Legal assistance in case of suspected terrorism funding
FOJ has handed banking records over to USA
Press Release, FOJ, 17.01.2003
Berne, 17.1.2003. Switzerland has provided legal assistance to the USA in connection with the suspected transfer of funds to an Islamic foundation in Chicago. This week, the Federal Office of Justice (FOJ) handed banking records obtained in Zurich over to the US Department of Justice.
The USA applied to Switzerland for legal assistance on 19 April 2002 as part of criminal proceedings against those in charge of the Chicago based Islamic "Benevolence International Foundation". The US prosecuting authorities alledge that the Foundation has used charitable donations to support the al Qaida terrorist organisation. A bank account in Zurich is believed to have been one of the routes used to channel donations to the Foundation. On 30 April 2002, the FOJ approved the US application in full and instructed the Office of the Swiss Federal Attorney General to obtain the account records in question.
Transfer of the dossier was delayed by an appeal to the Swiss Federal Supreme Court and the Federal Department of Justice and Police (FDJP). The Supreme Court ruled that all conditions for providing legal assistance to the USA had been met, and rejected the appeal as groundless on 15 November 2002. At the beginning of January 2003, the appellant made a full withdrawal of the appeal against the FDJP that legal assistance would be against Swiss interests.
