Contacts: Diana Pearson FOR RELEASE:
212-522-0833 Sunday, Nov. 17, 2002
Sept. 11 Families Expanding Suit Against Saudis
-- Adding a Bank Partly Owned by Citibank
Sun Nov 17 2002 10:00:36 ET
New York - The Sept. 11 families who filed a $1 trillion lawsuit against
members of the Saudi royal family and others are about to add 50 new
defendants, reports TIME's Adam Zagorin.
The 3,000 relatives are expanding the case, and are likely to name:
* Saudi Minister of the Interior Prince Naif.
* Saudi American Bank (SAMBA), the kingdom's second largest financial
institution, which is partly owned and managed by Citibank.
* Mohammed al-Amoudi, the multimillionaire owner of a lavish Addis Ababa
hotel where Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill and rock star Bono stayed
this year while on their African tour.
* As well as prominent Saudi charities, financial institutions and
businessmen.
The case is "baseless, offering false hope to victims' families by
smearing honest Saudis," a royal family member told TIME.
Senior figures in the State Department, sources tell TIME, are arguing
that the litigation should be done away with before it impedes Saudi
cooperation in a possible war against Iraq. But Zagorin reports some
Justice and Treasury Department officials see the lawsuit as a useful
tool to pressure the Saudis into defunding al-Qaeda."The Saudis have
offered piecemeal cooperation that has led to some successes," says a
frustrated senior U.S. official. "Now it's time for an approach that
produces greater results."
