Swiss investigators have revealed that Osama bin Laden was a beneficiary of a Swiss bank account until 1997. Fifty-seven other members of the bin Laden family were also listed as beneficiaries of the account at the UBS in Zurich, which was held by two of his half-brothers, an official of the Swiss federal prosecutors’ office said. Andrea Sadecky confirmed a report in the Swiss newspaper Le Temps that said a two-year investigation had found that the al-Qaeda leader was linked to account number 575.167 opened in 1990 by his two half-brothers - Yahia bin Laden, head of the family’s Saudi construction group Binladin, and Baqer bin Laden. The investigation by Swiss authorities began after the September 11 attacks in the US in 2001. The newspaper said the account was opened in 1990 because the bin Ladens feared Iraq could invade Saudi Arabia and seize their fortune. The account was emptied after the 1991 Gulf War and closed in 1997, it reported.
| I don't recall a national beer party. Where'd the money go? |
A spokesman for UBS said: "Osama bin Laden was never a client of the bank and was never an account holder."
| "His wives were, his brothers were, his sisters were, there are two accounts in the names of his favorite camels, but he didn't have an account..." |
It is not known how much money was kept in the account, but the newspaper said Osama bin Laden’s share was well below 1 million Swiss francs. |