Comments on: Saudi Case Highlights Tensions between US, UK Laws http://xrdarabia.org/2007/11/09/saudi-case-highlights-tensions-between-us-uk-laws/ Informed comment and commentary about Saudi Arabia, reform, and its relations with the US Mon, 13 Feb 2012 13:46:38 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: John Burgess http://xrdarabia.org/2007/11/09/saudi-case-highlights-tensions-between-us-uk-laws/comment-page-1/#comment-6934 John Burgess Fri, 09 Nov 2007 20:26:35 +0000 http://xrdarabia.org/2007/11/09/saudi-case-highlights-tensions-between-us-uk-laws/#comment-6934 You're mixing a couple of different cases. The Cambridge story is different from Ehrenfeld's. And it's not just UK courts that have ruled in bin Mahfouz' favor: US courts have said the documents that identify him as a funder of terrorism are specious at best. The same with French courts dealing with French books citing the same source, the 'Golden Chain' documents. Bin Mahfouz has been alleged by many to be a bad guy, but no one can offer anything approaching legal proof. The issue of 'comity', enforcing other courts' judgments, is very much the problem. I wouldn't be surprised if it ended up at the Supreme Court. You’re mixing a couple of different cases. The Cambridge story is different from Ehrenfeld’s. And it’s not just UK courts that have ruled in bin Mahfouz’ favor: US courts have said the documents that identify him as a funder of terrorism are specious at best. The same with French courts dealing with French books citing the same source, the ‘Golden Chain’ documents. Bin Mahfouz has been alleged by many to be a bad guy, but no one can offer anything approaching legal proof.

The issue of ‘comity’, enforcing other courts’ judgments, is very much the problem. I wouldn’t be surprised if it ended up at the Supreme Court.

]]> By: Solomon2 http://xrdarabia.org/2007/11/09/saudi-case-highlights-tensions-between-us-uk-laws/comment-page-1/#comment-6933 Solomon2 Fri, 09 Nov 2007 20:07:33 +0000 http://xrdarabia.org/2007/11/09/saudi-case-highlights-tensions-between-us-uk-laws/#comment-6933 Isn't this the case of the Saudi business man who was protected by a loophole in British libel laws: because he financed terror through a shell corporation, nothing could be pinned on him <i>personally</i>. The author didn't recognize British jurisdiction, a summary judgment was issued, and Cambridge University pulped their copies and made a huge donation to one of Mahfouz' charities. The author's interests are clearly damaged this way, so Mahfouz' lawyers arguments sound specious to me. Should be interesting to see how the court case goes - maybe up to the Supreme Court. Isn’t this the case of the Saudi business man who was protected by a loophole in British libel laws: because he financed terror through a shell corporation, nothing could be pinned on him personally. The author didn’t recognize British jurisdiction, a summary judgment was issued, and Cambridge University pulped their copies and made a huge donation to one of Mahfouz’ charities. The author’s interests are clearly damaged this way, so Mahfouz’ lawyers arguments sound specious to me. Should be interesting to see how the court case goes – maybe up to the Supreme Court.

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