’t want to dispel anything he might have told her. ‘I’m not exactly his boss,’ he answered a bit too quickly. ‘Just different responsibilities and I have to check some work he does for the team, so I kind of think of him as working for me.’

  It didn’t sound very convincing to him and it obviously didn’t fool her. She flashed him a smile, ‘I’d better be extra nice to you then, it might do Ed a favour. Want another coffee?’

  I’d better get out of here before I screw Ed’s chances, he thought. ‘No thanks, got to run for a meeting.’ He put some change on the plate. ‘Thanks, Lynne. See you next time. Ciao.’

  Leo raced back to his office on the Harley, cursing under his breath. He hated making mistakes, and had possibly hurt a new-found friend in the process. Professionally speaking, he also couldn’t afford to upset Ed. With everything that was happening at XPC, he needed every asset he could muster if he was going to get the job done. No point in trying to fix it, he decided, it’ll only make things worse. Just let it go and hope for the best.

  London, England

  ‘You seem very preoccupied, anything you want to share with me?’

  Jenny Bishop was having lunch with Bill Redman, her boyfriend, in Mario’s Trattoria, a popular Italian restaurant in the city. They had spent the morning looking over the results from her growing collection of shareholdings in BPE and she was in a mood to celebrate, but Bill seemed ill at ease, constantly checking his mobile and chewing the ends of his glasses.

  ‘Just something at the bank. Nothing to worry about.’

  ‘You’re a terrible liar, Bill. Come on, a problem shared is a problem halved, or something like that. You know I don’t talk, I just listen.’

  He looked around. The restaurant was full, which meant that no one could hear anything over the decibel level of the crowd. ‘We’ve taken a big hit,’ he said with a frown. ‘Both Fletcher Rice and the BIP.’

  ‘Oh dear, I’m so sorry. Was it a fine?’

  ‘No, not that, we’ve never been involved in anything we could be penalised for, thank God. It was an Internet fraud, altogether it cost almost 200 million.’

  ‘My God, not another? Seems like there’s one every day now.’ Jenny could sympathise with him. Her mind went back to 2008, when $12 million was stolen by an Internet transfer from one of her accounts in Geneva. It was a miracle she and Leticia hadn’t also been murdered by the culprit, Ray d’Almeida, the Angolan killer. Then she’d had to manage another near-miracle to recover the funds from the bank, after baring her teeth in a fraught battle with lawyers and bankers alike.

  ‘It’s the first we’ve ever had and it’s entirely the fault of those bloody fools at the BIP in Paris. Bunch of incompetent idiots.’

  ‘Would I understand how it was done?’

  ‘It was as simple as child’s play. They launched a marketing campaign with some holiday vouchers as prizes. You know the kind of thing, “Tell us why BIP is your favourite bank in less than twenty words. Send to email address, etc.” All the European subsidiaries were involved, including us. The customers had to have at least 2,500 Euros or equivalent in their account to qualify, so the BIP hoped there’d be an influx of funds from people topping up their accounts to qualify. Then some half-witted IT twit linked the email address to the client account database, so they could compare them as they came in and disqualify any accountholders with an insufficient balance.’

  ‘And someone got through to the clients’ accounts and emptied them?’

  ‘You see, Jenny. You’re not a computer expert but even you can spot the
stupidity of the link. The forensic people said there was a virus in his system. He must have been looking at porn websites or the like and he’d been hacked without knowing it. When he checked the customer account list to verify the details, the virus sent the list to the hacker and Hey Presto, he had access to the accounts and there was at least two and a half grand available to be stolen from every one. I’ve never been so bloody annoyed in my life. That money has to be repaid from reserves, it’s not insured of course, and part of it’ll come straight out of our bonuses. And I bet whichever genius was responsible has been promoted or paid off with a golden parachute. Bugger!’

  ‘That works out at about 80,000 accounts, right?’

  ‘And counting. But I don’t want to talk about it any more, sorry if I got a bit rattled. Let’s have another glass of wine.’ He called the waiter over.

  Jenny remembered her conversation with Leo in Marbella. ‘It’s a mystery to me how the Internet is one of the most valuable tools of my business and millions of other businesses, and yet it seems to create almost as many problems as it solves.’

  ‘T’was ever thus. Man is capable of corrupting the purest of thoughts or intentions. Anyway, you were right about one thing. I feel a lot better having told you about it. Thanks for listening to my woes, darling.’

  Zurich, Switzerland

  ‘Good morning, Daniel, how’s everything going?’ The caller was speaking in Swiss German.

  ‘It’s getting back to normal, thank God. Since Leo Stewart put his foot down and got some organisation into the development division we’re starting to see measureable results.’