A Sudanese tycoon sanctioned by the US as a financier of Hamas was protected by the head of the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), a leading opposition figure has told The National.
Abdelbasit Hamza was placed under sanctions by the US in the wake of the October 7 attack led by Hamas on Israel in 2023. The US has said that the 70-year-old was involved in the transfer of almost $20 million to a senior financial official of the Palestinian group.
Mr Hamza, who made his fortune in telecoms, was a key figure in the Sudanese regime of Omar Al Bashir and reportedly managed the financial affairs of his family. He was arrested, handed a 10-year jail sentence and had $1.2 billion worth of assets seized when Al Bashir was deposed in 2019.
In the wake of the 2021 coup which brought Sudan's de facto leader Gen Abdel Fattah Al Burhan to power, Mr Hamza was released, along with several other Al Bashir allies, and had his assets restored.
Khalid Omer Yousif, a former minister and leading figure in the sidelined main civilian bloc, the Forces for Freedom and Change, told The National that Mr Hamza owes his freedom and wealth to Gen Al Burhan.
"After the revolution in Sudan, he was arrested because he was one of the main corrupt figures of the former regime," said Mr Yousif. "Then Al Burhan released him and I think secured a way out of Sudan for him, so this is an indication that he has links to them."
Mr Hamza is accused of using a network of companies in Sudan and Spain to launder money and generate revenue for Hamas, and/or managing numerous companies in the Palestinian group's investment portfolio.
The US State Department said he has “longstanding financing ties” to Al Qaeda and Osama bin Laden when he was placed under sanctions and declared a Specially Designated Global Terrorist in October 2023.
The department has offered $10 million for information leading to the disruption of his activities through its Rewards for Justice programme.
After Al Bashir was overthrown, a body known as the Empowerment Removal Committee (ERC) was set up to recover public funds that had been obtained illegally by members of his regime and those close to him.
But Gen Al Burhan halted the work of the committee after the 2021 coup and instructed judge Mohamed Babiker, also known as Abu Sabihaa and who has been described as "an Islamist", to nullify the ERC's decisions.
Mr Yousif said "the main thing that was discovered after the revolution was that [Hamza] is running companies in Sudan that were linked to Hamas".
But "after the coup, Burhan then returned all of these assets to the same people", including to Mr Hamza.
He described Mr Hamza as a "tycoon" who is "one of the wealthiest Islamists who are financing the Islamic movement, which plays a big role in the current war in Sudan".
"They capture the state, they capture its resources and they establish very corrupt institutions that create poverty in Sudan. They invested in instability, in wars, so they are the main actors in the current war in Sudan. The Islamist militias are not only getting finance from their external backers, but they are getting direct support from their own networks."
Mr Hamza currently lives in Egypt and The National has been told he is being questioned by the authorities there.
Security sources in Cairo who are familiar with Mr Hamza’s case said he was arrested about two months ago and has since been frequently interrogated to ascertain the scope of his activity and links.
Egypt does not accuse Mr Hamza of being linked to any terror cells in the country. He has had dealings with Hamas and other militant groups in Gaza related to providing monetary support, the sources told The National.
Mr Hamza has business interests in Turkey and has had links to Islamist extremist groups other than those based in Gaza, they said. He has not been charged with any crime in Egypt, and his prolonged detention is designed to glean as much information from him as possible, said the sources.
"His donations to Islamist groups were large enough to arouse suspicions," said one of the security sources.
BBC Arabic reported that Mr Hamza was also arrested at dawn in Cairo on January 15 last year.
It quoted local media reports as stating his detention was related to "combating corruption and monitoring markets regarding his dealings in gold mining and trading in Egypt”.
Mr Hamza first came to prominence during the 29-year regime of Al Bashir, when he reportedly oversaw the construction of a road by a company owned by Osama bin Laden. A Sudanese media outlet referred to Mr Hamza as “the financial manager of Omar Al Bashir’s family”.
The pair's friendship goes back to when the financier was a member of the Islamic Movement from which the National Congress Party, which ruled Sudan under Al Bashir, emerged.
Mr Hamza, who has been described as a former government engineer as well as an ex-army officer, was the chairman of the country’s state-owned telecoms company, Sudatel. He also built factories for the Al Bashir regime.
The US has sanctioned three of his Sudan-based businesses, Al Rowad Real Estate Development, Zawaya Group for Development and Investment, and Larrycom for Investment Company.
Also sanctioned is Zawaya Group for Development Investment Sociedad Limitada, which is based in the Spanish city of Valencia. The company began operating in December 2022 with a share capital of €3,000 ($3,460), Spanish media reported.
Its main purpose would be the "urbanisation, promotion, construction, purchase, sale, leasing – except financial – rehabilitation and restoration of all kinds of buildings, as well as real estate marketing and intermediation".
But according to the European Union, “it serves as a front company to facilitate Hamas financial streams” and “therefore participates in the financing of Hamas”.
Josep Borrell, the EU’s foreign minister at the time, said the decision to impose sanctions shows the bloc is “ready to take decisive steps to react to the brutality shown by terrorists on October 7”.
The company opened in 2022 and is based in an apartment block with an unmarked mailbox. Neighbours told local media they were unaware of the business or its activities.
Documents leaked to the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) reveal that Mr Hamza has maintained business ties to Europe, in particular Cyprus, for over two decades.
Through a Cyprus-based firm Matz Holdings, he holds lucrative concessions from Egypt to exploit two gold mines in the country, the documents revealed.
When Al Bashir was deposed in 2019, Mr Hamza sold a large portion of his shares in Matz Holdings to Matz Dungash, another Cyprus firm, but currently owns a 10 per cent stake in the company.
Mr Hamza owns his stake in Matz Holdings through the Zawaya Group for Development and Investment.
Under the terms of the concession agreements, Matz Holdings and the Egyptian government receive a roughly equal share of the profits from gold extracted from the mines.
US officials told The National that since October 7, Hamas has been "greatly diminished" as a result of sanctions, backed up with information received through the Rewards for Justice programme.
"We can go after key leaders of terrorist organisations. We go after groups. We can also go after the financial mechanisms of a terrorist organisation," said one official, speaking on condition of anonymity.
"And that was the fastest way forward for us to get Hamas people on the list, and to start soliciting tips, information and put pressure on the group. So their world is definitely shrinking with regard to that, as well as their influence."
