WAKED SCANDAL: Soho Mall gets 2-month breather

SOHO MALL, owned by Abdul Waked, but in the hands of a trust looking for a purchaser,  has had its license to maintain commercial and financial relations with citizens and entities of the US  extended for two months.

The license, which expired on Jan.6, was extended until March 10.

The mall was included eight months ago on the Clinton List for activities linked to money laundering and drug trafficking by Waked.

He  transferred control of the mall to a trust controlled by the mall’s creditors, with the National Bank of Panama (BNP) acting as a fiduciary. Previously, the banks hadasked the United States for an extension of the license to complete the sale of the mall to an operator that had no connection with Waked or its companies.

The license does not allow stores to stock US merchandise that had not been ordered before May 5, when Waked and his businesses were listed on the Clinton List.

The move also allows banks with branches in Soho Mall to continue operating with access to the US market.