Saudis
Cleared in 9/11 Cases
Barbara Ferguson,
Arab
News
WASHINGTON,
20 January 2005 � The Kingdom of
Saudi Arabia, three Saudi princes,
several Saudi businessmen and Saudi
financial institutions were dismissed
as defendants on Tuesday in lawsuits
accusing them of supporting Al-Qaeda
before the Sept. 11 attacks. |
Manhattan
Federal Judge Richard Casey cited the report by
the Sept. 11 Commission, which found no evidence
that Saudi leaders provided support to the
hijackers.
�The
US State Department has not designated the
Kingdom a state sponsor of terrorism,� said
Judge Casey.
He
specifically dismissed as defendants Prince
Sultan, second deputy premier and minister of
defense and aviation; Saudi Ambassador to
Britain Prince Turki Al-Faisal; Prince Mohammed
Al-Faisal, Sheikh Saleh Kamel and Dallah Al-Baraka,
among others.
The
9/11 lawsuits allege more than 200 defendants
provided material support to Osama Bin Laden and
Al-Qaeda.
Prince
Turki said he was happy that the court rejected
all charges against him. �The charges were not
true at all. I spent a long time after Osama Bin
Laden to bring him to justice�. He said he
considered Bin Laden an evil man who violated
Islamic rules by killing innocent people.
Prince
Turki thanked the American justice system that
acquitted him of all charges.
�The
court has reviewed the complaints in their
entirety and finds no allegations from which it
can infer that the princes knew the charities to
which they donated were fronts for Al-Qaeda,�
Casey said. �There are no such factual bases
presented, there are only conclusions.�
�This
should restore confidence in the Kingdom about
the American justice system,� said Martin
McMahon, a Washington-based lawyer who
represents several of the defendants in the
lawsuits. �The judge granted a motion to
dismiss this case. In our case it was granted
because the plaintiffs failed to state a claim
that could be granted. Which means they didn�t
have a case,� said McMahon, head of McMahon
Associates.
Among
financial institutions dismissed as defendants
were Al-Rajhi Bank, Saudi American Bank, Arab
Bank, and Al-Baraka Investment and Development
Corporation.
Casey
said he found no basis for a bank�s liability
for injuries resulting from attacks funded by
money passing through it on routine banking
business.
�The
judge ruled that just because you�re a bank,
or investing in a bank, through which money
travels that allegedly was funneled to
terrorists groups, it is not enough to file a
claim against that defendant,� said Wendell
Belew, who also represents defendants in the
9/11 lawsuits.
�In
the case of our clients, Saleh Kamel and Dallah
Al-Baraka, the allegations were that they
invested in various banks,� said Belew of the
DC-based Belew Law Firm. �The judge decided
that was not sufficient to establish any kind of
liability.�
But
they say the 9/11 lawsuits have tarnished the
Saudi businessmen�s international reputation.
�With regard to Saleh Kamel, many of the
allegations made in the complaint were not
factually true,� said McMahon.
�Sheikh
Saleh and other individuals in this case have
been accused of horrendous crimes. Where do they
go to restore their reputations?� said
McMahon.
Tuesday�s
dismissal did not mention several Islamic
charities listed in the 9/11 lawsuits, that
alleges Saudi money was given to Islamic
charities to fund terrorism
�Although
this is a favorable decision, it is by no means
the end of problems for Saudi Arabia and others
mentioned in the lawsuits,� said McMahon.
�On
the other hand, just because a party did not get
dismissed at this stage, it does not mean that
they will not prevail, but it does mean they
will have to put up a vigorous defense,� said
Belew.
The
judge permitted lawsuits to proceed against the
Saudi Binladen Group, the successor to a
construction company founded by Bin Laden�s
father, which is now one of the largest
engineering and construction companies in the
Arab world.
He said
additional legal materials would be necessary to
decide whether the Saudi Binladen Group
�purposefully directed its activities at the
United States.�
Originally
published in Arab News, January 20, 2005.
Reprinted with permission.
Related
Reporting:
9/11 Commission
Report -- Saudi Arabia
http://www.saudi-us-relations.org/newsletter2004/saudi-relations-interest-07-28.html
News In Depth -
Radio spots focus on 9/11 Commission Report to
quash lingering doubts
http://www.saudi-us-relations.org/newsletter2004/saudi-relations-NID-08-27.htm
9/11 Commission
Report -- Saudi Arabia
Flights of Saudi Nationals Leaving the United
States
http://www.saudi-us-relations.org/newsletter2004/saudi-relations-interest-07-28a.html
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