Regain Yemen reveals Houthi funds and companies (Daghsan Group)
Daghasan's name is only mentioned as one of the most prominent Houthi merchants and the mafia of smuggling oil, cigarettes and agricultural pesticides in Yemen.
The coup of the Houthi militia represented a quantum leap for Daghasan and his commercial group, especially with the emergence of Houthi figures and leaders with obscene wealth, in a surprising way that had no introduction other than their involvement in the Houthi ranks of looting and plundering the right of the Yemeni people.
In addition to the billions he gains from arms smuggling (1) and agricultural pesticides with the help of Houthi leaders (2), the information and documents that "Regain Yemen" possesses reveal part of the corruption of the Daghasan Group, whose management he distributed among members of his family, most notably:
Daghsan Mohammed Daghsan
The one who manages the "Premier Oil" company, one of the major oil companies of the Houthi militia, in partnership with the brother of Muhammad Abdul Salam al-Houthi, the militia speakperson.
The funds of this company had increased dramatically and illegally after the militia marginalized the role of the Yemeni Oil Company, which was responsible for distributing and importing oil derivatives, and after the militia leaders established companies to import fuel and sell it at double prices.
According to economic and other media reports we have seen, the Daghasan and Faletah Company are manipulating fuel prices, withdrawing dollars from the local market, speculating with it, and managing the black market after the events of a stifling crisis in the supply of fuel and oil derivatives, which have become almost non-existent.
Oil derivatives are hidden in secret warehouses that they have created and are still in order to trade in fuel and sell it at high prices on the black market. In its last , it reached YR 20 thousand per twenty liters, all of which go to the Houthi oil companies, especially Premier Oil.
For them, the Houthis ’embrace of this policy represents major financial benefits.
In 2019, the UN Panel of Experts revealed the economic secrets of the Houthi militia and supported it with documents, with the company "Premier Oil", of which the prominent leader in the group, Daghsan Muhammad Daghasan, owns the largest share, and its role in manipulating the prices of oil derivatives with the complicity of the militia leadership, in addition to a company called WHEELERS Co. the report said it is acting as a front for "Premier Oil". (3)
Money laundering and terror support
The report, accused the company of downloading oil derivatives using forged documents for fear of avoiding detection as part of the UN inspections.
The Daghasan Oil Company is classified as one of the various Houthi companies that, in addition to manipulating fuel prices, operates a network of smuggling, money laundering and support terrorism for Houthi.
A report issued by the UN Sanctions Committee estimated the volume of Houthi revenues from oil alone at more than YR 200 billion during 2018.
The team of "Regain Yemen" was able to monitor and document more crimes by the Houthi militia, to uncover the sources of financing and their private companies, and to use them to supply materials for the manufacture of explosives, in addition to money laundering.
The Houthi control over the Yemeni market, and the various economic sectors, is an approach and policy that the militia operate with the aim of impoverishing the Yemenis by plundering their property and companies, according to the Houthi strategy, which is cloned from Iran.
The group
Among the companies, the Houthi militia use in their economic structure are commercial groups led by the Houthi leader, Daghsan Ahmed Daghsan, which generates huge sums for the militia due to their control over the market of pesticides, agricultural fertilizers and agricultural supplies, especially those that contain "Urea", which is reused in the manufacture of explosives.
The Houthi militia provide support and assistance to this group, according to the documents reviewed by the "Regain Yemen"
Daghasan manages the group under the names of a number of his family members, which are companies operating in the fields of oil and gas, import and export, agricultural pesticides and smuggling of all its kind:
Oil companies
Premier Oil Company
Wheelers Co.
Registered as Daghsan Muhammad Ahmad Daghsan and run by Daghsan as part of its most important group.
Bin Daghsan Establishment for Trade of Agricultural Materials. It is registered directly as Bin Daghasan and is managed by Daghasan.
Saba International Company for Medicines and Medical Supplies Ltd.
Registered as Ali Ahmed Daghsan and managed by Daghasan as part of his group.
Al-Taj Tobacco and Mukalla Cigarettes Company.
Registered as Saleh Ahmad Daghasan and is managed by Daghsan within his group.
Sahari Exchange Company.
Registered as Ali Ahmed Daghasan and Abdullah Daghsan, manages the funds and transfers of the Houthi group.
Yemen Abbott Trading Company Ltd.
Registered as Ali Ahmed Daghasan, the brother of Daghsan and manages it as part of his group.
Ali Ahmed Daghasan Corporation for Import
Registered as Ali Ahmed Daghasan, the brother of Daghsan and manages it as part of his group.
Saba International Tobacco Company Ltd.
Registered as Ali Ahmed Daghasan and managed by Daghasan as part of his group.
Ajwa'a Al Rabeeh General Trading Company.
Registered as Daghsan Ahmed Daghsan and is managed by himself.
"Regain Yemen" also obtained details of a new real estate company affiliated with Daghsan Ahmed Daghasan that holds his name for General Contracting and owns a group of large areas in the capital, Sana'a, especially in the Gader area.
Recommendations:
Through the investigation and scrutiny of documents and review of data carried out by the team of "Regain Yemen", it was concluded that there are money laundering operations, smuggling of weapons equipment and materials used in the manufacture of explosives into Yemen through those companies affiliated with the Daghsan Group.
Accordingly, the "Regain Yemen" recommends the following:
1- Limiting the names mentioned above belonging to the Daghsan Group, and reporting that it is a financial group aiming to pass financial transactions and smuggling oil and weapons to the Houthis, which encourages the Houthis to prolong the war in Yemen.
2- Establishing an international committee to pursue these funds and companies and monitor the hostilities carried out by everyone mentioned in the report.
3- Strengthening controls and oversight by the Arab Coalition and the Yemeni government in particular in the fight against money laundering and terrorist financing carried out by a large group of Iran and Hezbollah members in Yemen through Houthi leaders.
4- Tightening control over suspicious transactions carried out by the Houthi group through Daghasan companies and their subsidiaries, and informing countries of the danger of these companies and not dealing with them.
5- We look forward to the Yemeni government and the Arab Coalition to work to include the "Daghsan Group" and the aforementioned companies on the list of personalities financing terrorism, and also to include the Houthi leaders within the international sanctions, as they violated UN Resolution 2216.
6- Demanding the Attorney General, the judicial authorities in the Yemeni government and all the competent authorities to take the necessary legal measures against the looting and robbery carried out by the Houthi group and to stop the activities of these commercial companies and freeze any funds of the "Daghsan Group" in Yemeni banks and others, as they became sources of investment, support and financing for the Houthis in the war.
7- "Regain Yemen" will work with a group of experts and international legal experts and in cooperation with the relevant international institutions in order to prosecute the Houthis in international and Yemeni forums and courts, and to stop the Dagasan Group and their subsidiary companies from moving money and investing in it as it is considered part of the financing of terrorism and war in Yemen. Looted money must be returned to its owners.
8- Demanding the Central Bank of Yemen and the Information Collection Unit to track these funds and the private companies of the Daghsan Group and other companies in coordination with their counterparts from the competent authorities in the Arab coalition countries to pursue and track the looted funds by the Houthis that are used to prolong the war.
9 - We call on the UN Security Council to follow up the above-mentioned companies and their links to a network of non-Yemeni companies that facilitate their work outside Yemen, especially with regard to smuggling weapons and pesticides.