Former pub landlord ‘used Covid bounce back loans to fund ISIS’
A FORMER pub landlord used Covid bounce back loans to fund Islamic State in Syria, the Old Bailey heard yesterday.
Tarek Namouz, 42, faces eight charges of entering into a terror funding arrangement between November 2020 and May 2021.
He is also accused of two counts of possessing terrorist information relating to videos.
Namouz, who appeared from Wandsworth jail by video-link, spoke only to confirm his name.
He was remanded in custody.
Prosecutor Jonathan Polnay said it is alleged that Namouz sent “the proceeds of coronavirus bounce back funding loans to ISIS”.
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Around 1.5 million firms obtained loans of up to £50,000 or a quarter of their annual turnover.
The vast majority of them were small businesses.
The trial was provisionally set for November this year.