What Value UN Designation? Not Much When It Comes to Ahmed Idris Nasreddin!

By Victor Comras

Ahmed Idris Nasreddin, and his international business interests, continues to provide a shameful example of the ineffective application of UN measures to curb terrorism financing. Nasreddin was identified and designated by the US Treasury Department and the UN Al Qaeda and Taliban Sanctions Committee in August 2002 as a financial supporter of Al Qaeda. This designation placed an international legal obligation on all countries to freeze his assets and economic resources and to ensure that no funds, financial assets or other economic resouces were made available to him, or for his benefit. All Countries were also required to prevent his entry into or his transit through their territories. see UN Security Council Resolution 1526 (2004).. These designations also listed a number of Nasreddin's business interests. The funds and resources of these entities were also to be frozen. But, despite these restrictions little has been done to put him out of business. A few of his bank accounts were frozen, notably in Switzerland, but no further steps were taken to close down any of his business activities. He continues to operate numerous companies and business ventures in Europe (including holding company ownership of a major tourist hotel in Milan) and around the world. And he continues to travel with little or no hindrence. This has already been the findings of official report documents and numerous investigative press reports. See for example the the December 2003 Report of the UN Monitoring Group and the March 2004 Newsweek article "Nobody's Nagging." Unfortunately, these reports have produced no new action against him or any of his business enterprises. In fact, the Italian Magistrate investigating his activities was recently assigned to other responsibilities. Nasreddin continues to practice his international business trade successfully and openly. A recent example is the further expansion of his business activities in Northern Nigeria. He continues to serve as chairman of the NASCO Group with its headquaters in Jos, Nigeria. The NASCO Group website proclaims a whole of activites.

According to the website, "NASCO GROUP (Nigeria) is one of the largest conglomerates in Nigeria producing & selling consumer products like Detergents, Biscuits, Carpets, etc. It is a division of NASCO INTERNATIONAL, which operates in Europe, Africa, Middle east and Asia." A recent Nigerian press article highlighted "Dr. Nasreddin's" growing business activities in Nigeria, including land development and housing construction. In fact, a suburb of Jos has been named NASCO TOWN, with a principal street bearing the Nasreddin name.

Unless the International Community can put "some teeth" into the UN al Qaeda sanctions measures it is unlikely to have the intended impact of detering others from contributing to al Qaeda's cause.

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