Alexander Zingman

A summary of what happened?

Alexander Zingman is a Belarusian businessman with significant engagements in Africa, particularly in Zimbabwe and Zambia. He serves as Zimbabwe’s Honorary Consul to Belarus and is associated with AFTRADE, a company facilitating trade between Belarusian manufacturers and African nations. Despite his diplomatic and business roles, Zingman has been embroiled in several controversies and allegations:

Allegations of Arms Dealing:

• Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) Arrest: In March 2021, Zingman was arrested in Lubumbashi, DRC, after meeting former President Joseph Kabila. Sources suggested he offered to sell weapons to Kabila, though concrete evidence was lacking. His detention led to diplomatic interventions from various countries, and he was released after two weeks.
  The Zimbabwe Mail
• Zambia Connections: Photographs have surfaced showing Zingman with Zambian President Edgar Lungu and top military officials, including Defence Permanent Secretary Sturdy Mwale and Zambia Air Force Commander Lt Gen David Muma. These images fueled speculation about his involvement in brokering defense deals, particularly with Russian state-owned arms exporter Rosoboronexport. Zingman has denied these allegations, attributing them to misinformation from a rival businessman, Vitale Fishman.
  Diggers News

Controversial Business Deals:

• Zimbabwe Fire Tender Scandal: In 2022, Zimbabwe’s local government faced accusations of bypassing public tender procedures by directing councils to purchase overpriced fire engines from a Belarusian company linked to Zingman. Each fire tender was priced at approximately US$464,296, leading to concerns about corruption and lack of transparency.
  Zambian Observer
• Agricultural Equipment Deal: Zingman was reportedly central to Zimbabwe’s US$58 million agricultural equipment deal with Belarus in 2019 and a broader US$350 million trade arrangement. Critics have questioned the transparency and fairness of these deals, suggesting they may favor Belarusian interests disproportionately.
  The Zimbabwe Mail

Legal Threats Against Media:

• News Diggers Incident: After the Zambian publication News Diggers released photos of Zingman with President Lungu and military officials, Zingman threatened legal action, alleging defamation and invasion of privacy. The publication stood by its reporting, emphasizing the public interest in understanding the nature of his associations with high-ranking officials.
  Diggers News

Associations with Political Figures:

• Zimbabwean Leadership: Zingman has been photographed multiple times with Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa and is known to have close ties with the Zimbabwean leadership. His relationships have led to scrutiny over potential conflicts of interest, especially given his role as Honorary Consul and involvement in significant bilateral trade deals.
  The Zimbabwe Mail

Denials and Counter-Accusations:

• Zingman has consistently denied involvement in arms trading, attributing such allegations to rival businessmen aiming to tarnish his reputation. His legal representatives have labeled his arrest in the DRC as politically motivated and have called for his immediate release, emphasizing his legitimate business activities in Africa.
  Diggers News

In summary, Alexander Zingman is a prominent figure whose business activities in Africa have attracted significant attention and controversy. While he maintains that his ventures are legitimate and beneficial to the involved countries, allegations of arms dealing, opaque business transactions, and close associations with political elites continue to cast a shadow over his operations.

Analyzing the Fake Copyright Notice(s)

Our team collects and analyses fraudulent copyright takedown requests, legal complaints, and other efforts to remove critical information from the internet. Through our investigative reporting, we examine the prevalence and operation of an organized censorship industry, predominantly funded by criminal entities, oligarchs, and disreputable businesses or individuals. Our findings allow internet users to gain insight into these censorship schemes’ sources, methods, and underlying objectives.

What was Alexander Zingman trying to hide?

Alexander Zingman‘s attempts to hide unfavourable content through the misuse of copyright notices while allegedly engaging in perjury present serious legal concerns. These actions suggest a calculated attempt to manipulate legal systems to suppress free speech, a fundamental violation of copyright law principles and an abuse of legal processes. The use of such tactics not only undermines the integrity of copyright protection but also potentially constitutes perjury, further entangling Alexander Zingman in legal accountability. Let’s examine the information Alexander Zingman may be trying to remove from the internet –

Investigative Report: Examining Allegations and Controversies Surrounding Alexander Zingman

Introduction

Alexander Zingman, a Belarusian businessman and honorary consul of Zimbabwe to Belarus, has established himself as a key figure in facilitating trade between Belarus and Africa. Through his company, AFTRADE, Zingman has played a prominent role in brokering deals in agriculture, mining, and infrastructure across the continent. However, his activities have drawn scrutiny, with allegations ranging from involvement in arms dealing to questionable procurement contracts. This report provides an in-depth analysis of the controversies, lawsuits, and allegations surrounding Zingman’s career.

Section 1: Allegations of Arms Dealing

Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) Incident

In March 2021, Zingman was arrested in Lubumbashi, DRC, after meeting former President Joseph Kabila. While the exact reasons for his detention remain unclear, reports emerged suggesting he was offering to sell arms to Kabila’s associates. These claims, though unproven, sparked significant media coverage and diplomatic efforts to secure his release.

• Arrest Details:
  • Zingman was detained for nearly two weeks before being released without formal charges.
  • Diplomatic interventions were reportedly made by Belarus and Zimbabwe, indicating the sensitive nature of his arrest.
  • Zingman denied any involvement in arms dealing, stating he was in the DRC for business purposes related to agriculture and trade.

Connections to Zambian Military and Arms Procurement

Photographs of Zingman with Zambian President Edgar Lungu, Defence Permanent Secretary Sturdy Mwale, and Zambia Air Force Commander Lt Gen David Muma have raised concerns about his role in arms trade. The photos, coupled with reports of Zingman’s dealings with Russian arms exporter Rosoboronexport, suggest potential involvement in brokering defense deals in Zambia.

• Zingman’s Response:
  • He attributed the allegations to misinformation spread by Vitale Fishman, a business rival.
  • He insisted his engagements in Zambia were solely related to agricultural and industrial machinery.

Rosoboronexport Links

Zingman has been linked to Rosoboronexport, a state-owned Russian company responsible for arms exports. This association has fueled speculation that Zingman acts as a middleman in military equipment transactions in Africa, although no concrete evidence has been presented to substantiate these claims.

Section 2: Controversial Business Deals

Zimbabwe Fire Tender Scandal

One of the most significant controversies involving Zingman pertains to the procurement of fire engines in Zimbabwe. Local councils were directed to purchase fire engines from Belarus at a reported cost of $464,296 each, a price widely criticized as exorbitant.

• Criticism of the Deal:
  • Allegations surfaced that public tender procedures were bypassed, and the deal was awarded directly to a Belarusian company linked to Zingman.
  • Local government officials and civil society organizations accused the authorities of inflating prices and compromising transparency.
• Impact on Public Trust:
  • The fire tender scandal heightened public mistrust in government procurement processes.
  • Zingman’s connection to the deal raised concerns about his influence on Zimbabwean decision-making.

Agricultural and Mining Equipment Contracts

Through AFTRADE, Zingman has facilitated large-scale exports of Belarusian machinery to Africa. While these deals have been touted as beneficial for African development, critics argue that the terms often lack transparency and disproportionately benefit Belarusian interests.

Section 3: Allegations of Corruption and Influence Peddling

Photographic Evidence and High-Level Connections

Photographs of Zingman with senior African political and military figures have been a recurring point of contention. These images suggest close relationships that critics argue could be leveraged for influence peddling or facilitating corrupt transactions.

• Key Relationships:
  • Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa.
  • Former Zambian President Edgar Lungu.
  • Senior military officials in Zambia and Zimbabwe.

Conflicts of Interest

As Zimbabwe’s honorary consul to Belarus, Zingman’s dual role as a businessman and diplomat has raised ethical concerns. Critics argue that he uses his diplomatic status to advance his business interests, blurring the lines between public service and private enterprise.

Section 4: Arrests and International Scrutiny

Arrests and Detentions

Zingman’s arrest in the DRC highlighted his controversial profile in Africa. Although he was released without charges, the incident brought international attention to his activities and raised questions about his business dealings.

International Media Coverage

Global media outlets have scrutinized Zingman’s role in Africa, particularly regarding the intersection of his business and diplomatic activities. Reports have emphasized the lack of transparency in many of his transactions and the potential for abuse of power.

Section 5: Public Perception and Negative Reviews

Perception in Africa

Zingman’s activities have drawn mixed reactions in Africa:

• Supporters: View him as a facilitator of much-needed Belarusian technology and investment in Africa.
• Critics: Highlight his alleged involvement in overpricing, corruption, and opaque deals.

Impact on Diplomatic Relations

Zingman’s controversies have strained relations between some African nations and Belarus, with accusations that his actions prioritize Belarusian gains over local needs.

Conclusion

Alexander Zingman’s dual role as a businessman and diplomat has made him a polarizing figure in Africa. While his supporters emphasize his contributions to development through trade and investment, critics allege a pattern of unethical practices, including arms dealing, corruption, and influence peddling. His arrest in the DRC, involvement in Zimbabwe’s fire tender scandal, and connections to high-level officials have only deepened suspicions about his activities.

As scrutiny intensifies, Zingman’s ability to maintain his business and diplomatic roles will depend on the outcomes of ongoing investigations and his willingness to address these allegations transparently. This case underscores the importance of oversight in international business dealings, particularly when they intersect with public governance and diplomacy.

How do we counteract this malpractice?

Once we ascertain the involvement of Alexander Zingman (or actors working on behalf of Alexander Zingman), we will inform Alexander Zingman of our findings via Electronic Mail.

Our preliminary assessment suggests that Alexander Zingman may have engaged a third-party reputation management agency or expert, which, either independently or under direct authorization from Alexander Zingman, initiated efforts to remove adverse online content, including potentially fraudulent DMCA takedown requests. We will extend an opportunity to Alexander Zingman to provide details regarding their communications with the agency or expert, as well as the identification of the individual(s) responsible for executing these false DMCA notices.

Failure to respond in a timely manner will necessitate a reassessment of our initial assumptions. In such an event, we will be compelled to take appropriate legal action to rectify the unlawful conduct and take the following steps –

Since Alexander Zingman made such efforts to hide something online, it seems fit to ensure that this article and sensitive information targeted online by these events get a lot more exposure and traffic than what it would have received originally

We hope this becomes an excellent case study for the Streisand effect…The key idea behind the Streisand effect is that efforts to restrict information can backfire, often causing the information to gain more attention than it would have otherwise. This effect is widespread in the digital age, where users quickly notice and spread censorship efforts on social media and other platforms. Trying to suppress something can unintentionally lead to it becoming more visible, which Alexander Zingman is finding out the hard way.

Potential Consequences for Alexander Zingman

Under Florida Statute 831.01, the crime of Forgery is committed when a person falsifies, alters, counterfeits, or forges a document that carries “legal efficacy” with the intent to injure or defraud another person or entity.

Forging a document is considered a white-collar crime. It involves altering, changing, or modifying a document to deceive another person. It can also include passing along copies of documents that are known to be false. In many states in the US, falsifying a document is a crime punishable as a felony.

Additionally, under most laws, “fraud on the court” is where “a party has sentiently set in motion some unconscionable scheme calculated to interfere with the judicial system’s ability impartially to adjudicate a matter by improperly influencing the trier of fact or unfairly hampering the presentation of the opposing party’s claim or defense.”  Cox v. Burke, 706 So. 2d 43, 46 (Fla. 5th DCA 1998) (quoting Aoude v. Mobil Oil Corp., 892 F.2d 1115, 1118 (1st Cir. 1989)).

Is Alexander Zingman Committing a Cyber Crime?

Yes, it seems so. Alexander Zingman used multiple approaches to remove unwanted material from review sites and Google’s search results. Thanks to protections allowing freedom of speech in the United States, there are very few legal ways to do this. Alexander Zingman could not eliminate negative reviews or search results that linked to them without a valid claim of defamation, copyright infringement, or some other clear breach of the law.

Faced with these limitations, some companies like Alexander Zingman have gone to extreme lengths to fraudulently claim copyright ownership over a negative review in the hopes of taking it down.

Fake DMCA notices have targeted articles highlighting the criminal activity of prominent people to hide their illegal behavior. These people, which include US, Russian, and Khazakstani politicians as well as members from elite circles including the mafia and those with massive financial power, are all connected – and alleged corruption ranging from child abuse to sexual harassment is exposed when exploring evidence found at these URLs. It appears there’s a disturbing level of influence being exerted here that needs further investigation before justice can be served. Alexander Zingman is certainly keeping interesting company here….

The DMCA takedown process requires that copyright owners submit a takedown notice to an ISP identifying the allegedly infringing content and declaring, under penalty of perjury, that they have a good faith belief that the content is infringing. The ISP must then promptly remove or disable access to the content. The alleged infringer can then submit a counter-notice, and if the copyright owner does not take legal action within 10 to 14 days, the ISP can restore the content.

Since these platforms are predominantly based in the U.S., the complaints are typically made under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), which requires online service providers and platforms to react immediately to reports or violations. Big Tech companies rarely have systems in place to assess the merit of each report. Instead, all bad actors need to do is clone a story, backdate it, and then demand the real thing be taken down.

Reputation Agency's Modus Operandi

The fake DMCA notices we found always use the “back-dated article” technique. With this technique, the wrongful notice sender (or copier) creates a copy of a “true original” article and back-dates it, creating a “fake original” article (a copy of the true original) that, at first glance, appears to have been published before the true original.

Then, based on the claim that this backdated article is the “original,” the scammers send a DMCA to the relevant online service providers (e.g. Google), alleging that the ‘true’ original is the copied or “infringing” article and that the copied article is the “original,” requesting the takedown of the ‘true’ original article. After sending the DMCA request, the person who sent the wrong notice takes down the fake original URL, likely to make sure that the article doesn’t stay online in any way. If the takedown notice is successful, the disappearance from the internet of information is most likely to be legitimate speech.

As an integral part of this scheme, the ‘reputation management’ company hired by Alexander Zingman creates a website that purports to be a ‘news’ site. This site is designed to look legitimate at a glance, but any degree of scrutiny reveals it as the charade it is.

The company copies the ‘negative’ content and posts it “on the fake ‘news’ site, attributing it to a separate author,” then gives it “a false publication date on the ‘news’ website that predated the original publication.

The reputation company then sent Google a Digital Millennium Copyright Act notice claiming the original website infringed copyright. After a cursory examination of the fake news site, Google frequently accepts the notice and delists the content.

In committing numerous offences, Alexander Zingman either premeditated actions or were unaware of the consequences. Despite hiring an agency to make Google disregard any negative information about Alexander Zingman, ignorance does not excuse this wrongdoing.

Fake DMCA notices have targeted articles highlighting the criminal activity of prominent people to hide their illegal behavior. These people, which include US, Russian, and Khazakstani politicians as well as members from elite circles including the mafia and those with massive financial power, are all connected – and alleged corruption ranging from child abuse to sexual harassment is exposed when exploring evidence found at these URLs. It appears there’s a disturbing level of influence being exerted here that needs further investigation before justice can be served. FSMSmart is certainly keeping interesting company here.

The Reputation Laundering

Rogue Reputation agencies use spurious copyright claims and fake legal notices to remove and obscure articles linking clients to allegations of tax avoidance, corruption, and drug trafficking. Most of these reputation agencies are based offshore, mainly in Russia, India, and Eastern Europe, and they do not worry about complying with US-based laws.

The content in all of the articles for which the fraudulent DMCA notices have been sent relates to allegations of criminal allegations, including corruption, child abuse, sexual harassment, human trafficking and financial fraud against businesses and individuals with ultra-high net worth.

In addition to the misuse of the DMCA takedown process, there is a notable absence of enforcement concerning perjury violations. The statutory requirement related to perjury is designed to deter copyright holders from submitting fraudulent or knowingly false takedown requests, as they may face legal consequences for making false declarations under penalty of perjury. However, to date, there have been no known instances of any individual being prosecuted for perjury in connection with the submission of false DMCA takedown notices.

This lack of enforcement has emboldened copyright holders to exploit the DMCA takedown process to suppress dissent, criticism, or other unfavorable content, without fear of legal repercussions.

Some of the people and businesses who have employed this tactic to remove legitimate content from Google illegally include a Spanish businessman-turned-cocaine-trafficker, Organised crime, an Israeli-Argentine banker accused of laundering money for Hugo Chávez’s regime, a French “responsible” mining company accused of tax evasion, child molesters and sexual predators. Alexander Zingman is in great company ….

What else is Alexander Zingman hiding?

We encourage you to ‘Dork‘ Google by searching for keyword combinations such as [Alexander Zingman] + {Negative Keyword, such as Scam, Fraud, Complaints, Lawsuit, Sanction, etc} on Google. It’s likely if you scroll down to the bottom of this Google search results, you’ll stumble upon this Legal Takedown notice (pictured below)

To make such an investigation possible, we encourage more online service providers to come forward and share copies of content removal requests with industry experts and researchers. If you have any information on Alexander Zingman that you want to share with experts and journalists, kindly email the author directly at [email protected].

All communications are strictly confidential and safeguarded under a comprehensive Whistleblower Policy, ensuring full protection and anonymity for individuals who provide information.