Counterterrorism Blog

This note follows up on Doug Farah’s and Evan Kohlmann’s excellent posts concerning the US Treasury designation of Dr. Abdul Latif Saleh, a close business associate of Saudi billionaire Yasin Al Kadi (aka al-Qadi). This designation is quite intriguing. Saleh worked out of Tirana, Albania where he was a business partner and close associate of Al-Kadi. During the days of the Bosnian War and subsequent Kosovo conflict, Albania was an active staging ground for radical salafist groups that sought to recruit for Al Qaeda and to insert their influence and force into these conflicts. Saleh's designation comes some 14 months after he came to the attention of Albanian authorities. Working on a tip from US authorities, Albanian police moved quickly in June 2004 to freeze a 2.4 million Euro account in Saleh’s name. The money was about to be transferred to a certain Jordanian, Hamza Abu Ratah, about whom little is yet known. The Albanian authorities also seized several apartment buildings owned by Al Qadi. Last June Al-Qadi challenged these seizures in Albanian court, but was rebuffed. He proved more successful in Turkish courts which allowed him to retain control over his Turkish based companies (See my blog on this subject.

This latest designation should be viewed as aimed as much at Al-Kadi as Saleh, who apparently acted as one of his agents. Al Kadi, it should be recalled was one of the first al Qaeda financier’s to be identified and designated after 9/11. He was the founder and key financial supporter of Muwafaq and its Blessed Relief branch charities that were implicated directly in financing for the 1998 US Embassy bombings in Kenya and Tanzania. But, despite designation by the US Treasury Department and the UN Al Qaeda and Taliban Sanctions Committee, Al Kadi has been able to run his worldwide business empire as if such designation made little matter. The UN designation requires that all countries

“Freeze without delay the funds and other financial assets or economic resources of these individuals, including funds derived from property owned or controlled, directly or indirectly by them or by persons action on their behalf or at their direction, and to ensure that neither these nor any other funds, financial assets or economic resources are made available directly or indirectly, for such person’s benefit, by their nationals” See UN Security Council Resolution 1617 (2005)

But these restrictions have apparently done little to slow Al-Kadi down. Before 9/11, Al Kadi's extensive business empire extended globally. He also had extensive interests in the United States. Some of these, like his interest in the Boston Software firm PTECH only came to light after 9/11. PTECH remains under local and federal investigation. Other US investments reported included Global Mining Resources, in Nevada. Al Kadi reported continues as Chairman of Saudi National Consulting Center and Qordoba Real Estate Co. based in Saudi Arabia, as well as chairman of Caravan Co. based in Turkey. He is also a board member of Himont Chemical based in Pakistan and Cariba Bank based in Kazakhstan. At least until recently, al-Kadi served as Vice President of the Saudi Arabian company M.M. Badkook Co. He also reported had extensive holdings in South Africa, and other areas of Africa. He continues to run a number of these business from his offices in Jedda. When, if ever, will the UN Sanctions put him out of business?