The Saudis follow the money
Re “Saudis faulted for funding terror,” April 2
This article misrepresents what was discussed at the April 1 Senate Finance Committee hearing.
The kingdom’s financial intelligence unit has been operational since Sept. 10, 2005, as confirmed by Daniel Glaser, deputy assistant secretary for terrorist financing and financial crimes at the U.S. Treasury Department, in testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Nov. 8, 2005. Glaser said: “We are already actively engaged ... in Riyadh, where agents from IRS criminal investigation and FBI sit side by side with their Saudi counterparts to analyze important streams of data together.”
Also, until the Saudi National Commission for Relief and Charitable Work Abroad is fully operational, no charitable organization in Saudi Arabia is permitted to send funds abroad. The commission is being finalized and expected to be operational soon.
Nail A. Al-Jubeir
Director
Information Office
Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia
Washington
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