Ali Sadr Hasheminejad is an Iranian-American businessman.[597] In 2013, he founded Pilatus Bank in Malta,[341] which he chaired. Under his chairmanship, the bank provided accounts and credit facilities to a network of politically connected individuals in Azerbaijan, including Leyla and Arzu Aliyeva, the daughters of President Ilham Aliyev, and Tale and Nijat Heydarov, the sons of Emergency Situations Minister Kamaladdin Heydarov.[341]
In 2018, the bank was shuttered over systemic failures to comply with anti-money laundering regulations,[587] and Ali Sadr was arrested in the US.[598] Prosecutors charged him with bank fraud and breaching US sanctions against Iran, to which he plead not guilty.[598] [986] In 2020, Sadr was found guilty by a jury in New York.[598] Later that year, he appealed, citing failures by the prosecution to disclose information, and US prosecutors dropped the case, saying that they lacked the resources to fight Sadr’s appeal.[599]
Sadr is wanted by authorities in Malta, however. In 2021, a magistrate on the Mediterranean island signed warrants for his arrest and for the arrest of other Pilatus Bank managers and staff.[6] In January 2022, Malta issued an international warrant for Sadr’s arrest via INTERPOL.[6] Ali Sadr denies all wrongdoing. He is believed to be living in the US, where he is campaigning to clear his name.[600]
Ali Sadr Hasheminejad did not respond to The Sentry’s request for comment.
