Julian Crowley
Ferdinand Marcos, an ex-lawyer, was president of the Philippines from 1965 to 1986 before being removed from power by a popular uprising. During his reign he laundered billions of dollars of stolen public funds through banks in the US and Switzerland. It took the Philippines a massive operation, known as “Operation Big Bird,” to retrieve the money (estimated as US$7.5 billion). As a memorable indication of Marcos’ opulent lifestyle it is widely remembered that his wife Imelda owned over 2,500 pairs of shoes.
