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Ousted Yemen President conducted illegal transactions to induce instability

January 25, 2017 at 4:38 am

The son of ousted Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh, Khalied Abdullah Saleh, has been found to have conducted a series of money laundering schemes for his father in five countries, bypassing sanctions in place since November 2014.

According to documents obtained by Al-Jazeera Arabic. The money laundering was for the purpose of facilitating Saleh’s influence as a political actor in Yemen, after he was ousted from power during the Arab Spring in February 2012. Ali Abdullah Saleh transferred his bank accounts and overseas shares to his son Khaled, who then established an investment company in the UAE.

The report also discussed the way in which other sanctioned personnel who are affiliated to Saleh and the Houthi movement in Yemen have violated financial sanction. These included the ousted President’s son Ahmed, Yemeni businessman Shaher Abdulhaq and notorious Houthi-affiliated weapons and arms dealer Fares Mana’a.

The report stated that Mana’a had travelled to various countries, including France, Brazil, Egypt and other African countries after he illegally obtained a diplomatic passport. He was sanctioned by the UN in 2010 for purchasing arms for the Houthis from Al-Shabaab, an Al-Qaeda affiliate, based in East Africa.

The report confirmed Ali Abdullah Saleh still has significant influence over Yemen through the tribal, political and military networks he built up during his 33 year rule. Moreover, he has used covert methods to influence and stall the progress of current Yemeni President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi’s government.

An analysis was also carried out on the relationship between Saleh and the Houthis. This noted that the strategic alliance between them may seem strong, but it is based primarily on their mutual interest and yet there no ideological political union between the Houthis and Saleh. Importantly it noted that, if placed under further strain from strategic losses, their alliance would be at risk.