Counter-Terrorist Asset-Freezing Regime

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Tuesday 28th January 2014

(10 years, 9 months ago)

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Sajid Javid Portrait The Financial Secretary to the Treasury (Sajid Javid)
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My noble Friend the Commercial Secretary to the Treasury, Lord Deighton, has today made the following written ministerial statement:

Under the Terrorist Asset-Freezing etc. Act 2010 (“TAFA 2010”), the Treasury is required to report to Parliament, quarterly, on its operation of the UK’s asset-freezing regime mandated by UN Security Council Resolution 1373.

This is the 12th report under the Act and it covers the period from 1 October 2013 to 31 December 2013. This report also covers the UK implementation of the UN al-Qaeda asset-freezing regime and the operation of the EU asset-freezing regime in the UK under EU regulation (EC) 2580/2001 which implements UNSCR 1373 against external terrorist threats to the EU. Under the UN al-Qaeda asset-freezing regime, the UN has responsibility for designations and the Treasury has responsibility for licensing and compliance with the regime in the UK under the Al-Qaeda (Asset-freezing) Regulations 2011. Under EU Regulation 2580/2001, the EU has responsibility for designations and the Treasury has responsibility for licensing and compliance with the regime in the UK under part 1 of TAFA 2010.

Annexes A and B to this statement provide a breakdown, by name, of all those designated by the UK and the EU in pursuance of UN Security Council Resolution 1373.

The following table sets out the key asset-freezing activity in the UK during the quarter ending 31 December 2013:

TAFA 2010

EU Reg (EC) 2580/2001

Al-Qaeda Regime UNSCR 1989

Assets frozen (as at 31/12/2013)

£82,000

£11,0001

£58,0002

Number of accounts frozen in UK (at 31/12/13)

54

10

26

New accounts frozen (during Q4 2013)

0

0

0

Accounts unfrozen (during Q4 2013)

7

0

3

Number of designations (at 31/12/2013)

38

373

284

(i) New designations (during Q4 2013)

0

0

4

(ii) Delistings (during Q4 2013)

1

0

4

(iii) Individuals in custody in UK (at 31/12/2013)

15

0

0

(iv) Individuals in UK, not in custody (at 31/12/2013)

3

0

3

(v) Individuals overseas (at 31/12/2013)

12

11

220

(vi) Groups

8 (0 in UK)

26 (1 in UK)

62 (0 in UK)

Individuals by Nationality

(i) UK Nationals4

13

n/a

n/a

(ii) Non UK Nationals

17

-

-

Renewal of designation

(during Q4 2013)

11

n/a

n/a

General Licences

(i) Issued in Q4

(i) 0

(ii) Amended

(ii) 0

(iii) Revoked

(iii) 0

Specific Licences

(i) Issued in Q4

(i) 4

(i) 0

(i) 1

(ii) Amended

(ii) 2

(ii) 0

(ii) 0

(iii) Revoked/Expired

(iii) 0

(iii) 0

(iii) 0

1This does not duplicate funds frozen under TAFA.

2This figure reflects the most up-to-date account balances available and includes approximately $64,000 of funds frozen in the UK. This has been converted using exchange rates as of 31/12/2013.

3This figure is based on ex-designations where the UK freeze forms the prior competent authority decision for the EU freeze.

4Based on information held by the Treasury, some of these individuals hold dual nationality.



Legal Proceedings

An appeal against designation made under the Terrorism (United Nations Measures) Order 2009 and TAFA 2010 was ongoing in the quarter covered by this report, brought by Zana Abdul Rahim. Two civil claims relating to designations are also ongoing, one brought by Gulam Mastafa against the Treasury and other Government Departments, and another brought by an individual, known as “M”, against the Treasury. The challenge under s63(2) of the Counter-Terrorism Act 2008 brought by Mohammed Al Ghabra against the Treasury and joined to be heard with his claim for judicial review against the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, was withdrawn by the claimant. In the quarter to 31 December 2013, no criminal proceedings were initiated in respect of breaches of asset freezes made under TAFA 2010 or under the Al-Qaeda (Asset-freezing) Regulations 2011.

Annex A: Designated persons under TAFA 2010 by name5

Individuals

1. Hamed Abdollahi

2. Bilal Talal Abdullah

3. Imad Khalil Al-Alami

4. Abdula Ahmed Ali

5. Abdelkarim Hussein Al-Nasser

6. Ibrahim Salih Al-Yacoub

7. Manssor Arbabsiar

8. Usama Hamdan

9. Nabeel Hussain

10. Tanvir Hussain

11. Umar Islam

12. Hasan Izz-Al-Din

13. Mohammed Khaled

14. Parviz Khan

15. Waheed Arafat Khan

16. Osman Adam Khatib

17. Musa Abu Marzouk

18. Khalid Mishaal

19. Khalid Shaikh Mohammed

20. Ramzi Mohammed

21. Sultan Muhammad

22. Yassin Omar

23. Hussein Osman

24. Muktar Mohammed Said

25. Assad Sarwar

26. Ibrahim Savant

27. Abdul Reza Shahlai

28. Ali Gholam Shakuri

39. Qasem Soleimani

30. Waheed Zaman

Entities

1. Basque Fatherland and Liberty (ETA)

2. Ejercito de Liberacion Nacional (ELN)

3. Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia (FARC)

4. Hizballah Military Wing, including External Security Organisation

5. Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development

6. Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine—General Command (PFLP-GC)

7. Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP)

8. Sendero Luminoso (SL)

Annex B: Persons designated by the EU under Council Regulation (EC)2580/20016

Persons

Hamed Abdollahi*2. Abdelkarim Hussein Al-Nasser*3. Ibrahim Salih Al Yacoub*4. Manssor Arbabsiar*5. Mohammed Bouyeri6. Sofiane Yacine Fahas7. Hasan Izz-Al-Din*8. Khalid Shaikh Mohammed*9. Abdul Reza Shahlai*10. Ali Gholam Shakuri*11. Qasem Soleimani*

Groups and Entities

1. Abu Nidal Organisation (ANO)

2. Al-Aqsa e.V.

3. Al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigade

4. Al-Takfir and Al-Hijra

5. Babbar Khalsa

6. Communist Party of the Philippines, including New People’s Army (NPA), Philippines

7. Devrimci Halk Kurtulu Partisi-Cephesi—DHKP/C (Revolutionary People’s Liberation Army/Front/Party)

8. Ejército de Liberación Nacional (National Liberation Army)*

9. Fuerzas armadas revolucionarias de Colombia (FARC)*

10. Gama’a al-lslamiyya (a.k.a. Al-Gama’a al-Islamiyya) (Islamic Group—IG)

11. Hamas, including Hamas-Izz al-Din al-Qassem

12. Hizballah Military wing, including external security organisation

13. Hizbul Mujahideen (HM)

14. Hofstadgroep

15. Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development*

16. International Sikh Youth Federation (ISYF)

17. Islami Büyük Dogu Akincilar Cephesi (IBDA-C) (Great Islamic Eastern Warriors Front)

18. Khalistan Zindabad Force (KZF)

19. Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) (a.k.a. KONGRA-GEL)

20. Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE)

21. Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ)

22. Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine—General Command (PFLP-GC)*

23. Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP)*

24. Sendero Luminoso (SL) (Shining Path)*

25. Stichting Al Aqsa

26. Teyrbazen Azadiya Kurdistan (TAK)

5For full listing details please refer to: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/current-list-of-designated-persons-terrorism-and-terrorist-financing

6For full listing details please refer to: www.gov.uk

*EU listing rests on UK designation under TAFA 2010.