With Little Fanfare, Nada's Efforts to be Delisted Fail

By Douglas Farah

The Swiss Supreme Court has ruled that Youssef Nada, a leader of the international Muslim Brotherhood, must stay on the list specially designated individuals implemented by the United Nations Security Council in the immediate aftermath of 9-11.

The Nov. 27 ruling by the Swiss court stands in sharp contrast to the decision of the United Nations and the U.S. Treasury Department to delist one of Nada's most active partners in banking and investment around the world, Idriss Nasreddin.

The Swiss ruling denied Nada's motion to be be de-listed under Swiss law because one of the primary cases against him and his web of al Taqwa companies and financial institutions, had been dropped by Swiss prosecutors. The case included Bank al Taqwa, based in Nassau, Bahamas and a key financial institution of the Muslim Brotherhood.

The contrasting views of the UN sanctions regime highlights the growing difficulty of making and keeping them effective.

As my colleague Jonathan Winer noted with Nasreddin,the move to take Nasreddin off the list was a surprising move with no coherent public explanation, particularly given the fact that President Bush personally announced the Nada and Nasreddin designations simultaneously.

According to the Treasury Department statement issued when the Nasreddin de-listing became public, the main reason for Nasreddin's initial designation was his association with Nada. My full blog is here.

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