Bank of China to Answer Terror Financing Charges in New York
A New York court has ruled that the Bank of China will face trial on
accusations that it knowingly transferred money to terrorist
organizations, and that the funds were used in deadly terror attacks in
Israel between 2004 and 2007.
The Bank of China is owned by the
Chinese government, and is one of China's four major banks. It's being
sued by 50 people, including victims of those Israeli terrorist attacks
and their family.They say the Bank of China allowed millions of dollars
to be transferred to Hamas and the Palestine Islamist Jihad - both of
which are known terrorist groups.
So here's how it all worked:
The funds came from terrorist leaders in Iran and Syria and were sent
through the US to a Bank of China account in Beijing. That account was
operated by senior operatives of the terrorist groups who then
transferred them to leaders in the Gaza Strip and West Bank. The funds
were then allegedly used in the terror attacks.
According to the
plaintiffs, The Bank of China was warned by Israeli authorities in 2005,
and asked to prevent the funding, but the bank didn't listen.
In
2008, the plaintiffs filed the lawsuit with the New York Supreme Court.
Bank of China argued it never knew the money was used in terror
financing, and asked the court to dismiss the case in 2011. Just this
August, Israeli media reported that a former Israeli defense staff, who
was a key witness in this case, indicated that he was, quote, "inclined
to testify" in the case. The witness, identified as Uzi Shaya says he
was at those meetings between officials from Israel, China and the Bank
of China. In court documents, he says that Israeli officials did indeed
warn the Bank of China about the terrorist funding.
There were
earlier reports that the Israeli government may have pressured Shaya not
to testify in the case, in order to keep a good relationship with the
Chinese regime. If he testifies without the approval of the Israeli
government, then he could be committing a criminal offense - because he
obtained that information while working as a government employee.
However, in a letter sent to lawyers representing the terror victims'
families, Shaya reportedly said that his moral commitment to fighting
terrorism made him inclined to testify, even if the government banned
him.
Whether or not the Israeli government will agree to his
testimony and whether Shaya will be testifying in court remains to be
seen. But after this week's ruling by the New York Appellate Court, it
is certain that Bank of China will have to answer these terror-financing
charges in court.
