Middle-east Arab News Opinion | Asharq Al-awsat

Fugitive Saudi businessman sues Albanian government for | ASHARQ AL-AWSAT English Archive 2005 -2017
Select Page

TIRANA, Albania (AP) _ A Saudi fugitive who is under

investigation for alleged money laundering for Osama bin

Laden”s terror network has sued the Albanian government for

seizing his properties in the country, a Tirana district

court official said Wednesday.

In October, authorities seized 22 apartment units and

froze many bank accounts and other assets owned by Yasin

Al-Qadi, a Saudi businessman suspected of laundering money

through extensive business dealings in Albania. He left

Albania at least three years ago.

Albanian authorities do not know al-Qadi”s whereabouts.

«On Monday Yasin Al-Qadi deposited at the Tirana district

court a civil indictment against the Albanian government,»

Tirana court spokeswoman Ermela Zaimi told The Associated

Press, adding the indictment was filed by a local lawyer

whom she did not identify.

Al-Qadi headed the Saudi-based Muwafaq Foundation, which

U.S. investigators suspect took in millions from wealthy

Saudis and funneled it to bin Laden. He was among 39

individuals and organizations designated in 2001 by the

U.S. government to have their assets frozen.

In October, Albania approved a U.N. list of terrorist

groups, on which Al-Qadi was named. The United Nations

require all countries to freeze assets and impose arms and

travel bans on those on the list, which contains

individuals and groups associated with terrorist

activities.

An Albanian decision Oct. 29, 2004 said that all Al-Qadi”s

assets and activities would be seized and frozen.

The Saudi citizen had set up eight companies in Albania

from 1992, and was known by five different names. He has

been under investigation since January 2002 for suspected

money laundering, but had already left the country by that

time.

Last year Albania passed a law which allowed it to seize

assets and block funding and obliged people to tell

authorities about suspected terrorist financing.

Earlier this year Albanian authorities seized properties

and froze the assets of four foundations and a married

couple accused by the United Nations of funding terrorist

activities.

Albania, a small, predominantly Muslim country, has been a

vocal backer of the U.S.-led campaign in Iraq, where it

deployed a unit of 120 non-combat troops to help with

postwar peacekeeping. It also has peacekeeping units in

Afghanistan and Bosnia.