Counter-terrorist Asset Freezing Regime Debate

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Department: HM Treasury

Counter-terrorist Asset Freezing Regime

Andrea Leadsom Excerpts
Tuesday 16th December 2014

(10 years ago)

Written Statements
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Andrea Leadsom Portrait The Economic Secretary to the Treasury (Andrea Leadsom)
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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 14th report under the Act and it covers the period from 1 July 2014 to 30 September 2014. 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 two individuals subject to restricted designations under section 3 of the Act are denoted by A and B.

The following table sets out the key asset-freezing activity in the UK during the quarter ending 30 September 2014:

TAFA 2010

EU Reg (EC) 2580/2001

Al-Qaeda regime UNSCR1989

Assets frozen (as at 30/09/2014)

£50,000

£11,0001

£55,0002

Number of accounts frozen in UK (at 30/09/2014)

49

10

25

New accounts frozen (during Q3 2014)

5

0

2

Accounts unfrozen (during Q3 2014)

2

0

0

Total number of designations (at 30/09/2014)

33

353

287

Number of designations that were confidential

1

0

0

(i) New designations (during Q3 2014)

4

0

8

(ii) Delistings (during Q3 2014)

1

0

1

(iii) Individuals in custody in UK (at 30/09/2014)

4

0

0

(iv) Individuals in UK, not in custody (at 30/09/2014)

3

0

3

(v) Individuals overseas (at 30/09/2014)

18

104

217

(vi) Groups

8 (0 in UK)

25 (1 in UK)

67

Individuals by nationality

(i) UK Nationals5

(ii) Non UK Nationals

11

14

n/a

n/a

Renewal of designation (during Q3 2014)

5

n/a

n/a

General Licences

(i) Issued in Q3

(ii) Amended

(iii) Revoked

(i) 0

(ii) 0

(iii) 0

Specific Licences:

(i) Issued in Q3

(ii) Amended

(iii) Expired

(iv) Refused

/Expired

6

0

1

0

0

0

0

0

2

0

0

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 30/09/2014. Additionally the figures reflect an updating of balances of accounts for certain individuals during the quarter, depleted through licensed activity.

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

4There was an EU delisting in Q2 (FAHAS) that was not reflected in the Q2 report. This is now corrected.

5Based on information held by the Treasury, some of these individuals hold dual nationality.



Legal Proceedings

1. The damages claim brought by Gulam MASTAFA against a number of Government Departments including the Treasury, remains stayed.

2. The damages claim brought by Zana RAHIM continues to progress towards completion.

3. An individual previously designated under TAFA 2010 has challenged the Treasury’s decision to renew their designation. This case is listed for hearing in December 2014.

4. In the quarter to 30 September 2014, 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 name1

Individuals

Hamed ABDOLLAHI

Bilal Talal ABDULLAH

Imad Khalil AL-ALAMI

Abdelkarim Hussein AL-NASSER

Ibrahim Salih AL-YACOUB

Ruhul AMIN

Manssor ARBABSIAR

Moazzam BEGG

Usama HAMDAN

Nur Idiris HASSAN NUR

Nabeel HUSSAIN

Hasan IZZ-AL-DIN

Mohammed KHALED

Parviz KHAN

Reyaad KHAN

Musa Abu MARZOUK

Khalid MISHAAL

Khalid Shaikh MOHAMMED

Sultan MUHAMMAD

Nasser MUTHANA

Abdul Reza SHAHLAI

Ali Gholam SHAKURI

Qasem SOLEIMANI

Entities

Basque Fatherland and Liberty (ETA)

Ejercito de Liberacion Nacional (ELN)

Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia (FARC)

Hizballah Military Wing, including external security organisation

Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development

Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine—General Command

(PFLP-GC)

Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP)

Sendero Luminoso (SL)

Annex B: Persons designated by the EU under Council Regulation (EC)2580/20012

Persons

Hamed ABDOLLAHI*

Abdelkarim Hussein AL-NASSER*

Ibrahim Salih AL YACOUB*

Manssor ARBABSIAR*

Mohammed BOUYERI

Sofiane Yacine FAHAS

Hasan IZZ-AL-DIN*

Khalid Shaikh MOHAMMED*

Abdul Reza SHAHLAI*

Ali Gholam SHAKURI*

Qasem SOLEIMANI*

Groups and Entities

Abu Nidal Organisation (ANO)

Al-Aqsa E.V.

Al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigade

Al-Takfir and Al-Hijra

Babbar Khalsa

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

Philippines

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

Ejército de Liberación Nacional (National Liberation Army)*

Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia (FARC)*

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

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

Hizballah Military Wing, including external security organisation

Hizbul Mujahideen (HM)

Hofstadgroep

Holy Land Foundation For Relief And Development*

International Sikh Youth Federation (ISYF)

Islami Büyük Dogu Akincilar Cephesi (IBDA-C) (Great Islamic Eastern

Warriors Front)

Khalistan Zindabad Force (KZF)

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

Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE)

Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ)

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

Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP)*

Sendero Luminoso (SL) (Shining Path)*

Teyrbazen Azadiya Kurdistan (TAK)

1For full listing details please refer to: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/current-list-of-designated-persons-terrorism-and-terrorist-financing

2For full listing details please refer to: www.gov.uk

*EU listing rests on UK designation under TAFA 2010.