U.S. Requests Beirut’s Assistance in Criminal Probe Involving Lebanese Man
إقرأ هذا الخبر بالعربية
The U.S. Justice Department has asked for assistance from Beirut authorities on a criminal investigation into a Lebanese man’s announcement of bankruptcy and possible ties to Hizbullah, An Nahar daily reported on Monday.
A copy of the memo was sent by the Department to the Lebanese Foreign Ministry, which asked the Justice Ministry to study it, the newspaper said.
The Criminal Division of the Department’s International Affairs Office sought “to obtain evidence for use in a criminal investigation and any related criminal proceedings” to determine whether Adnan Hassan Tajeddine had violated U.S. federal laws on bankruptcy and money laundering by failing to reveal banking accounts and deposits in a Lebanese bank account.
The memo asked Lebanon to provide the Department of Justice with details on account numbers 3558890 and 3558891 at a bank in Beirut, which An Nahar did not identify, and requested information on a property ownership in the southern village of Batoliyeh.
The Department said that after announcing his bankruptcy, Tajeddine claimed he was a salesman at a company called Tajco Windows Inc. established in 2003 and that his relative was the owner of the firm. But in fact he was running its trading and financial affairs.
Tajeddine had also set up in 2008 a firm called Tajco Used Car Inc. and another window installation company, Premier Commercial Windows Inc., in 2009.
That same year, officers from the Internal Revenue Service found bank records from the Lebanese bank in question after inspecting his house in the area of Dearborn Heights in the state of Michigan and the offices of Tajco Windows Inc.
The bank records reveal that the company had received a transfer from account number 3558890 in the name of Tajeddine, who had opened or began using the two accounts in question in Beirut in 2006, the memo said.
The second account, 3558891, is a joint account with Ali Farhat, who is Tajeddine’s nephew and lives in Lebanon, but has no suspicious activities, it added.
While the memo did not reveal that Tajeddine was possibly involved in laundering money to benefit Hizbullah, An Nahar said that the investigation into the case comes as the U.S. administration designates several individuals and businesses as terrorists for involvement with Hizbullah fundraising.
The newspaper added that Tajeddine’s family members have reportedly bought land parcels in several Christian and Druze areas and sought to build facilities to change the sectarian identity of the regions.
In another related development, An Nahar said that a European anti-terror official is expected to arrive in Beirut on a two-day visit on Tuesday to discuss with Lebanese officials the possible infiltration of terrorists to Lebanon, efforts exerted by Lebanese authorities to combat money laundering and other banking procedures to prevent money smuggling to Hizbullah.
16 July 2012, 12:03
14
hizbushaitan is decimating our banking system each day more and more. fpm being their main backer, share the responsibility of the fall of our banking system which is one of the pillars of this country.
16 July 2012, 16:35
01
Slash,
people are rising again and raising their voice.
they realize each day more where aoun is taking them each time they look into their pockets and see them emptier.
they realize the danger of our banking system falling due to the actions of this government led by hizbushaitan.
they realize that aoun is totally under the orders of bashar assad (demonstrated lately in the moyawimin at EDL issue) and how they caved in under his orders.
16 July 2012, 14:07
00
racist... people BUY lands... that you SELL... I sold a flat in london recently... to an Austrian Family. do you see me holding a grudge?? I needed the money.
16 July 2012, 16:23
11
You Lebanese are nothing but a joke and racist fucks and you will always be people who follows and take orders and be governed by upper social class , we are becoming slum dogs , instead of becoming a normal lebanese citizens . we will never overcome anything neither acheive a change nor a solution . Hope all of you burn so we can build another country and call it the New Lebanon rulled and governed by the Lebanese people .
16 July 2012, 16:47
03
with a rhetoric like yours.... you are a nazi.
nothing in your comment denotes any sense of democratic thinking rather a radical full of hatred to your fellow countrymen. goo luck...
16 July 2012, 17:39
11
Democratic !? indeed Hate !
i will rephrase my previous comment ,
Your people dont have hope , dont have a unique leader , dont have a plan , never acheived shit , dont have electrcity , dont have a job , dont have a saving account , is in debt , follows orders and intructions , will never look up to his rights but only down as low as a coward , we dont have courage to fight , to debate , to argue , to change , and most improtantly to help eachother in order to live in a better society . you talk to me about democracy ?! seriously ? look at us and what we stand as lebanon my friends not as a christian not as a muslim not as a durzi .
16 July 2012, 20:34
00
yes for sure we do not have a unique leader, otheerwise we would be in a dictatorship.
as for the rest, show me any country that has sustained so many years of "unrest" and still holds itself up :)
yes I am lebanese and proud of it, and will defend my country against its ennemies: israel syria and iran.
16 July 2012, 20:00
00
Yes we do have challenges as lebanese. 17 communities, syria, israel, palestinians, islamists, a hugely commercial mindset. Anyone of those challenges would have broken another people. not us. still up and fighting. So Instead of cheaply critisizing your country, why dont you try to do something to help it.
16 July 2012, 21:53
00
No comments
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-500395_162-57465450/full-tilt-poker-ceo-raymond-bitar-arrested-over-alleged-ponzi-scheme/
http://www.lvrj.com/news/high-rolling-businessman-faces-charges-in-alleged-ponzi-scheme-161046915.html
16 July 2012, 23:09
00
you have more then half a million palestanians living in lebanon and they have been treated worse than 2ns class. why! simple answer because they are palestanians and have been viewed by the lebanses authorities as a securtiy threat. The day will come for another civil war in lebanon that many factions will beg the palestanians to help them to servive the war this day will come soon. lebanese the the more rasist people and the most ignorant due to no confidenece with them selves.
17 July 2012, 04:13
00
What can you do for your country lebanon? Don't ask yourself what your Country does for you , you..
You are required toi ne part of a global solution note a problem. What you can you give to our Lebanon.
17 July 2012, 08:20
01
Its realy strange they hezib does not belive in the system that usa support and they live there and work and send money to hezbolah!
They take shiite decisions in lebanon and around the world just coz they belive they are the purest and honest people .and offcource (idology)
They make lebanese more separated,more restrict groups,and takes lebanon to a position that most lebanese does not want.
Lebanon is freedom,lebanon in multiculture,lebanon is peace,lebanon is the polatics,tourisim,education.
lebanon its NOT war zone,lebanon is not islamic or other religious brand wiith respect to islam and christion douroz and all religious found in lebanon.and around the world.
But hezboullah want lebanon "al mokawameanh" want lebanon and syria and iran relationshi,want to but lebanon on fire as 30 years of war not enough
Ya 3amy yally jarab lemjarab kain 3a2loo ma5rab.
17 July 2012, 11:04
01
Thank you NickVegas very true say , but unfortunately , some people wants to be extreme in their belongings because they have never been anything but a joke all their lifes and they will always remain lebanon is no longer the same , a lebanese is the joke ..
ya dee3anak ya lebnen b heik cha3b fechil ... w al abcha3 men heik 3am bsir el jahal el aktarie bel balad .
