Overview

Ali Tajideen is a U.S.-designated financier and former military commander for Hezbollah.“Treasury Targets Hizballah Financial Network,” U.S. Department of the Treasury, December 9, 2010, http://www.treasury.gov/press-center/press-releases/Pages/tg997.aspx. He serves as the managing partner of Tajco Company LLC through which he purchases and develops properties in Lebanon for Hezbollah.“Treasury Designates Hizballah’s Construction Arm,” U.S. Department of the Treasury, February 20, 2007, http://www.treasury.gov/press-center/press-releases/Pages/hp271.aspx. According to the U.S. Treasury Department, Ali Tajideen has provided funding for Hezbollah in cash bundles as large as $1 million.“Treasury Targets Hizballah Financial Network,” U.S. Department of the Treasury, December 9, 2010, http://www.treasury.gov/press-center/press-releases/Pages/tg997.aspx. He is believed to operate out of Lebanon.“Treasury Targets Hizballah Financial Network,” U.S. Department of the Treasury, December 9, 2010, http://www.treasury.gov/press-center/press-releases/Pages/tg997.aspx.

Tajideen reportedly owns and operates several U.S.-designated companies alongside his brothers, business partners, and fellow Hezbollah financiers Kassim and Hussain Tajideen.“Treasury Targets Hizballah Financial Network,” U.S. Department of the Treasury, December 9, 2010, http://www.treasury.gov/press-center/press-releases/Pages/tg997.aspx. Kassim and Hussain have also been designated by the United States.“Treasury Targets Hizballah Financial Network,” U.S. Department of the Treasury, December 9, 2010, http://www.treasury.gov/press-center/press-releases/Pages/tg997.aspx. Tajideen is also a “major player” for Jihad Al Bina, a Hezbollah-operated construction company that was designated by the U.S. in 2007.“Treasury Designates Hizballah’s Construction Arm,” U.S. Department of the Treasury, February 20, 2007, http://www.treasury.gov/press-center/press-releases/Pages/hp271.aspx.

In the 2010 statement announcing the designation of the Tajideen brothers and their network of businesses including Tajco and Congo Futur, the Department of Treasury noted that “[a]s of mid-2007, the Tajideen brothers were running cover companies in the food and diamond trade for [Hezbollah].”  In a statement accompanying the announcement, former Undersecretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Stuart Levey added that “Ali and [Hussain] Tajideen’s multinational network…generates millions of dollars in funding and secures strategic geographical strongholds for [Hezbollah].”“Treasury Targets Hizballah Financial Network,” U.S. Department of the Treasury, December 9, 2010, http://www.treasury.gov/press-center/press-releases/Pages/tg997.aspx.

Companies owned or operated by the Tajideen brothers include Tajco, Kairaba Supermarket, Congo Futur, Ovlas Trading, Golfrate Holdings, and Grupo Arosfran, according to the U.S. Treasury.“Treasury Targets Hizballah Financial Network,” U.S. Department of the Treasury, December 9, 2010, http://www.treasury.gov/press-center/press-releases/Pages/tg997.aspx. His brother Hussain was expelled from Gambia in early June 2015 for his alleged ties to Hezbollah.“Gambia expels Lebanese businessman accused of Hezbollah ties,” Reuters Africa, June 2, 2015, http://af.reuters.com/article/drcNews/idAFL5N0YO49P20150602. In March 2017, his brother Kassim was arrested at the Casablanca airport in Morocco and extradited to the U.S. Kassim will face trial in Washington, D.C., on terror-related charges including conspiracy, fraud, and money-laundering while evading U.S. sanctions.“United States of America v. Kassim Tajideen,” U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, March 7, 2017, 1, https://www.justice.gov/usao-dc/press-release/file/952066/download.