More on Yasin al-Qadi's Connections to Turkey's Prime Minister

By Andrew Cochran

In his new article, “Will Turkey have an Islamist President?” Michael Rubin highlights some unanswered questions on the connection between terrorist financier Yasin al-Qadi to the Turkish Prime Minister. He writes:

Cuneyd Zapsu, Erdoğan’s chief advisor, has donated money to Yasin al-Qadi, a Saudi businessman identified by both the U.S. Treasury Department and the United Nations as an al Qaeda financier. While Zapsu initially denied the charges--and even threatened to sue those repeating them--Council of Financial Crime Investigations files leaked to the press confirmed that Zapsu had donated $60,000 to a foundation run by al-Qadi in 1997. Two years later his mother transferred another $250,000

After the terrorist attacks of September 11, the government of Erdoğan’s predecessor froze al-Qadi’s assets. But with his business partner serving as advisor to the prime minister, al-Qadi appealed on technical grounds. Erdoğan endorsed the appeal, vouching for al-Qadi and even calling him a philanthropist in a Turkish television interview. The prime minister acknowledged knowing al-Qadi personally, which raises an important question: how Did Zapsu introduce his business partner to the prime minister, and if he really did so, why? Only subsequent court intervention forced Erdoğan to keep al-Qadi’s assets frozen. The questionable company chosen by Zapsu has become the rule rather than the exception: on March 27, 2006, Erdoğan traveled to Khartoum for a two-day Arab League Summit. While there, he skipped an official dinner to meet instead with Fatih al-Hassanein, a Sudanese financier with ties to al Qaeda and arms smuggling. Erdoğan has yet to explain the purpose of this meeting.

Al-Qadi was one of the first terrorist financiers designated by the U.S. Treasury after the 9-11 attacks, back on October 12, 2001. On September 19, 2005, the Treasury Department also designated his associate and fellow financier, Abdul Latif Saleh. CT Blog Contributing Experts, especially Victor Comras, have written often on al-Qadi's long history of financing terror and Turkey's protection, including the following:

Zachary Abuza, "Top Al Qaeda Financier Dead, Denied Links to Osama to His Dying Day"
Victor Comras, "It's time to Put Yasin Al Kadi Out of Business!" (with links to posts by Doug Farah and Evan Kohlmann) - also "Switzerland Files Criminal Charges Against Saudi Businessman For Financing Terrorism" - also "Turkey Prosecutor Absolves Yasin Al-Qadi, But Is He Right!"
Daveed Gartenstein-Ross, "U.S.-Turkish Relations on the Brink?" which cites an article in which PM Erdogan is quoted as saying about al-Qadi, "I believe in him as I believe in myself."

And al-Qadi's freedom is more evidence of the lack of action taken by the Saudi government against its citizens who finance terrorism outside the Kingdom, as I discussed here yesterday.

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