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3/4/2022

Treasury Sanctions Hizballah Financiers in Guinea | U.S. Department of the Treasury

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY
Treasury Sanctions Hizballah Financiers in Guinea
March 4, 2022

WASHINGTON – Today, the U.S. Department of the Treasuryʼs O ice of Foreign Assets Control
(OFAC) designated two key Hizballah financiers operating in Guinea pursuant to Executive
Order (E.O.) 13224, as amended. This action is aimed at disrupting Hizballahʼs business
network in West Africa, which relies on bribery and influence to circumvent the rule of law. In
addition to other sources of funding, Hizballah generates revenue from commercial activities
across the world to sponsor acts of terrorism. The designation of these financiers
demonstrates Treasuryʼs ongoing e orts to target the terrorist groupʼs international
commercial activities and its global network of financiers, supporters, donors, and facilitators,
which enable Hizballah to persistently threaten the security, stability, and prosperity of
Lebanon and other jurisdictions.
“With this action, Treasury continues to expose businessmen who support Hizballahʼs
destabilizing activities through bribes and other corrupt activity,” said Under Secretary of the
Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Brian E. Nelson. “The illicit financial activity
of those designated today not only props up Hizballah, but also undermines the legitimate
commercial sector and rule of law in countries where such financial activity takes place.”
OFAC is designating Ali Saade and Ibrahim Taher under Executive Order (E.O.) 13224, as
amended, which targets terrorists, leaders, and o icials of terrorist groups, and those
providing support to terrorists or acts of terrorism. The United States designated Hizballah
as a Foreign Terrorist Organization on October 8, 1997, and as a Specially Designated Global
Terrorist (SDGT) on October 31, 2001.

ALI SAADE AND IB RAHIM TAHERʼS F INANCING OF
HIZB ALLAH
Ali Saade (Saade) and Ibrahim Taher (Taher) are prominent Lebanese businessmen with
direct connections to Hizballah. Saade initiates the money transfers from Guinea to Hizballah,
transferring funds through Hizballah representatives in Guinea and Lebanon. Taher has been
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Treasury Sanctions Hizballah Financiers in Guinea | U.S. Department of the Treasury

identified as one of the most prominent financial supporters of Hizballah in Guinea. He is
believed to employ a number of individuals a iliated with Hizballah within the country.
Saade and Taher are being designated pursuant to E.O. 13224, as amended, for having
materially assisted, sponsored, or provided financial, material, or technological support for, or
goods or services to or in support of, Hizballah.

SAADEʼS SUPPORT TO DESIGNAT ED HIZB ALLAH
F INANCIER KASSEM TAJIDEEN
Saade has a close relationship with designated Hizballah supporter Kassem Tajideen
(Tajideen) whom OFAC designated in 2009 for being an important financial contributor to
Hizballah. At the time of his designation, Tajideen had contributed tens of millions of dollars
to Hizballah and ran cover companies for Hizballah in Africa with his brothers.
Saade was Tajideenʼs primary political contact in Guinea. He made significant e orts to
provide Tajideen with unrestricted access to corrupt members of the former Guinean
administration at the highest levels and the rest of the Guinean government. Saade also
advised Tajideen on methods for making financial transfers to evade detection by regulators.

TAHERʼS OT HER ILLICIT ACT IVIT IES IN GUINEA
Taher and an associate sent U.S. dollars collected at one of their commercial facilities to
Conakry Airport and bribed Guinean customs o icials to allow their currency to pass in
luggage. Taher has used his status as an Honorary Consul of Lebanon to Cote dʼIvoire to
travel in and out of Guinea with minimal scrutiny.

SANCT IONS IMPLICAT IONS
As a result of todayʼs action, all property and interests in property of the individuals named
above, and of any entities that are owned, directly or indirectly 50 percent or more by them,
individually, or with other blocked persons, that are in the United States or in the possession
or control of U.S. persons, must be blocked and reported to OFAC. Unless authorized by a
general or specific license issued by OFAC or otherwise exempt, OFACʼs regulations generally
prohibit all transactions by U.S. persons or within the United States (including transactions
transiting the United States) that involve any property or interests in property of designated
or otherwise blocked persons. The prohibitions include the making of any contribution or
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Treasury Sanctions Hizballah Financiers in Guinea | U.S. Department of the Treasury

provision of funds, goods, or services by, to, or for the benefit of any blocked person or the
receipt of any contribution or provision of funds, goods, or services from any such person.
Furthermore, engaging in certain transactions with the individuals designated today entails
risk of secondary sanctions pursuant to E.O. 13224, as amended. Pursuant to this authority,
OFAC can prohibit or impose strict conditions on the opening or maintaining in the United
States of a correspondent account or a payable-through account of a foreign financial
institution that knowingly conducted or facilitated any significant transaction on behalf of an
SDGT.
The power and integrity of OFAC sanctions derive not only from its ability to designate and
add persons to the SDN List, but also from its willingness to remove persons from the SDN
List consistent with the law. The ultimate goal of sanctions is not to punish, but to bring
about a positive change in behavior. For information concerning the process for seeking
removal from an OFAC list, including the SDN List, please refer to OFACʼs Frequently Asked
Question 897. For detailed information on the process to submit a request for removal from
an OFAC sanctions list .
View identifying information on the individuals designated today.
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