Gilbert Chagoury, billionaire businessman and owner of Eko Hotels in Lagos Nigeria, has filed a suit against the United States government and its agencies for Privacy Act Violation.
The case, filed on Friday, is the first to be made under the Judicial Redress Act, which was signed into law by President Barack Obama in February.
The Los Angeles Times recently reported that Chagoury, who was born in Nigeria and has dual citizenship, was barred from entering the U.S., and his visa request denied based on alleged links with a terrorist group.
Chagoury, who is a big donor to the Clinton Foundation and has a home in Beverly Hills, California, was denied the visa on the grounds that he gave financial support to a Lebanese politician, Michael Aoun.
According to the report, Aoun’s party is in political coalition with Hezbollah, tagged a terrorist organisation by the U.S.
Hezbollah terror tag stemmed from the double bombings in 1983, killing 63 at the U.S. Embassy in Beirut and 241 at a Marine Barracks later that year.
In 2013, an FBI intelligence report claimed Chagoury sent funds to Aoun, who, in turn, gave the money to Hezbollah. The report said the information was unverified from a source, who also said the Lebanese Christian politician was ‘facilitating fundraising for Hezbollah.’
In the filing before the court in District of Columbia, Chagoury contends that the information is wrong and that he was injured by U.S., agencies which leaked it to the media.
According to a report by PRNewswire, Chagoury contends that U.S. agencies have caused great damage to his reputation and property, and denied him right to due process.
The defendants in the case are the FBI, Department of Justice, National Counter Terrorism Centre, Department of State, Department of Homeland Security, Central Intelligence Agency, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
In the filing by his lawyers, Chagoury is said to have an exceptional record of public service and demonstrated commitment to core American values, such as religious freedom.
His lawyer said despite Chagoury’s well-known love of the U.S. and his numerous, generous charitable contributions in over 35 years of visiting America, he was denied a visa by the U.S. Department of State in 2015.
“This decision was based on false information. This injustice was compounded when anonymous employees of the U.S. government leaked information to the media about the denial of Mr. Chagoury’s visa application, including the false information that led to the visa denial.
“Because Gilbert Chagoury is a successful businessman, an influential advocate for religious freedom, a global philanthropist and a friend of prominent political leaders, including many here in the U.S., The Los Angeles Times published the story.
“This was a deliberate, outrageous and unlawful leak of information and, more importantly, misinformation about Gilbert Chagoury. It violated the Privacy Act, the Judicial Redress Act, and his right to due process. He is suing to recover his reputation and the property and business interests that have been unjustly harmed by this irresponsible action,” said Stewart Baker, of Steptoe and Johnson, LLP, attorney for Mr. Chagoury.