TERROR FINANCE: KUWAI FINALLY FREEZES ASSETS OF THREE FINANCIERS

CONFIDENTIAL KUWAIT 000560 SIPDIS STATE FOR NEA/ARP, EEB/ESC/TFS; TREASURY FOR KRISTEN HECHT E.O. 12958: DECLl: 05/12/2018 TAGS: EFIN KU KTFN PGOV PREL PTER SUBJECT: TERROR FINANCE: KUWAI FINALLY FREEZES ASSETS OF THREE FINANCIERS Ref: A. 06 KUWAIT 4637 ¶B. KUWAIT 79 ¶C. KUWAIT 90 ¶D. KUWAIT 97 ¶E. KUWAIT 98 ¶F. STATE 7443 ¶G. KUWAIT 0227 ¶H. KUWAIT 218 ¶I. STATE 192459 ¶J. KUWAIT 0476 Classified By: Ambassador Deborah K. Jones for Reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) ¶1. (C) Officials from the Central Bank of Kuwait (CBK) and Kuwait Finance House (KFH) confirmed to Econoff on May 12 that they have frozen the accounts of the three terrorist financiers Hamed Al-Ali, Jaber Al-Jalahmah, and Mubarak Al-Bathali, upon instruction of the MFA. ¶2. (C) xxxxxxxxxxxx told Econoff that CBK had notified all Kuwaiti financial institutions to freeze the assets of the three individuals in compliance with UNSCR 1267. xxxxxxxxxxxx also confirmed to Econoff that after receiving official notification from CBK to freeze the assets of the individuals, to include their government salaries, KFH did freeze the assets and has barred all incoming and outgoing bank transactions. xxxxxxxxxxxx also underscored KFH's intention to permanently close the three accounts in the near future. ¶3. (C) Earlier on May 12, on the margins of a meeting with S/CT Dailey and the Ambassador (septel),MFA Director of Follow-up and Coordination Department assured Econoff that the GOK had instructed CBK to freeze the assets of the three terrorist facilitators. Comment -------------- ¶4. (C) This is a major action by the GOK. While long overdue, it is nevertheless a very POSITIVE development. It demonstrates that when the GOK wants to act against terrorism, it can. It is likely that the embarrassment over the alleged role of Kuwaiti Guantanamo returnees in recent suicide attacks in Iraq played a role in forcing the GOK's hand. ********************************************* * For more reporting from Embassy Kuwait, visit: http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/nea/kuwait/?cable s Visit Kuwait's Classified Website: http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/nea/kuwait/ ********************************************* * jones