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| Kassim Tajideen * |
He was designated by the US Department of The Treasury as an important financial supporter to the Hezbollah terror organization.
Kassim Tajideen, 63, of Beirut, Lebanon, pleaded guilty before US District Court Judge Reggie B. Walton in the US District Court for the District of Columbia, to launder monetary instruments.
According to the statement of facts signed by Mr. Tajideen in conjunction with his plea, he conspired with at least five other persons to conduct over $50 million in transactions with US businesses that violated these prohibitions. In addition, he and his co-conspirators knowing engaged in transactions of as much as $1 billion through the United States financial system from places outside the United States.
The plea, which must be approved by the judge, calls for a 60 months in prison and for Tajideen to pay $50 million in advance of his sentencing which is scheduled for January 18, 2019. Since his extradition to the United State following his arrest overseas, Mr. Tajideen has been in detention since March 2017.
When we first reported Mr. Tajideen's indictment in March of 2017, we warned the then newly installed Barrow administration about Mr. Tajideen who was being investigated at the time by the United State authorities in connection with his business relations with the Kansas-based giant food producer, Seaboard Corporation.
The Kansas company was at the time partnering with Mohamed Bazzi and Fadi Mazziggi in the establishment of the Gambia Milling Corporation in The Gambia. We further advised that to foster a free market atmosphere, the new government must encourage legitimate foreign businesses and investors to do business in The Gambia. You can access the relevant blog post here.
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