Nigerian-Lebanese businessman and Chagoury Group Chairman, Gilbert Chagoury, is facing renewed attention over his reported difficulties with United States authorities.
Chagoury, who has extensive business interests in Nigeria, including the Eko Hotel in Lagos and the Atlantic City development, reportedly had his US visitor’s visa denied on security-related grounds.
According to a report by the Los Angeles Times, the visa denial was linked to allegations contained in US intelligence records concerning Chagoury’s financial support for Lebanese politician Michel Aoun.
Aoun’s political movement has had an alliance with Hezbollah, which the United States designates as a terrorist organisation.
US authorities have historically cited Hezbollah’s involvement in attacks, including the 1983 bombing of the US Embassy in Beirut and the bombing of a US Marine barracks in Lebanon that same year.
Chagoury has also been a prominent donor to the Clinton Foundation and has maintained ties to the United States, including a residence in Beverly Hills, California.
His name came under further political scrutiny following the release of documents by WikiLeaks during the 2016 US presidential campaign.
Then-candidate Donald Trump and others cited Chagoury’s relationship with the Clinton Foundation while making allegations about the Clintons’ dealings with the businessman.
Chagoury’s difficulties with US security officials reportedly date back to 2010, when he was stopped after arriving on a private jet at Teterboro Airport in New Jersey.
According to the Los Angeles Times, he was questioned for several hours by Homeland Security officials after his name appeared on a US no-fly screening list.
Chagoury was subsequently informed that his name had been removed from the no-fly list but placed in another category that subjected him to additional security screening when travelling.
An FBI intelligence report cited in the newspaper’s account reportedly alleged that Chagoury had provided funds to Aoun, who was said to have subsequently channelled money to Hezbollah.
The report also acknowledged that the information came from a source whose claims had not been independently verified. The source reportedly alleged that Aoun was facilitating fundraising for Hezbollah.
Chagoury’s name was consequently included in a database used by US authorities to screen travellers for possible terrorism-related connections.
However, Michel de Chadarev, an official of Aoun’s political movement, disputed the continuing relevance of the relationship. He reportedly told the Los Angeles Times that Chagoury had stopped supporting Aoun years earlier following a disagreement over oil franchises.
According to the same account, Chagoury subsequently supported one of Aoun’s political rivals.
The controversy eventually culminated in the US State Department’s reported decision to deny Chagoury a visitor’s visa, with the FBI intelligence report cited among the information considered by the authorities.
Born in Nigeria in 1946 to Lebanese parents, Chagoury was educated at Collège des Frères in Lebanon before building an international business career.
He co-founded the Chagoury Group with his younger brother, Ronald Chagoury, in 1971. The family’s business interests have expanded across construction, manufacturing, real estate, property development and hospitality.
Gilbert and Ronald Chagoury later established C & C Construction, which became a forerunner of companies including Hitech and ITB.
Beyond business, Chagoury has maintained relationships with several African political leaders and has served as an ambassador for Saint Lucia.
He is married to Rose-Marie Champions, and the couple has four children.
The Chagoury family has built a substantial business empire over the decades, with its wealth and influence extending across several countries and sectors.
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