First Wave

1 - The international foreign press high lighted the article. Agency France Press is the leading news provider in and for the Middle East. It dispatched the false contents of Guido Olimpio article of Corriere Della Sera and went more miles fare by making more serious modifications .Although what Corriere Della Sera wrote was totally false and baseless but what Agency France Press dispatched to all the international media was worst. The Corriera among its completely false statement said that Bank Al Taqwa donated money to Hamas while Agancy France Press falsely stated that the the Corriera’s article quoted that Bank Al Taqwa lost part of its money and the leaders of Hamas insist they did not know where it went, and about 60 million us$ collected from all over the world are moved to accounts in this bank.

2 – Other fabrications came from Agency France press and Indigo Publications ‘Intelligence News letter’ said that the there is flow of financing from contributors through the Malta and Lugano branches of Bank Al Taqwa to Osama Ben Laden and AlQaida. [The fact is that Bank Al Taqwa and the entire group never had an office or contacts what so ever in Malta. Same time Al Taqwa Management organization in Lugano never received money except from its principle Bank Al Taqwa] and never transferred money except for payments of local salaries and expenses.

3 - The international news agencies interviewed all the leaders of Hamas and defused their answer .They declared that all the articles allegations were groundless, untrue, there is no connection what so ever between them and Al Taqwa group, they never received any money from them, and even they did not know that such Al Taqwa bank or group exist. The declaration of Hamas was defused specially by Agency France Press as well as all the Middle East media.

4 - Al Taqwa group mainly Bank Al Taqwa through its president Youssef Nada send his denial to the media including Corriere dela Sera and Agency France Press.

5 - In our denial to Corriera Della Sera we clarified that all what concerned us and Al Taqwa group, Bank Al Taqwa, its president Youssef Nada, and his deputy Ghaleb Himmat as indicated in the article was totally false, fabricated and baseless. They published the denial, but as usual summarized.’

6 - In our denial to Agency France Press We clarified that all what concerned us and Al Taqwa group ,Bank Al Taqwa,its president Youssef Nada , and his deputy Ghaleb Himmat as indicated in the article which they related to Corriere Della Sera was totally false , fabricated and baseless and although Guido olimpio falsely stated that Bank Al Taqwa donated money to Hamas but also Agency France Press falsely stated quote Bank Al Taqwa lost part of its money and the leaders of Hamas insist they did not know where it went , and about 60 million us$ collected from all over the world are moved to accounts in this bank ,unquote

At the same time the file was given to our Milan lawyer to start criminal procedure against Guido Olimpio and Corierre Della Sera.

7 – On the 25 th November 1997 we received from the chief editor of Agency France Press quote In reference to your denial of Corriere Della Sera article , you will find here a fax quoting your communiqué that we put out on our wires on Tuesday 25th ,including one from Jerusalem recording a denial from Hamas movement. It was sent to the same clients who got the first information on October 20th.

I personally drew the attention of some of our most important clients onto this information. A story in Arabic was also put on AFP wires, on the bases of your text in Arabic. I hope this will settle the case to our mutual benefit. Sincerely yours YVES DE SAINT-JACUB Editor in chief. Unquote.

8 - Thirteen Arabic news papers in London and the Middle East reedited the Corriera Della Sera article with different modifications.

The reporters from everywhere questioned us and HAMAS LEADERS.