ROYG OFFENDED BY DOJ CLAIM OF CORRUPTION, SEEKS

C O N F I D E N T I A L SANAA 000619

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR L AND NEA/ARP: AMACDONALD

E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/13/2019
TAGS: JUS EFIN ETRD PGOV YM
SUBJECT: ROYG OFFENDED BY DOJ CLAIM OF CORRUPTION, SEEKS
REDRESS

Classified By: Ambassador Stephen A. Seche for reasons reasons 1.4 (b)
and (d)


1. (U) This is an action request. Please see Para 7.


2. (C) Deputy Foreign Minister Mohyadeen al-Dhabbi called in
the Ambassador in April 12 to express the concern of the ROYG
regarding assertions made by the Department of Justice that
senior government officials and other influential Yemenis,
including a son of President Saleh, received illegal payments
from a U.S. telecom company. Dhabbi asked for the
Ambassador's assistance in receiving from DoJ the evidence on
which these assertions are based or, conversely, a public
retraction of these allegations.


3. (C) Similar sentiments were expressed on April 11 in a
phone call to the Ambassador from Mohamed Sudam, President
Saleh's private interpreter and advisor. Sudam said that
Saleh was angry that the reputation of his family had been
"defamed," adding that the ROYG was considering legal action
against the USG for publicly making charges for which there
is no basis in fact.


4. (C) Dhabbi's tone was less strident but no less urgent
as he described the political price President Saleh is paying
at the hands of Yemen's political opposition, keen to portray
the ruling family as corrupt. "The opposition is insisting
that Ahmed Ali is the 'son of the President' referred to in
the documents," Dhabbi said. (Note. Ahmed Ali Abdullah
Saleh is the commander of Yemen's Republican Guard and
President Saleh's heir apparent. End Note.)


5. (C) Dhabbi said that the ROYG would like the DoJ to
share all evidence it can that will substantiate its claim of
involvement by influential Yemeni citizens ) up to and
including a son of the President ) in corrupt practices with
Latin Node Inc. He also insisted that, if the basis for the
claim is simply the assertion of one or more individual,
without hard evidence that can be independently corroborated,
then DoJ owes the government of Yemen, and the family of the
President, a public apology.


6. (C) Dhabbi claimed that the ROYG has opened its own
investigation into these charges, and would use any evidence
provided by the USG in support of these investigations. He
specifically requested the following:

a) bank records of 17 payments totaling approximately
USD1.15 million that, according to court documents, were
"made either directly to Yemeni officials, or to Yemen
Partner A with the knowledge that some or all of the money
would be passed along to Yemeni officials."

b) "company emails" cited in the April 7 DoJ press release
that "indicate that the intended recipients of these illegal
payments included, but were not limited to, the son of the
Yemeni president, the vice president of operations at
TeleYemen, the Yemeni government-owned telecommunications
company, other officials at TeleYemen, and officials from the
Yemeni Ministry of Telecommunications."


7. (SBU) Action request: Post requests that the appropriate
office at State query DoJ to see if it is possible to provide
the ROYG the documentation it has in its possession that will
substantiate public assertions of senior Yemeni involvement
in the illegal payments to which Latin Node Inc. has pled
guilty.

SECHE