Brunei Islamic Bank
Brunei (03/05)
Brunei's legal system is based on English common law, with an independent judiciary, a body of written common law judgments and statutes, and legislation enacted by the sultan. The local magistrates’ courts try most cases. More serious cases go before the High Court, which sits for about 2 weeks every few months. Brunei has an arrangement with the United Kingdom whereby United Kingdom judges are appointed as the judges for Brunei's High Court and Court of Appeal. Final appeal can be made to the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council in London in civil but not criminal cases. Brunei also has a separate system of Islamic courts that apply Sharia law in family and other matters involving Muslims. Brunei is considering merging the common law and Islamic legal systems. ... [Read More]
US Department Of State Post Report
Local banks include Citibank, Standard Chartered, and HSBC. ATM machines are available in most bank branches and in the larger supermarkets. American Express has an office near the Embassy. ... The capital and the main center of population (and site of the only international airport) is Bandar Seri Begawan at the northeastern corner of the main part of the State. Bandar’s downtown area consists of shops, banks, government offices, and hotels. New shopping centers are opening. Several places of interest are situated along the bank of the Brunei River. The Post and Its AdministrationLast Updated: 12/2/2003 10:30 AM ... [Read More]
Background Notes Archive - East Asia and the Pacific
Background Notes: Brunei, October 1998Released by the Bureau of East Asian and Pacific AffairsU.S. Department of StateOFFICIAL NAME: Brunei DarussalamPROFILEGeographyArea: 5,769 sq. km. (2,227 sq. mi.), slightly larger than Delaware.Cities: Capital--Bandar Seri Begawan.Terrain: East--flat coastal plains with beaches; west--hilly with a few mountain ridges.Climate: Equatorial; high temperatures, humidity, and rainfall.PeopleNationality: Noun and adjective--Bruneian(s).Population (1998 est.): 320,000.Annual growth rate: 2.5%.Ethnic groups: Malay, Chinese, other indigenous.Religion: Islam.Languages: Malay, English, Chinese; Iban and other indigenous dialects.Education: Years compulsory--9. Literacy--90%. (1996)Health: Life expectancy--74 years. Infant mortality rate(1996)--6.9/1,000. GovernmentType: Sultanate.Independence: January 1, 1984.Constitution: 1959.Branches: Executive--Sultan is both head of state and prime minister, presiding over an 11-member cabinet. Judicial (ba ... [Read More]
Appendix B -- Background Information on Designated Foreign Terrorist Organizations
Established by Usama Bin Ladin in the late 1980s to bring together Arabs who fought in Afghanistan against the Soviet Union. Helped finance, recruit, transport, and train Sunni Islamic extremists for the Afghan resistance. Current goal is to establish a pan- Islamic Caliphate throughout the world by working with allied Islamic extremist groups to overthrow regimes it deems “non-Islamic” and expelling Westerners and non-Muslims from Muslim countries—particularly Saudi Arabia. Issued statement under banner of “the World Islamic Front for Jihad Against the Jews and Crusaders” in February 1998, saying it was the duty of all Muslims to kill US citizens—civilian or military—and their allies everywhere. Merged with Egyptian Islamic Jihad (Al-Jihad) in June 2001. First designated in October 1999. ... [Read More]
LISTING OF COUNTRIES BY INCOME GROUP
Source: The World Bank, World Development Indicators 2001.Sorry, you need a JavaScript capable browser to get the best from this page 1 ... Iran, Islamic Republic of ... West Bank and Gaza ... [Read More]
Humanitarian Assistance
1111--06/15/05 Nomination to be Ambassador to the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan; Ambassador Ronald Neumann; Statement Before the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations; Washington, DC ... 1111--11/18/02 Remarks at Central Bank of Afghanistan; Paul O'Neill, Secretary of the Treasury; Kabul, Afghanistan ... [Read More]
Indonesia (05/05)
Indonesia currently has 134 private banks, 52 of which have capital under IDR 100 billion (US$ 10.8 million) and control less than 0.2% market share. Four state-owned banks (Bank Mandiri, BNI, BRI, BTN) continue to dominate the sector with approximately 40% of assets. In late 2004, the Government of Indonesia sold approximately $520 million in shares of several banks formerly owned by the Indonesian Bank Restructuring Agency (IBRA). The Government of Indonesia plans to sell more shares of ex-IBRA banks in 2005 but has no plans to privatize state-owned banks. Three small banks representing less than 0.6% of combined market share failed in 2004, apparently due to owner malfeasance. The three--Bank Dagang Bali, Bank Asiatic and Bank Global--presented no systemic risk, but nevertheless highlighted continuing weaknesses in both bank management and BI's supervision and examination regimes. ... [Read More]
M) Money Laundering and Financial Crimes
Terrorist groups use a variety of means to move their funds, including:Currency Transport. Cash couriered by operatives is difficult to track because there is no paper trail. Traditional Financial Institutions. The international nature of most foreign terrorist groups forces them to rely on banks and other financial institutions. Islamic Banks. Banks that operate in line with Islamic law, which prohibits the payment of interest and certain other activities, have proliferated throughout Africa, Asia and the Middle East since the mid-1970s. In most instances, these banks simply are not required to adhere to a wide range of regulations normally imposed on commercial banks. Islamic banks are often not subject to any regulatory and supervisory scrutiny by bank regulators, and thus, do not undergo periodic bank examinations or inspections. While these banks may voluntarily comply with banking regulations and in particular, anti-money laundering guidel ... [Read More]
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