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Freedom of the press:
The United States imposed new sanctions today, Thursday, on two Lebanon-based companies for their association with the Lebanese militia “Hezbollah”, as well as a militia officer.
The US Treasury Department stated in a statement that its Office of Foreign Assets Control had imposed sanctions on the companies “Arch” and “Meamar” for being owned or controlled or managed by “Hezbollah.”
The Oversight Office also imposed sanctions on “Sultan Khalifa Asad,” who is in charge of Hezbollah’s Executive Council, which is closely associated with the two companies.
“By exploiting the Lebanese economy and manipulating corrupt Lebanese officials, companies associated with the terrorist organization are awarded government contracts,” said Treasury Secretary Stephen Mnuchin.
“The United States remains committed to attacking Hezbollah and its supporters because they are corruptly exploiting Lebanese resources to enrich its leaders, while the Lebanese people suffer from insufficient services,” he added.
The statement clarified that Hezbollah activities penetrate all aspects of the Lebanese economy, including the construction and infrastructure sectors. Hezbollah also benefits from Arsh and Mimar to conceal money transfers to their own accounts, further enriching Hezbollah’s leadership and its supporters. The Lebanese people desperately need money.
The ministry indicated that Hezbollah “is conspiring with Lebanese officials, including the designated former Minister of Public Works and Transportation, Yusef Fenianos, to direct millions of dollars worth of government contracts to these companies, which are overseen by the Hezbollah Executive Council. . The city council also receives corrupt profits from these companies.
The Arsh and Mimar companies are owned or associated with a Hezbollah official, (Asaad), a person whose ownership and interests in the property have been sanctioned under Executive Order No. 13224, as amended.
In addition, Arch and Maamar are two of the “several companies affiliated with the Executive Council of Hezbollah”, that exploit the private sector to hide their financial transfers and evade US sanctions, and since 2019, the party has worked with the former Lebanese minister. Venianus to ensure that Arch and Mimar won contracts with the Lebanese government worth millions of dollars, and “Both companies, in turn, sent some of the proceeds of these contracts to the Executive Council of Hezbollah.”
According to the ministry, “Sultan Khalifa Asaad” is known as the founder of Mimar Company, in addition to the fact that “many of the people listed in the company’s registration documents also have general ties to Hezbollah. Arch was registered in the name of a Hezbollah-backed candidate in the 2004 municipal elections. In addition, Arch was previously part of Jihad al-Binaa, Hezbollah’s main US-based construction company, designated as a terrorist. Despite its independence in 2005, it remains a major source of funding.
As for Asaad, he is “a senior official of the Hezbollah Executive Council and serves as Vice Chairman of the Executive Council, Hashem Safi al-Din,” on whom the United States imposed sanctions in May 2017.
Asaad was responsible for dozens of companies under the Executive Council, including Arch and Mimar, and provided “project directions to these companies and was involved in financial and legal matters. He informed and received guidance from Hashem Safi al-Din about the companies and instructed the directors of the company and the Hezbollah Finance Committee.
Under these sanctions, the financial assets and property of those covered by the sanctions in the United States are frozen, and Americans and Americans are prohibited from dealing with them under penalty of liability.
The ministry imposed sanctions this September against two former ministers, Youssef Fenios and Ali Hassan Khalil, for their support of Hezbollah.
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