Lloyds TSB bullying Interpal charity and their bank IBB

Saeed

I just read this on the Interpal site and cannot believe Lloyds TSB is bullying Interpals clearing bank into servering all ties with Interpal. This will mean Interpal will no longer be able to take donations. See statement below:-

PRESS STATEMENT: 17 November 2008
Dear Friends,
Due to the overwhelming support Interpal has received on this matter, this statement is being released for further circulation and clarification. On the November 12, Interpal received notification from their bank, the Islamic Bank of Britain (IBB), that Lloyds TSB (their clearing bank) has served notice on IBB to cease all dealings with Interpal. Clearing banks are responsible for the processing of all financial transactions and Lloyds TSB is one of the 4 clearing banks in the UK which all high street banks must work through. The notice comes into effect on 8 December 2008 (date subsequently revised to 30 January 2009)and has the potential to force Interpal to cease operations early next month.
After this time “all transactions into or out of Interpal accounts will be blocked and IBB will be at further risk of all its customer payments being suspended”. To date, despite pressures from Lloyds, IBB has offered Interpal its full support but it remains threatened by Lloyds’ demands.
Lloyds TSB has treated IBB in a discriminatory fashion and its customers with complete disrespect. Other Muslim charities now face the same discrimination and their accounts can be closed down without adequate warning or explanation. At a time when ties amongst communities need to be strengthened, this is an Islamophobic attack on the rights of all British Muslims and sets a dangerous precedent for discrimination on all British citizens and account-holders.
This is not only an attack on Interpal, a leading British charity, but on all other Muslim charities, all charities working in politically-sensitive regions, all customers of IBB and the Palestinian people, 80% of whom are completely dependent on international aid for survival.
This comes as a result of pressures from foreign groups, which do not have the legality to interfere with either the British banking or charity sector, yet have managed to place IBB in a compromising situation. Additionally, this comes as Lloyds TSB recently benefited from a bailout of taxpayer’s money, without considering that Muslims are also among British taxpayers.

HOW YOU CAN HELP

• CONTACT:

1. Lloyds TSB, and express your outrage to Lloyd TSB’s imminent actions against IBB and your concern that British account-holders can be treated in such a manner. Contact Ms. Gay Campbell (Tel: 020 7661 4778; [EMAIL="gay.campbell@lloydstsb.co.uk"]gay.campbell@lloydstsb.co.uk[/EMAIL]) or CEO Eric Daniels ([EMAIL="eric.daniels@lloydstsb.co.uk"]eric.daniels@lloydstsb.co.uk[/EMAIL]).
2. Your Local MP and 10 Downing Street, and pressure the government to act now against Lloyd TSB’s misconduct towards both IBB and all British Muslims; express your anxiety that Lloyds TSB, a beneficiary of British taxpayer’s money, can behave in such an abhorrent manner against British taxpayers.
3. Islamic Bank of Britain, and show support for continuing to support Interpal (Tel: 0845 6060786).
4. Charity Commission, to express your support for Interpal and your concern at the possible implications (Tel: 0845 3000218).

• LLOYDS CUSTOMERS: DEMAND IMMEDIATE ACTION OR CLOSE YOUR ACCOUNT
  

• FORWARD THIS NOTICE TO FRIENDS, FAMILY AND COLLEAGUES. Additionally, please read a statement from our Chairman on this matter.

From http://www.interpal.info/archives/1432



Please read and write/email Lloyds TSB

Saeed

I have sent the email below to Lloyds, lets see what their response is, although I doubt I'll get a reply!

Ms Campbell,

I sponsor 2 orphans in Palestine. I was shocked to read on the Interpal website that Lloyds TSB has threatened the intermediary bank IBB to cease all transactions with Interpal. I am very concerned about the effect this action will have on the plight of refugees, most of whom have been refugees for over 60 years.

I would like Lloyds TSB to withdraw this threatened action against IBB and allow it to conduct Interpals transactions as normal. As an account holder, I would also like to know why this action is being undertaken. I have never heard to something like this happening to any other charity.

Regards,

Saeed

I got a reply back, a general scanned letter below.


It appears that Lloyds is taking action against Interpal and indirectly IBB without any real reason. Secondly, llyods statement below states "Lloyds .... would not direct, neither would it be appropriate for us, to direct another institution on how to deal with its own customers". This is absolutely untrue. Lloyds has written to the IBB demanding "we do not wish you to transfer, receive, process or in any way deal with any funds, or in any way whatsoever… be involved with any type of banking arrangements for Interpal which either uses or involves any products or services provided by us".

Why is Lloyds trying to spread misinformation??

Saeed

Please contact lloyds and try to stop this action taking place. If you want to help, please see this page for contact details http://www.interpal.info/archives/1531

ahai1

It could be that they suspect something like money laundering or some other crimminal act in which case they cannot tell the bank why they have requested this.

I think it would be better if it was moved to the current accounts section where someone could give some possible reasons.

Also Saeed it is not helpful to make allegiations about things like discrimination when you don't know the full circuimstances. I have seen no reason to indicate that there is discrimination in the banking sector or it would be up in the MSE forum.

soolin

BG NOTE

This thread does not seem to sit comfortably in any of the forums, so I have asked the forum team where it is best placed.

ahai1

It seems that this is not the first time that Interpal has been in trouble. As far as I am concerned nothing has been proven against them so they are innocent until proven guilty. However the reply that Saeed posted from Lloyds might be a clue that there could be some other allegiations been investigated. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interpal

Saeed

ahai1 wrote: »

It could be that they suspect something like money laundering or some other crimminal act in which case they cannot tell the bank why they have requested this.

Interpal has in the recent past been targetted 3 times and cleared on all counts. The last people to accuse it were the Zionist Board of Deputies of British Jews who accused it of funding "terrorism" and later withdrew their allegation which were without merit. It is clear according to Wikipedia and Interpal that the Zionists who control the banking systems and parliaments of both here and across the Atlantic have been putting intense pressure to have this charity shut down.

Also Saeed it is not helpful to make allegiations about things like discrimination when you don't know the full circuimstances. I have seen no reason to indicate that there is discrimination in the banking sector or it would be up in the MSE forum.

The quotation about discrimination is not mine, it is copied and pasted from the Interpal website. The Palestinian people have been discriminated against for the past 60 years, that's why they are sat in the the concentration camps of the West Bank and 1.5million of them are being starved to death in the Gaza Strip, but you won't see much of this being reported on the BBC. All we hear about is Mugabe!

ahai1

I do appreciate that you are angry but it is not helpful to use words like zionists to describe the entire banking and political systems it does no credit to your cause or that of interpal.

I agree that there has been no proof that interpal has been involved in crimminal acts but maybe Lloyds have been given some and the law states that they are not allowed to disclose it.

I think we should leave the wider issue of what is happening the Middle East aside as this is not a debate about that but instead of a charity which has had it's bank accounts suspended.

ALJ_3

http://www.ketteringtownfc.co.uk/index.php?q=node/329

Winner of Lloyds TSB Asian Jewel for Business & Commerce to return award in protest at banks actions against UK charity
By Tim Saunders, 10th December 2008
(Please visit the link below to sign a petition requesting Lloyds TSB to stop denying humanitarian aid to 5 million Palestinian refugees and forward to people you know)
http://www.petitiononline.com/FOSISPal/petition.html
Kettering Town Chairman Imraan Ladak will return his 2007 Lloyds TSB Asian Jewel Award (awarded for the extraordinary growth of DRC Locums and Locumlinx) after learning that the bank, recently bailed out by billions of pounds of British taxpayers money, are on the verge of ending humanitarian aid for up to five million Palestinian refugees in desperate need, by cutting off the charity Interpal’s (who have raised over £50m) banking facilities.
The Kettering Chairman feels he has no choice as “Lloyds TSB’s plans can only result in escalating the horrific suffering of innocent children, supported by those with racially motivated agendas. I no longer trust that Lloyds TSB follow the equal opportunities and anti-racist principles the Asian Jewel Awards are based upon. At Kettering Town, like the majority of British football clubs, we value success on and off the field equally. “Off the field” includes supporting and promoting humanitarian causes and dozens of charities and we won’t change these principles, even for a Goliath like Lloyds TSB.”
This evening, Kettering Town (leading scorers in the history of the FA Cup and first club to ever have a shirt sponsor) will continue their quest for FA Cup glory, wearing their Interpal shirts live on Setanta Sports, having displayed the Wateraid and Interpal charities instead of corporate sponsors regularly since July 2007. Gianfranco Zola, Les Ferdinand and Christian Karembeu are some of the legendary footballers that have played for Kettering Town in the charities shirts.
As most are aware, the beleaguered Palestinians have been the victims of ethnic cleansing and sixty years of human rights violations - condemned by 69 United Nations resolutions and almost every country in the world, resulting in a humanitarian crisis of catastrophic proportions. This slow genocide, described by former US President Jimmy Carter as “one the the greatest human rights crimes on earth” and the great Nelson Mandela as “apartheid” is solely because they were born Palestinian. However, the success of Interpal’s humanitarian efforts is at odds with the racially motivated aspirations of those behind the suffering who have made unsupported and damaging allegations against Interpal, with the sanction of the George Bush regime.
The UK Government and Charities commission on each occasion have investigated these allegations and found them to be without merit. Following a two year legal challenge, the Board of Deputies were forced into a substantial out of court settlement and a humiliating apology after having repeated such allegations
When Kettering Town agreed to display Interpal on its playing shirts, they received the congratulations and letters of support from several MP’s within the Labour Party, Conservative Party and Liberal Democrats.
In November 2008, it was reported that Lloyds TSB – the bank that had just received billions in aid from the taxpayer – were trying to stop Interpal from trading.
Kettering Town FC immediately contacted Lloyds TSB to ascertain why a charity, supported by the UK government and it’s main opposition parties, the United Nations and the UK Charities commission was under threat. Lloyds wrote back:
“Lloyds TSB does not hold or never has held accounts for Interpal. Furthermore, Lloyds TSB would not direct nor would it be appropriate for us to direct another institution on how to deal with its own customers.”
However Kettering Town FC are now in possession of a letter from Lloyds TSB (acting as a clearing bank) to IBB (with whom Interpal bank), dated 8th October 2008 which states:
“We are writing to you to give you notice that, from the date falling on the sixtieth calendar day following the date of this letter”..(Eid – the festival somewhat akin to Christmas)..“we do not wish you to transfer, receive, process or in any way deal with any funds, or in any way whatsoever (acting either as banker or agent on behalf of the Customer) be involved with any type of banking arrangements for Interpal…”
This letter clearly indicates that the information Lloyds TSB provided Kettering Town FC was inaccurate at best, downright misleading at worst.
Kettering [Town] have since written to the Lloyds TSB Chairman Sir Victor Blank, who was a Chair of UJS Hillel, a member of “Labour friends of Israel” and a Governor of Tel Aviv University (which sits on a site where scores of innocent Palestinian women and children once lived before their homes were bulldozed). Alas, it appeared Sir Victor Blank was too busy planning the Lloyds TSB/HBOS merger to reply to little old Kettering Town FC’s interest in starving children.
Kettering then wrote to Sir David Manning GCMG CVO who only joined the Lloyds TSB board in May 2008, having previously been an ambassador to Israel, sure that a newly appointed board member would have the time to explain why Lloyds TSB were trying to stop aid to the most desperate of people. To date they have had no response.
However Kettering Town FC have received renewed statements of support from MP’s who are trying to lobby our Prime Minister Gordon Brown to ask his good friend Sir Victor Blank to reverse this sickening act by Lloyds TSB.
We trust the Prime Minister will ensure race does not determine if banks process charitable donations.

andy5566

Hi this is just speculation but,

I suspect Lloyds TSB's action possibly has come about by pressure from the U.S, as Interpal is still on the U.S treasuries, Office of Foreign Asset Control's (OFAC) financial sanctions list. http://www.ustreas.gov/offices/enforcement/ofac/sdn/t11sdn.pdf

Lloyds TSB have a Private International Banking facility based in Florida, which I guess could be prosecuted for the breach of U.S sanctions, made by its parent company? They probably just don't want to take that risk.