The Central Bank of Yemen in Aden ordered banks and exchange firms to freeze assets tied to 135 listed targets, putting a prosecutor’s decision over alleged Houthi links into effect at financial institutions.
In an Oct. 20 announcement carried by state-run SABA, the bank said its instruction followed the public prosecutor’s Oct. 19 decision to place the targets on terrorism lists and freeze their assets. Financial institutions must identify connected accounts, holdings and money transfers and report them to financial intelligence and anti-money-laundering authorities.
Among the 135 targets are five oil tankers and one company, alongside businesspeople and Houthi officials in political, military and security roles. Yemeni authorities identified the tankers as smuggling vessels. SABA’s Oct. 20 article did not list the 135 names.
The order requires banks and exchange firms to check their records for assets and transfers connected to the listed targets. It follows a separate move by Yemen’s internationally recognized Cabinet. On Oct. 11, the Cabinet approved a draft law to designate the Houthis a terrorist organization and criminalize the group’s activities and financing. It directed completion of the legal and constitutional procedures needed to enact the measure.
