Lebanon denies obstructing extradition of alleged Hezbollah drug financier

Lebanon’s Foreign Ministry has rejected claims that it is obstructing the extradition of a Lebanese national in Paraguay for his alleged drug trafficking and money laundering activities, arguing that the “contents of a Foreign Policy article are inaccurate and out of the scope of reality”, An Nahar newspaper reported on Monday

Foreign Policy published an article last  Saturday in which it  disclosed information that the Lebanese Embassy and its charge d’affairs Hassan Hijazi are attempting to block the extradition of alleged Hezbollah financier Nader Mohamad Farhat to the U.S after he was arrested “for his alleged role in a $1.3 million drug money laundering scheme.”

Farhat is alleged to be a member of the Business Affairs Component, the branch of Hezbollah’s External Security Organization in charge of running overseas illicit finance and drug trafficking operations, according to Foreign Policy.

The article then underscores that Hijazi, in coordination with the Foreign Ministry, is looking to thwart the attempts of the U.S to extradite Farhat while sending a “letter to Paraguay’s attorney general intimating that she should reject the U.S. request to extradite” the Lebanese national.

An Nahar/FP