Italy: Magistrates Order Ben Ali Family Luxury Yacht to Be Impounded
ADN KRONOS INTERNATIONAL: Lampedusa - Italian judges have ordered the seizure of a luxury yacht on Lampedusa island in Italy's south allegedly being used by toppled Tunisian leader Zine El Abidine Ben Ali's family.

A Rome appeals court issued the order after Italian police established that the Atlantique yacht worth a million euros was moored in Lampedusa's port.

The court order followed a request from Tunisian judicial authorities for magistrates to identify all assets in Italy belonging to the Ben Ali family and order their impoundment by tax police.

Tunisia made the request under a 1967 bilateral accord on the grounds that the assets rightfully belong to the Tunisian people. » | AKI | Wednesday, June 01, 2011

Qatar Freezes Assets of Ousted Tunisian President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Qatar has frozen assets belonging to deposed Tunisian president Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali and his family, a spokesman for the Tunisian Justice Ministry said.

Mr Ben Ali ruled Tunisia for 24 years until he was ousted in January by a popular movement which sparked copycat uprisings across the Arab world.

Mr Ben Ali's son-in-law Sakher Materi fled to Qatar after the fall of the government.

Other members of the Ben Ali family live in the United Arab Emirates and in Canada.

"Qatar has issued an order to freeze the funds and assets of the deposed president and his wife in response to a letter from the Tunisian minister of justice," said Kathem Zine el Abidine, a ministry spokesman. » | Tuesday, May 31, 2011

Switzerland Identifies $1bn Worth of Dictators' Assets
THE GUARDIAN: Three-year freeze for Swiss bank assets of Libya's Muammar Gaddafi, Egypt's Hosni Murbarak and Tunisia's Zine El Abidine Ben Ali

The Swiss government says it has identified potential assets to be frozen worth 830m Swiss francs (nearly $1bn or £600m) belonging to Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi and the ousted presidents of Egypt and Tunisia.

Swiss president and foreign minister Micheline Calmy-Rey, speaking in the Tunisian capital, Tunis, said the assets include 360m Swiss francs that may belong to Gaddafi or his entourage.

She said Switzerland had also linked 410m Swiss francs to the former Egyptian president, Hosni Mubarak, and 60m Swiss francs to Tunisia's deposed autocrat, Zine El Abidine Ben Ali.

Switzerland has ordered banks and other financial institutions to freeze possible assets belonging to the three men and their key supporters to prevent the funds from being secretly withdrawn. The Swiss government has said Tunisia and Egypt have already started legal proceedings to claim the assets.

The government added that neither country has yet provided the necessary evidence of possible criminal wrongdoing involving the money. » | Associated Press in Geneva | Tuesday, April 03, 2011

Moubarak dément s’être enrichi
20 MINUTES ONLINE: L'ancien président s'est exprimé pour la première fois depuis sa chute.

L'ancien président égyptien Hosni Moubarak a démenti avoir abusé de son autorité pour accumuler biens et richesses, dans un message sonore diffusé dimanche par la chaîne Al-Arabiya. C'est la première intervention de l'ex-raïs depuis sa chute le 11 février après 18 jours de manifestations.

Hosni Moubarak se dit prêt à coopérer à toute enquête des autorités égyptiennes pour démontrer, a-t-il souligné, qu'il ne possède pas de biens ni de comptes à l'étranger. L'ancien chef de l'Etat se trouve actuellement en résidence surveillée avec sa famille dans un palais de Charm el-Cheikh, station balnéaire sur la mer Rouge. Enquête sur les avoirs demandée » | ap | Dimanche 10 Avril 2011

Mubarak to Al Arabiya: I Welcome Inquiry into My Assets
Slams critics, denies having assets abroad
AL ARABIYA: In his first public remarks since stepping down as Egyptian president in Ferburary, Hosni Mubarak on Sunday hit back at critics who have accused him and his family of improper activity.



“I have spent my whole life in serving the nation with honesty and integrity,” he said in a recorded message broadcast exclusively on Al Arabiya. “I cannot remain silent in face of the continual campaigns of defamation and false accusations that aim at ruining the reputation and integrity of my family and me.” 



He said he welcomed inquiries into his finances. “I will stick to all my legal rights to have action against everyone who tried to mess with the reputation of me and my family whether inside or outside the country.” » | Abeer Tayel, Al Arabiya | Sunday, April 10, 2011

Schweiz friert Gaddafis Vermögen ein
FRANKFURTER ALLGEMEINE ZEITUNG: Angesichts der Eskalation in Libyen friert die Schweiz das Vermögen des libyschen Staatschefs Muammar al Gaddafi ein. Die Vereinigten Staaten wollen Libyen aus dem UN-Menschenrechtsrat ausschließen. Gaddafi hat Usama Bin Ladin für die Rebellion in seinem Land verantwortlich gemacht.

Der libysche Staatschef Gaddafi hat Al-Qaida-Führer Usama Bin Ladin für die Rebellion in seinem Land verantwortlich gemacht. Im Staatsfernsehen sagte Gaddafi am Donnerstag, die Aufständischen seien Jugendliche, die unter dem Einfluss von Rauschgift und Al Qaida stünden. Derweil griffen Getreue des Machthabers mit großer Brutalität Regimegegner an, die mehrere Städte im Osten kontrollieren. Nach Augenzeugenberichten gab es dabei Dutzende Tote. Das Regime drohte unterdessen den ausländischen Journalisten, die sich ohne Genehmigung im Land aufhalten. Diese würden wie Spione oder Al-Qaida-Terroristen behandelt, die libysche Regierung könne für ihre Sicherheit nicht garantieren, hieß es.

Die Vereinigten Staaten von Amerika wollen eine Initiative der Europäischen Union unterstützen, Libyen aus dem UN-Menschenrechtsrat auszuschließen. Das erfuhr die Nachrichtenagentur AP am Donnerstag aus US-Regierungskreisen in Washington. Außenministerin Hillary Clinton werde sich bei ihrem Besuch beim Menschenrechtsrat kommende Woche in Genf um die Einzelheiten kümmern. Angesichts der Eskalation in Libyen friert die Regierung der Schweiz das Vermögen des libyschen Staatschefs Muammar al Gaddafi in der Schweiz ein. >>> FAZ.NET/F.A.Z./cheh./rüb. | Donnerstag, 24. Februar 2011

Bandar bin Sultan Feels a Chill Wind on His Assets
TIMESONLINE: PRINCE Bandar Bin Sultan, the former Saudi Arabian ambassador to America, has been hit by a court order in effect freezing some of his US assets, as part of a class-action lawsuit over bribery allegations at British defence giant BAE Systems. Saudi royal Prince Bandar Bin Sultan's assets frozen >>> By Grant Ringshaw

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