T&T cops probe businessman’s funding to foreign groups

Inshan Ishmael
Inshan Ishmael

(Trinidad Express) Inshan Ishmael, businessman and political activist, has been red-flagged in connection with attempts to wire transfer millions to organisations abroad allegedly linked to terrorism.

Two transfers were successful and two were not.

Among the suspicious attempts is TT$3.4 million in 2011 to the Muslim Aid foundation, which was classified as a terrorist organisation.

Ishmael, according to documents received by the Sunday Express, is under investigation by the Financial Investigations Branch (FIB) of the Police Service for attempting to send 10,154.44 pounds sterling to Muslim Aid to provide “charitable aid to Somalia” in 2014.

That wire transfer passed through banking group RBC without issue, but was cancelled and red-flagged by the Toronto, Canada, routing department of the same bank because “Muslim Aid is categorised as a terrorist organisation by the Israeli Military of Defence and is listed on the World Check database”.

Reached for comment, RBC’s senior communications manager, Nicole Duke-Westfield, said the bank cannot comment on issues relating to clients.