United States clears late Iqbal Memon from sanctions list

The US government has deleted the name of late Indian businessman Iqbal Memon (aka Iqbal Mirchi) from the sanctions list, said a release. Memon's sons, Asif and Junaid, now based in Dubai, said their late father had petitioned to the US authorities when they designated him as a "kingpin" in drug-related offences. "At last the truth has come out," they said in the press release.

The US Department of Treasury had on Wednesday said their Office of Foreign Assets Control lifted sanctions against the late businessman, the statement said.

Mr Erich C Ferrari of Washington, DC law firm Ferrari & Associates, said: "I am very pleased with Mr Memon's removal from the OFAC SDN List. As the lawyer who investigated this matter for nearly six years, I can say confidently that there was no legitimate, credible evidence that Mr Memon was ever involved in any wrong-doing. If it were not for the false reports and accusations spread by members of the media, he would not have had to live with the stigma of the designation in the first place. I am happy that at the end of the day, the truth prevailed, and the US government made the right choice to rescind the designation."

Asif and Junaid, Indian-born businessmen, had alleged last year they were the subject of false and politically motivated stories due to some family disputes. They have now welcomed the dramatic reduction in "media noise" in the Indian press.

The brothers said they were outraged that law enforcement agencies, apparently encouraged by certain sections of their family, were feeding irresponsible stories to the media alleging that they were part of a massive property and money-laundering operation for gangster Dawood Ibrahim. Asif and Junaid said government departments were being misled to harass the brothers.

These allegations claimed that Asif and Junaid were continuing the work of their late father, who had allegedly laundered money for Dawood. Some articles also said the late Memon was involved in the 1993 Mumbai bomb blasts, a case in which he was exonerated, said the release.

The brothers had denied having met Dawood or holding property on his behalf.