Just a Nice Place to Visit

Is the offshore tax haven where the corrupt Bank of Credit and Commerce International once flourished undergoing an image make-over?

In Paramount Pictures’ current hit “The Firm,” starring Tom Cruise as a young lawyer hired by a sleazy Memphis law firm, the Cayman Islands are the setting of some important scenes involving questionable financial dealings.

There’s good reason for that.

During the 1980s, the Caribbean paradise flourished into one of the world’s top money-laundering centers. BCCI--often called the Bank of Crooks and Criminals International--was based both there and in Luxembourg before collapsing amid allegations of fraud and widespread criminal activity.

In the credits for “The Firm,” the producers thank Cayman Islands officials for their cooperation in filming. Then they add that they “acknowledge that the Cayman Islands have strict anti-drug and money laundering laws, which are rigorously enforced.”

A source close to the film characterized the statement as more of a courtesy to Cayman Islands officials, who are trying to reshape the British colony’s image, than any requirement for filming there.

One for the Books

Robert Haft, known for his “books cost too much” line in commercials, was ousted from his position as chairman of Crown Books and related companies in an ongoing feud with his father, Herbert.

So it’s a bit curious why he still appears as the front man for Crown, such as in newspaper ads this past weekend.

A spokesman for parent Dart Group was unable to shed any light on whether Robert Haft will be replaced soon.

Career Opportunities

Been downsized out of a job? Did the company right-size you right in the middle of your career?

Here are a few job training possibilities, courtesy of the Learning Annex:

* How to become a white-collar boxer.

* A course on how to open a strip joint.

* Learning to be a bodyguard.

* How to get jobs as a “waitperson.”

Briefly . . .

Charles Keating’s lawyer, Stephen Neal, is now defending another former thrift executive, David Paul, from accusations he looted Miami-based CenTrust. . . . What if it’s only $2.99? Texas oil man and 1980s corporate raider T. Boone Pickens Jr. is saying he will run for Texas governor if natural gas prices hit $3 per thousand cubic feet by November. . . . The Council on Economic Priorities public interest group says just six out of 57 U.S. units of Japanese firms responded to its survey on corporate responsibility. . . . An El Cajon company sells for $21.95 an “eyewitness” account of the conquest of Peru in the 1500s, written by people who claim they were Spaniards and Incas in past lives. . . . Simon & Simon: A wire report last week mistakenly reported that the William Simon promoted to a regional job with KPMG Peat Marwick was the same William Simon who served in the Ford Administration as Treasury secretary. That Simon is an investor estimated to be worth close to $300 million.