Abu-linked group’s bank account frozen

Manila Standard Today ^ | 12/11/06 | Rey E. Requejo

[Valin]

The Court of Appeals has ordered a freeze on the bank accounts of International Islamic Relief Organization, suspected to be a conduit of funding for Abu Sayyaf and other groups linked to Al Qaida in the country. In a four-page resolution penned by Associate Justice Arcangelita Romilla Lontok, the CA’s Third Division issued the freeze order at the request of the Anti-Money Laundering Council. Covered by the court order is IIRO’s bank account number 0200100100000011145671, with the Bank of Philippine Islands. The court said there is probable cause that the account is being used to bankroll terrorist activities in the country. Associate Justices Portia Alino Hormachuelos and Amelita Tolentino concurred with the ruling.

IIRO, a Saudi-based charitable institution the United States which has been associated with terrorism , is being suspected of funding terrorist attacks overseas, including the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks in the US where thousands of people were killed. “Having determined that probable cause exists thus finding merit in the petition, a freeze order, effective for a period of 20 days against account no. 0200100100000011145671, in the name of Islamic Relief Organization with the Bank of Philippine Islands and all related web accounts is granted and subject bank is also ordered to submit to this court and the AMLC a detailed return on the freeze order within 24 hours from receipt,” the CA ruled.

AMLC sought the freeze on IIRO’s bank account after the US Department of Treasury issued a press release citing the involvement of IIRO’s the organization’s branches in the Philippines and Indonesia in the fund raising for Al Qaida and its affiliates. The press release also revealed that the IIRO’s branch in the country served as liaison for ASG with other Islamic extremist groups.

In seeking the freeze of the organization’s bank accounts, AMLC cited the approval of the United Nations 1267 Sanctions Committee on Aug. 4, the inclusion of the Philippine branch of the IIRO and Abd Al-Hamid Sulaiman Al-Mujil to its list of individuals and entities associated with Osama bin Laden. Al-Mujil is an executive director of the organization in the Saudi Arabia. The anti-money laundering body told the court that the US government, through its embassy in Manila, requested the assistance of the Philippine government to check the existence of funds and economic resources, including property or interests in property owned or controlled directly or indirectly owned by Al-Mujil and IIRO’s Philippine branch and to freeze the same if any be found.

Investigations conducted by AMLC showed the existence of account no. 0200100100000011145671 and 0200200100000012000472 under the name of IIRO with the BPI. But further investigation indicated that only account no. 0200100100000011145671 is active. AMLC subsequently issued Resolution 81, series of 2006, which authorized the executive director of the AMLC-Secretariat or the Office of the Solicitor General to file an application for the issuance of a freeze order against the said bank account.

The council said the freezing of the bank account is consistent with the provisions of the UN Security Council’s Resolution 1373, which requires UN member states “to freeze terrorist assets without delay and to prohibit their nationals or persons in their territories from financing terrorism.”