The Associated Press is reporting that a Swiss senator will introduce the case of Youssef Nada, the self-described “foreign minister” of the Muslim Brotherhood, into a debate about the fairness and transparency of EU and UN rules for blacklisting those accused of terrorist related activities. A Council of Europe committee is expected to meet and adopt a report by Swiss senator Dick Marty which calls on the UN to place a time limit on the period of listing, to inform those on the lists of the charges against them, and to offer those on the list an opportunity to defend themselves. As a previous post has reported, Italian terrorism funding charges against Nada and another Brotherhood figure were dropped in July due to lack of evidence.
Nada, and his partner Ghaleb Ali Himmat, are best known for their role in establishing the infamous and now-defunct Al Taqwa Bank located “offshore” in the Bahamas. Numerous Muslim Brotherhood luminaries held shares in the bank, including the bank’s Sharia supervisor Sheikh Youssef Qaradawi and his family, which was supposed to conduct business in accord with Islamic principles. The bank was closed in 2000 after what Nada said were unforeseen developments related to the Asian financial crisis and a run on the bank caused by unfavorable publicity generated by accusations that the bank was funding Hamas. No documentation of the bank’s activities has ever been produced and Nada has refused to hand over the bank records which he said were moved to Saudi Arabia. Nada has claimed to the acting “foreign minister” for the Muslim Brotherhood and is known to have met with Saddam Hussein. Prosecution of Nada and Al Taqwa has also been dropped in Switzerland recently but Nada, Himmat, Nasreddin, and Al Taqwa remain on the U.S. and other lists of designated terrorists.