Global Account

First broadcast December 2006

The Global Account programmes are free-standing documentaries that uncover the secrets that those in positions of authority would prefer to stay hidden.

The programmes are presented by the BBC's top radio reporters. Their brief: to tell difficult - and sometimes dangerous - stories with determination and style.

A defining feature of this collection is the gathering of first-hand evidence and testimony, followed by the cross-examination of those in authority.

Part One: Paraguay's Islamic Terror Connection

Ciudad del Este is Paraguay's illicit economic powerhouse. Drugs gangs, gun runners, and counterfeiters ply their trade in the lawless region that borders Brazil and Argentina.

For fifty years Middle Eastern businessmen have been moving there to smuggle illegal goods across the three borders. America claims this dirty money funds Islamic militant groups like Hezbollah and Hamas.

Andrew Bomford follows the money trail from Ciudad del Este, via New York to the Middle East, and finds documents allegedly linking one Lebanese businessman, who runs a pawn brokers shop, with billions of dollars worth of international money transfers.

Are South American governments are doing enough to tackle the problem?

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