UAE

UAE

BCCI’s drug money laundering. The UAE and Hong Kong were major centres for heroin money. Banks in the UAE catered for traffickers for the golden crescent countries of Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iran. Hong Kong banks received huge sums from traffickers in the world’s leading opium producing regions, the golden triangle of Burma, Thailand and Laos.

1966 – Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan al-Nahyan became ruler of UAE, a British colony. Around this time Abedi meets Zayed.

December 1971 - UAE gained independence with Sheikh Zayed as President.

1972 – Abedi set up BCCI. Its main backers were Sheikh Zayed and the Bank of America.

1973 – After the 1973 oil shock, foreign and domestic banks opened hundreds of branches in UAE. Making it one of the most overbanked countries in the world.

1973-75 – At the end of 1973, BCCI’s first full year of operation. It had 19 branches in five countries, of these 8 were in the UAE and 4 in the UK. In 1975 BCCI had 64 branches in 13 countries, the UAE and UK had the lead with 19 branches each.

October 1973 – Egypt and Syria attack Israel. The Yom Kippur war. UAE was the first of several Arab countries to declare an embargo on oil exports to the US, as punishment for its support of Israel. Over the next few months OPEC quadrupled oil prices.

25 November 1973 – KLM airliner flying to New Delhi was hijacked to UAE, three hijackers surrendered, their fate was unknown.

December 1976 – In Abu Dhabi the UAE celebrated its 5^th anniversary with a parade of mirage fighters, missiles and armoured vehicles. While their ruler Sheikh Zayed pledged support for the Palestinian cause and called for Arab solidarity against Israel.

1978 – The UAE’s ambassador to Washington Hamad al-Midfa tried to manage the press, with regards to the takeover  -- BCCI takeover of Financial General. In 1978 Zafar Iqbal was head of BCCE the UAE affiliate of BCCI in which Zayed held a controlling interest. Iqbal became BCCI chief executive in 1990. BCCI takeover of Financial General was complete in 1982. First American .

1979 – By 1979 the UAE had 430 bank branches or one for every 2,000 citizens. The highest ratio in the world.

23 September 1983 – A Gulf Air Boeing 737 from Karachi to Dubai crashed near Abu Dhabi airport killing all passengers and crew. Was Abu Nidal behind the attack?

8 February 1984 – The ambassador of UAE was shot dead in Paris France.

25 October 1984 – A diplomat from the UAE was assassinated in Rome Italy.

20 September 1990 – BCCI moved its HQ from London to UAE after refusing to release six month financial statements.

5 July 1991 – The Bank of England shut down BCCI.  Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan al Nahayan. Pres of UAE.  UAE had most of the BCCI financial records. BCCI branches in UAE did not shut down, they just renamed to National Union Bank. (BBC 5 Aug 1991).

9 September 1991 – Police arrest Naqvi and several other BCCI officers at the banks main office in Abu Dhabi UAE.

6 February 1995 – Gulf economy BCCI deal buoys UAE stocks. Ahmad Mardini.  Inter press service.

1998 – al-Qaeda accounts in the Dubai Islamic bank in UAE were closed under pressure from the US.

8 December 2000 – The pilot of flight 77 which crashed into the Pentagons southwest side is believed to have been Hani Hanjour. Several hijackers including Hanjour and al Mihdhar supplemented their finances with credit cards drawn on Saudi and UAE banks. The FBI said that Hani Hanjour arrived in San Diego from Dubai on 8 December 2000 and left San Diego with al Hazmi for Arizona several days later. Hanjour was in San Diego area with al Hazmi in December 2000. Hanjour  was not identified by an FBI informant who met with him. (The 9/11 investigations ©2004 S.Strasser public affairs reports).

September 2001 – Pakistani UAE based, Saudi born Mustafa Ahmed al-Hawsawi (alias Mustafa  Ahmed) coordinated finances for the 9/11 attacks.

11 Sept 2001 – CNN facts hijackers. United airlines flight 175. Fayez Banihammad from UAE.

11 Sept 2001 – CNN facts hijackers 8 Sept 2014. United airlines flight 175. Marwan al Shehhi from UAE.

22 September 2001 – UAE severs diplomatic ties with the ruling Taliban movement in Afghanistan.

2004 – HBO documentary about enslaved child camel jockeys in Dubai. They are  malnourished boys, beaten and sodomized.  (A crime so monstrous. E Benjamin Skinner ©2008 UK).

19 September 2006 – Crackdown to stop illegal immigrants entering UAE from Oman. Al-Hilli checkpoints security.

10 November 2006 – According to Italian police the accused Pakistanis smuggled huge sums of money to different countries. With the help of Indians based in UAE the accused smuggled illegal drugs into Europe via Turkey. Their group comprised Albanians who are also wanted. The Pakistani embassy in Italy asked Italian officials to provide details of arrested Pakistanis.

2008 – G lobal competition. The Zayed future energy prize. Flown to UAE . The Zayed future energy fund was started in 2008, by the ruler of Abu Dhabi, UAE,  Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al Nahyan.  (26 Jan 2015. Southern View. Christchurch New Zealand. Bridget Rutherford).

2009 – UAE, soldiers and laws for sex trafficking of women from Asia, into brothels in Dubai, and Uzbekistan in 2009. Sex trafficking in UAE. (Slavery inc. Lydia Cacho ©2010 UK).

20 May 2009 – Ros Lehtinan Iieana. Ros Lehtinen comments on the signing of UAE nuclear agreement. House committee on foreign affairs.

30 Nov 2009 – Haseeb Haider.  UAE offers more funds to banks. Khaleej times. (The shadow market. Eric J Weiner ©2010).

2011 – Gridlock, labour, migration and human trafficking in Dubai. Pardis Mahdavi. ebook Sanford California uni press Worldcat database.

23 October 2012 – Iran may be using Dubai UAE to hide all the gold its trading with Turkey. Joshua Berlinger Business insider.

22 May 2013 – Woman sentenced to 15 years in Dubai jail for trying to smuggle drugs. Gulf news UAE.

28 June 2014 – Abu Dhabi stops three attempts to smuggle cocaine heroin into UAE. 7 days.

18 Aug 2014 – Man arrested. Dubai policeman over drugs bust. Dubai UAE. Officer arrested, trade of crystal meth.