March 17, 2002	Sunday	Muharram 2, 1423

PARIS, March 16: The French justice ministry says it is investigating allegations of money laundering by financial interests linked to the family of Osama bin Laden.

The investigations concern several companies associated with SICO (Saudi Investment Company), the Geneva-based group that is headed by Yeslam bin Laden, a half-brother of Osama, which manages a large part of the holdings of Binladin Group (SBG), which was founded by Osama’s father.

The group is especially present in the power and construction sectors, and besides building super-highways and airports, has notably expanded mosques located at Makkah and Madina.

The decision to undertake the investigation comes in the wake of the determination by the French finance ministry that several subsidiaries controlled by SICO in France appeared to be laundering money, according to information provided by Tracfin, a finance ministry department that specializes in the tracking of illegal transactions.

Tracfin was given the task, following the Sept 11 attacks in USA, of investigating French-based financial interests with possible ties to international terrorism.

Sources at Tracfin say that 20 different cases have been already presented to investigators, including at least one involving SICO and transactions involving the family of Osama.

Osama’s half-brother Yeslam denied last year any involvement in money-laundering or support of terrorism.

To prove his good faith, Yeslam Bin Laden said that following the attacks of Sept 11 he addressed his condolences to the US ambassador at Berne, the Swiss capital, telling him that “whoever is responsible for having planned and executed this terrorist act, and for whatever reasons, will never manage to destroy the values of liberty and humanity.”