A businessman living in Ireland who is accused of financing al-Qaeda has asked the Government to intervene on his behalf to get his name off an EU terror list.
Bin Muhammad Ayadi Chafiq, a Bosnian national who has lived in Ireland since 1997, sent two letters in 2004 requesting help from the Government to get his name removed from the terror list.
The Government replied earlier this month saying it was still considering the situation, the European Court of First Instance heard yesterday.
Mr Chafiq is one of 17 people accused of financing terrorists linked to Al-Qaeda and Osama Bin Laden on a list drawn up by the United Nations after the September 11th attacks.
The EU later transposed the list into European law, enabling member states to freeze the bank accounts of each individual named on the list.
Counsel for Mr Chafiq, Simon Cox, told the court yesterday that his client had suffered a breach of his fundamental human rights by being deprived of the ability to work or earn money since being named on the list in October 2001. Mr Cox said this had prevented him from being able to provide for his wife and six children, who also live in the Republic. He said Mr Chafiq had been refused a taxi licence in Ireland and must rely on unemployment and rent allowance.
Mr Cox said Mr Chafiq had twice written to the Irish authorities requesting their assistance to have his name removed from the terror list.
The first letter was sent in February 2004 and the second in May 2004. The Government replied earlier this month, stating that it was still "considering" the request, added Mr Cox.
Mr Cox said the procedure used by the EU to freeze the assets of Mr Chafiq lacked any judicial oversight and were not compliant with fundamental human rights.
Counsel for the EU said the court had already ruled on the legal points in a previous judgment made last month involving two other people named on the same terror list. The court had ruled in favour of the EU in these cases, he said.
The court will issue a judgment within several months.