JEDDAH, 20 December — Prominent Saudi Arabian businessman Yassin Al-Qadi has taken his legal battle to the European Court of Justice. He has applied to the court for annulling an EU Commission Regulation and EU Council Regulation freezing his assets in the European Union. Al-Qadi also seeks a declaration by the court that these regulations are void in relation to him.
The Saudi businessman has made a detailed rebuttal of the allegations made against him, annexed to his application to the court. In this he demonstrates that at no time has he had any link or connection whatsoever with terrorists, nor has he supported the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas, Osama Bin Laden or Al-Qaeda, or any other terrorist individual, group or organization in any way.
In the UK, Al-Qadi has responded, vigorously, to the information disclosed by HM Treasury as part of the Judicial Review process under way in the High Court in London.
In addition to the EU and UK, Al-Qadi is challenging the measures against him in a number of jurisdictions where his assets have been frozen. In the US, he has engaged a counsel to contest the freezing of his assets there. He has hired Robert Wintrop Johnson II, a partner at the Washington, D.C. law firm Johnson & Clifton, to represent him. Johnson, who has practiced international trade law in Washington for over 20 years, will be submitting representations demonstrating Al-Qadi’s innocence to the US Office of Foreign Asset Control.
Al-Qadi feels he has been subjected to grave injustice on the basis of flawed and grossly inaccurate evidence. In his submissions before the ECJ and the High Court in London, Al-Qadi said, "I am bringing my case before the courts as I believe that these are still the refuge of an innocent person seeking redress. I have suffered from outrageous allegations being made against me, which have seriously affected my reputation, business and family. I want the allegations to be scrutinized judicially. Then the world will be able to see just how unfounded and false the allegations are."
