Rifi Says Hizbullah Members Linked to Global Corruption, Money Laundry Cases
Justice Minister Ashraf Rifi revealed on Monday that a number of Hizbullah members around the world are involved in corruption and money laundering cases, pointing out that several were detained in Lebanon on the same charges.
“A number of cases have been unveiled related to Hizbullah's illegal activity and evading custom fees and taxes in Beirut's port and airport,” Rifi said in an interview with the Saudi newspaper al-Watan.
The minister expressed fear over the uncontrolled activity of Hizbullah in Lebanon, citing judicial cases against the party's members around the world, which are linked to corruption crimes and money laundering.
Asked about the cooperation between Riyadh and Lebanon to extradite Hizbullah members in Saudi Arabia, who are suspected of carrying out illegal activity on behalf of the party, Rifi described it as “firm.”
“Today, cooperation is close with the Saudi judicial authorities and the country's mission in Beirut... our hands will always be extended to the Saudis just like their hands have always been extended to us,” the minister, who is affiliated to al-Mustaqbal Movement, remarked.
Hundreds of Lebanese, mostly Shiite Muslims, have been quietly deported from the Gulf Cooperation Council countries in 2013 after Hizbullah joined Syrian government forces in Syria's civil war.
The Gulf Cooperation Council — which includes Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, Oman and the UAE — has said the bloc would crack down on Hizbullah members as part of a joint effort to limit the group's "financial and business transactions."
Hizbullah says the group has no business interests in the Gulf. However, there are more than half a million Lebanese working in the Gulf states, including tens of thousands in Saudi Arabia. Many are Shiites.
Shiite-Sunni tensions have been on the rise in the Middle East with increasing sectarian violence in Syria, Iraq and Yemen. Gulf states are also worried about the rise of Shiite Iran's influence throughout the Arab world.
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