NDB expands to 11 members, raises $16.1bn in 2024, says Rousseff    Egypt, Somalia leaders discuss strategic partnership, counterterrorism in New Alamein    Egypt, UNDP discuss expanded cooperation on medical waste management, human development    CIB finances Giza Pyramids Sound and Light Show redevelopment with EGP 963m loan    EGX closes mixed on July 7th    Gold retreats as investors await tariff clarity    Egypt, UNDP discuss future health projects – Cabinet    Egypt calls for stronger central bank cooperation, local currency use at BRICS summit    Egypt's PM, Uruguay's president discuss Gaza, trade at BRICS summit    Egypt's Talaat Moustafa Group H1 sales jump 59% to EGP 211bn    Egypt, Uruguay eager to expand trade across key sectors    Egypt accelerates coastal protection projects amid rising climate threats    Deadly Israeli airstrikes pound Gaza as Doha talks raise hopes for ceasefire    Egypt, Norway hold informal talks ahead of global plastic treaty negotiations    Greco-Roman tombs with hieroglyphic inscriptions discovered in Aswan    Global tour for Korean 'K-Comics' launches in Cairo with 'Hellbound' exhibition    Egypt teams up with private sector to boost university rankings    Egypt reveals heritage e-training portal    Three ancient rock-cut tombs discovered in Aswan    Egypt condemns deadly terrorist attack in Niger        Egypt's EHA, Schneider Electric sign MoU on sustainable infrastructure    Sisi launches new support initiative for families of war, terrorism victims    Egypt expands e-ticketing to 110 heritage sites, adds self-service kiosks at Saqqara    Egypt's EDA joins high-level Africa-Europe medicines regulatory talks    Egypt's Irrigation Minister urges scientific cooperation to tackle water scarcity    Palm Hills Squash Open debuts with 48 international stars, $250,000 prize pool    Egypt's Democratic Generation Party Evaluates 84 Candidates Ahead of Parliamentary Vote    On Sport to broadcast Pan Arab Golf Championship for Juniors and Ladies in Egypt    Golf Festival in Cairo to mark Arab Golf Federation's 50th anniversary    Germany among EU's priciest labour markets – official data    Cabinet approves establishment of national medical tourism council to boost healthcare sector    Egypt's PM follows up on Julius Nyerere dam project in Tanzania    Egypt's FM inspects Julius Nyerere Dam project in Tanzania    Paris Olympic gold '24 medals hit record value    A minute of silence for Egyptian sports    Russia says it's in sync with US, China, Pakistan on Taliban    It's a bit frustrating to draw at home: Real Madrid keeper after Villarreal game    Shoukry reviews with Guterres Egypt's efforts to achieve SDGs, promote human rights    Sudan says countries must cooperate on vaccines    Johnson & Johnson: Second shot boosts antibodies and protection against COVID-19    Egypt to tax bloggers, YouTubers    Egypt's FM asserts importance of stability in Libya, holding elections as scheduled    We mustn't lose touch: Muller after Bayern win in Bundesliga    Egypt records 36 new deaths from Covid-19, highest since mid June    Egypt sells $3 bln US-dollar dominated eurobonds    Gamal Hanafy's ceramic exhibition at Gezira Arts Centre is a must go    Italian Institute Director Davide Scalmani presents activities of the Cairo Institute for ITALIANA.IT platform    







Thank you for reporting!
This image will be automatically disabled when it gets reported by several people.



Iranian bank challenges sanctions in Britain's Supreme Court
Iranian bank resort to British judicial system to alleviate sanctions after wining a similar case against European Union sanctions
Published in Ahram Online on 19 - 03 - 2013

An Iranian bank appealed to Britain's Supreme Court on Tuesday against sanctions imposed on it by the British government in 2009 over alleged links to Iran's nuclear programme.
Bank Mellat, Iran's biggest private sector lender, wants the sanctions lifted on the basis that the government has failed to provide evidence of a connection between itself and Tehran's nuclear activities.
Bank Mellat won a similar legal battle against European Union sanctions in January, raising concerns among diplomats that court rulings could erode the sanctions regime against Iran.
Tehran says its nuclear work has only peaceful purposes but the U.N. Security Council has ordered it to suspend uranium enrichment, concerned that its ultimate goal is to develop the means to build nuclear weapons.
"Sanctions are an important way to enforce international law in a peaceful manner, but they must be subject to the rule of law and require evidence," said Sarosh Zaiwalla, a London-based lawyer representing Bank Mellat.
The sanctions against Bank Mellat, which came into force in October 2009, prevent anyone in the British financial sector from having any business relationship or conducting any transactions with the bank.
Bank Mellat says it has been unable to defend itself against the government's allegation that it indirectly facilitated the nuclear programme because some of the evidence, obtained from intelligence sources, was heard in secret in a lower court.
The government wants the Supreme Court to consider the secret material as part of its deliberations on Bank Mellat's appeal. But the bank says that would be unfair as it has not been shown the evidence against it in order to rebut it.
The debate highlights the challenge for Western governments seeking to impose sanctions on Iranian companies, caught between the need to provide sufficient evidence to stand up in court while not compromising intelligence sources.
Civil rights group Liberty has intervened in the case, arguing that it would go against open justice for the Supreme Court to consider secret material, and it would breach Bank Mellat's right to a fair trial.
But a lawyer acting for the government, Jonathan Swift, told the court it would be "disabled" from understanding the rulings made by the lower courts if it did not see the whole picture.
The issue of how the Supreme Court handles the secret material is considered so important that the case is being heard by nine judges instead of the usual five.
The hearings are scheduled to last three days, with the whole of Tuesday devoted to legal arguments about whether the court should or should not look at the secret material.
Once it has decided what to do about that issue, the Supreme Court will go on to consider the question of whether the sanctions against Bank Mellat were lawful or not. It will give its judgment on that at a later date.
http://english.ahram.org.eg/News/67252.aspx


Clic here to read the story from its source.