Probe into Aussie Hizbullah funders

Published: 11.26, 2006

Australian anti-money laundering regulator suspects citizens of sending money to Hizbullah during Lebanon war

According to an article by Australian Jewish News, Australia’s anti-money laundering regulator Austrac was investigating two Australian citizens for allegedly breaching Australia’s terror financing laws by sending large amounts of money to Hizbullah during its recent conflict with Israel .

The AJN reported Austrac’s head of intelligence John Visser as saying the organization had identified at least five suspicious transactions involving two people, after closely examining every financial transfer between Australia and Lebanon during the six-week war that began in July.

According to the AJN report, the Australian quoted Visser as telling a national security conference in Sydney last week that “one particular network was of interest” and that “the people in that network have been picked up”.

While only the External Security Organization, Hizbullah’s external arm, is officially proscribed as a terrorist organization in Australia, United Nations counter-terrorist financing treaties make it illegal for Australian citizens to support both Hizbullah’s political and military wings.

The AJN report said the head of the Supreme Islamic Shia Council of Australia, Kamal Mousselmani, told the Australian that members of the Shia community often sent money to relatives in Lebanon – but not to Hizbullah.

“There is no benefit in being with Hizbullah. We support our people in Lebanon, but not Hizbullah,” he said.

Michael Danby MP told the AJN “the great majority of Lebanese in Australia came here to get away from extremism and violence, and are law-abiding people”.

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3332645,00.html