US offers $ 10 million of information to block Hezbollah's finances

The United States offered a reward on Monday up to $ 10 million information likely to interrupt the financing of Hezbollah, the Shiite terrorist group backed by Iran. The announcement of the rewards program Department of State America is in the midst of growing concerns from the administration of Donald Trump on the growing role of Hezbollah in the Lebanese government.

Under-Secretary of the Treasury, Marshall Billingslea, made the announcement during an appearance before the international press and badured that the government was "ready to pay" all those who help identify Hezbollah's major donors and can provide proof of their financial activity, bank statements and customs receipts to information on the group's shell companies. "When it operates, Hezbollah leaves behind a trail of documents, and what we are proposing here for the first time is a reward for information on these documents," said Billingslea.

"Hezbollah earns nearly $ 1 billion a year thanks to direct economic support from Iran, international trade and investment, donor networks, corruption and money laundering activities. The group uses these funds to support its malicious activities around the world, including: deploying members of its militia in Syria to support the dictatorship of Assad; suspected surveillance and information gathering operations in the United States; and enhanced military capabilities to the point that Hezbollah claims to have precision-guided missiles. These terrorist operations are financed through Hezbollah's international networks of activities and financial support, infrastructure and financial facilitators that are the essential element of Hezbollah, "said the program.Reward for justice"on your website.

Hezbollah receives a significant amount of weapons, training and funding from Iran, a country qualified as a promoter of terrorism by the Secretary of State. The State Department designated Hezbollah as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) in October 1997 and as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) in October 2001.

This is the first time that the State Department has rewarded Hezbollah's financial activities.

The program offers rewards to those who provide information that leads to the identification and interruption of a significant source of revenue for the organization or its key financial facilitation mechanisms; Main donors and financial facilitators of Hezbollah; financial institutions and bureaux de change that knowingly facilitate Hezbollah's important transactions; Hezbollah-owned or controlled businesses and investments; screen companies dedicated to international acquisitions of dual-use technologies; and
criminal plans involving members and supporters of Hezbollah, who benefit economically from the organization.

The reward offer highlights in particular the following three individuals as examples of key financial and facilitators of Hezbollah:

The Belgian-Lebanese Mohammad Ibrahim Bazzi He is a key figure in Hezbollah's finances who provided millions of dollars to the terrorist group generated through his business activities. He controls and owns Global Trading Group NV, Euro African Group LTD, SAL SAL, Middle Offshore Investment Group and South Africa, as well as Car Escort Services S.A.L. Off Shore. In May 2018, Bazzi and its affiliates were designated as Specialized Global Terrorists.

Lebanese Adham Tabaja is a member of Hezbollah who has direct links to key elements of the organization, including the operational component of the terrorist group, Islamic Jihad. Tabaja also owns properties in Lebanon on behalf of the group. He is the majority owner of Al-Inmaa Group's real estate development and construction company for tourism works located in Lebanon. In June 2015, Tabaja, the Al-Inmaa Tourism Group and its branches were designated as Specialized Global Terrorists. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has also clbadified Tabaja and its enterprises as terrorist entities. All badets in Saudi Arabia are frozen and transfers through the kingdom's financial sector, as well as any commercial licenses badociated with them, are prohibited.

The Lebanese citizen Ali Youssef Charara He is a key financier of Hezbollah, as well as president and CEO of telecommunications company Spectrum Investment Holding Group SAL, headquartered in Lebanon. Charara has received millions of dollars from Hezbollah to invest in commercial projects that financially support the terrorist group. In January 2016, Charara and Spectrum Investment Group were designated as globally designated terrorists.