Rewards for Justice is offering a reward of up to $10 million for information that leads to the disruption of the financial mechanisms of Hizballah. Ibrahim Taher is a Hizballah financier operating in Guinea. Taher has been identified as one of the most prominent financial supporters of Hizballah in Guinea. He is believed to employ a number of individuals affiliated with Hizballah within the country.
Taher and an associate sent U.S. dollars collected at one of their commercial facilities to Conakry Airport and bribed Guinean customs officials to allow their currency to pass in luggage. Taher has used his status as Honorary Consul of Lebanon to Cote d’Ivoire to avoid scrutiny while traveling in and out of Guinea.
As recently as 2020, a group of Guinea-based Lebanese businessmen including Taher and Hizballah financier Ali Saade flew from Guinea to Lebanon on a special flight with a large amount of money. The group claimed the money was to aid the COVID-19 situation in Lebanon, thereby avoiding scrutiny. COVID-19 relief has been previously used as a cover for transferring funds from Guinea to Lebanon for Hizballah.
On March 4, 2022, the U.S. Department of the Treasury designated Taher as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist pursuant to Executive Order 13224, as amended, for having materially assisted, sponsored, or provided financial, material, or technological support for, or goods or services to or in support of, Hizballah. As a result of this designation, among other consequences, all property, and interests in property, of Taher that are subject to U.S. jurisdiction are blocked, and U.S. persons are generally prohibited from engaging in any transactions with Taher. In addition, it is a crime to knowingly provide, or attempt or conspire to provide, material support or resources to Hizballah, a U.S.-designated Foreign Terrorist Organization.
