ABU DHABI, 16 February 2004 — The UAE Central Bank said reports that a Dubai-based businessman helped Libya and Iran develop nuclear programs were speculation, but that he would be investigated if proof emerged of illegal activities.
Central Bank Governor Sultan Nasser Al-Suwaidi said the United Arab Emirates would only launch a probe into the affairs of B.S.A. Tahir — head of Dubai’s Gulf Technical Industries (GTI) — if proof of wrongdoing came to light.
Asked about reports of possible links between Tahir and the Iranian and Libyan atomic programs, Al-Suwaidi told reporters: “This is speculation. If we find something real then we’ll investigate it financially, but these are news items. If and when the time arises we might investigate.”
US President George W. Bush has described Tahir as a deputy to Abdul Qadeer Khan, the father of Pakistan’s atomic program, who has confessed to leaking nuclear secrets to Iran, Libya and North Korea.
Bush said Tahir was in Malaysia and an intelligence source there told Reuters that Tahir was under investigation, but was free to come and go.
Speaking on the sidelines of a workshop on fighting money laundering, Al-Suwaidi said several cases in the UAE had been transferred to the courts.
The UAE central bank, which passed a law in 2002 to fight money laundering, had ordered a freeze on assets of 26 “terrorist” groups and individuals blacklisted by the United States.
Al-Suwaidi described cooperation with the United States in fighting money laundering and terror funding as “excellent,” and said the UAE wanted a special unit to facilitate communication.
