Amal Express demands unconditional apology from GI-TOC
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Friday April 02, 2021 - 17:42:59 in Latest News by Staff Reporter
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GAROWE (HORN OBSERVER) - A Garowe based money transfer company, Amal Express, has demanded an apology from Global Terror-Funding Watchdog months following clearance of wrongdoing the Central Bank of Somalia.
Last September, Geneva-based Global Initiative Against Organised Crime published a report claimed a number of Hawala service providers including Amal had been used to settle illegal payments to arms dealers in Yemen.
In a statement, Amal on Thursday said it had been exonerated by the Central Bank of accusations by Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime.
"Following the release of this investigative report by the Central Bank of Somalia and based on the fact that Amal Express has been exonerated of any wrongdoing, we demand from GI-TOC an unconditional apology and for them to retract their report,” Amal said.
According to the statement, the Central Bank established that there were no transactions by Abdirahman Mohamed Omar (aka Dhofaye to Abdirab Salim Al-Baydani (Al-Hayashi who is under UN sanctions for the whole of October 2019 as indicated in the Global Initiative report.
"Crucially, this individual did not send any remittance to Yemen or Mr Al-Baydani (Al-Hayashi) at any time over the past five years,” the statement read in part.
The report titled by GI-TOC "Following the Money", authored by former UN Expert panellist for Somalia, Jay Bahadur, said illegal payments were as high as $3.7 million between 2014 and 2020.
It also said that Somalia’s port city of Bossaso in Puntland state was the origin of most of the illegal payments to arms sellers in Yemen.
Some of the payments reportedly went above the $10,000 threshold, where, normally, the handling firm should raise red flags and report to authorities.
Amal was particularly accused of handling cash sent to Abdulrab Salem al-Hayashi, who was in October 2017 sanctioned by the US Treasury for "assisting in, sponsoring, or providing financial, material or technological support for, or financial or other services to or in support of” Al-Qaeda-linked terror groups in the Arabian Peninsula.
Last September, Geneva-based Global Initiative Against Organised Crime published a report claimed a number of Hawala service providers including Amal had been used to settle illegal payments to arms dealers in Yemen.
In a statement, Amal on Thursday said it had been exonerated by the Central Bank of accusations by Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime.
"Following the release of this investigative report by the Central Bank of Somalia and based on the fact that Amal Express has been exonerated of any wrongdoing, we demand from GI-TOC an unconditional apology and for them to retract their report,” Amal said.
According to the statement, the Central Bank established that there were no transactions by Abdirahman Mohamed Omar (aka Dhofaye to Abdirab Salim Al-Baydani (Al-Hayashi who is under UN sanctions for the whole of October 2019 as indicated in the Global Initiative report.
Although a similar entity, Abdirahman Mohamed Omar exists in Amal records, the remittance company said, the same individual did not send any money to the Yemeni based listed terrorist.
The report titled by GI-TOC "Following the Money", authored by former UN Expert panellist for Somalia, Jay Bahadur, said illegal payments were as high as $3.7 million between 2014 and 2020.
It also said that Somalia’s port city of Bossaso in Puntland state was the origin of most of the illegal payments to arms sellers in Yemen.
Some of the payments reportedly went above the $10,000 threshold, where, normally, the handling firm should raise red flags and report to authorities.
Amal was particularly accused of handling cash sent to Abdulrab Salem al-Hayashi, who was in October 2017 sanctioned by the US Treasury for "assisting in, sponsoring, or providing financial, material or technological support for, or financial or other services to or in support of” Al-Qaeda-linked terror groups in the Arabian Peninsula.
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Amal Express demands unconditional apology from GI-TOC
GAROWE (HORN OBSERVER) - A Garowe based money transfer company, Amal Express, has demanded an apology from Global Terror-Funding Watchdog months following clearance of wrongdoing the Central Bank of Somalia.