(New York, NY) – The Counter Extremism Project (CEP) today commended international express mail delivery company DHL for taking swift action to investigate and stop the misuse of its name by a west African-based Hizballah financial network.
In response to a CEP inquiry, DHL acted to end efforts by Groupe Congo Futur (“Congo Futur”), a Congolese-based entity sanctioned by the United States for its role as a Hizballah funder, to falsely hold out DHL and other legitimate businesses as partners.
“DHL acted decisively and responsibly once alerted by CEP that Congo Futur was inaccurately and prominently touting a partnership with DHL on its website,” said CEP CEO Ambassador Mark D. Wallace. “Following receipt of our letter, DHL acted quickly and confirmed in writing that Congo Futur has since removed the DHL logo from its website, thereby stopping Congo Futur’s misuse of DHL’s good name. DHL also confirmed in writing that they shared CEP’s objective of ensuring companies “neither directly nor indirectly assist in the funding of terrorist organizations.” We believe this level of responsiveness sets a strong example for other companies concerned about the growing threat posed by extremist groups and efforts by such groups to misuse legitimate businesses and commercial networks.”
In March, Wallace wrote to DHL CEO Frank Appel expressing concern over DHL’s apparent relationship with Congo Futur, which was sanctioned by the U.S. Department of the Treasury in December 2010 for its role in a funding network for the Lebanese-based extremist organization Hizballah. Congo Futur is owned by Lebanese national Kassim Tajideen. In collaboration with his brothers Ali Tajideen and Husayn Tajideen, Kassim Tajideen also runs the alleged Hizballah front-company, Tajco Ltd (“Tajco”). All three brothers are designated by the U.S. for their role in providing significant financial and material support to Hizballah.
In a statement accompanying the designation of the Tajideen brothers and their network of businesses, former Undersecretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Stuart Levey emphasized that “Ali and Husayn Tajideen’s multinational network generates millions of dollars in funding and secures strategic geographical strongholds for Hizballah.”
For requests for interviews, please contact CEP at [email protected].