U.S. Treasury Secretary Paul O’Neill has said that the September 23rd US Presidential Executive Order made it plain that those who underwrite violence bear equal culpability to those who perpetrate it. *”Feigned indifference, willful blindness, and the appearance of normalcy and status in the world of business or commerce will no longer provide cover or safe harbor – here or abroad,”* said the Secretary.
Yesterday, the US and Italy blocked the assets of 25 individuals and entities based on their support for terrorism. The Secretary further stated that the action makes it clear that the United States is serious about shutting down any company or organization that is in the business of supporting terrorism. (See link to Treasury Release below)
The 25 names have been submitted to the United Nations for listing by the UN 1267 Sanctions Committee.
The Swiss Money Laundering Control Office (MLCO) also has updated its list of suspected terrorists, in line with recent changes to terrorist lists maintained by the European Union and the US government. The MLCO is known in Switzerland as the Kontrollstelle fur die Bekampfung der Geldwascherei.