By Tabora Bojang
Mohamed Ibrahim Bazzi, a ‘close associate’ of former president Yahya Jammeh who is accused of financing the Lebanese armed organisation Hezbollah has been arrested in Romania.
The 58-year-old citizen of Lebanon and Belgium, was arrested in Bucharest.
Bazzi was declared a global terrorist by the United States of America in 2018, a reward of one million dollars was also announced for providing information on his whereabouts.
US authorities say the suspect transferred millions of dollars from America to Lebanon for Hezbollah.
Mr Bazzi was the owner of Euro African Group and Global Electrical Group, all set up in the Gambia. From 2008 to 2014, he owned ninety percent of Gampetroleum but was forced to sell his shares to the Gambia Government in 2014.
His Global Electrical Group built the Brikama Power Plant in West Coast Region under a build-operate-transfer (BOT) project.
He played a huge role in bringing Syrian doctors to work in The Gambia and was responsible for paying their salaries, including Syrian and Lebanese working at Kanilai farm back then.
The United States will extradite him from Romania and charge him for causing United State individuals to conduct unlawful transactions with a global terrorist, money laundering and conspiracy.
