American University of Beirut Settles U.S. Lawsuit over Hizbullah
The American University of Beirut will pay $700,000 to settle a U.S. lawsuit over allegations it provided "material support" to entities linked to Hizbullah, U.S. officials said.
AUB confirmed in a statement Friday it was settling the lawsuit, which charged it had violated the terms of grants it received from U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).
The U.S. Attorney's Office in Manhattan announced the deal on Thursday, saying AUB would be required to pay the U.S. government $700,000 (650,000 euros) and revise its internal policies to ensure future compliance with U.S. law.
"For years, the American University of Beirut accepted grant money from USAID, but failed to take reasonable steps to ensure against providing material support to entities on the Treasury Department's prohibited list," said Acting Manhattan U.S. Attorney Joon H. Kim said.
"With today's settlement, the University is being made to pay a financial penalty for its conduct, and importantly, it has admitted to its conduct and agreed to put proper precautions in place to ensure that it does not happen again."
The civil lawsuit charged that AUB violated U.S. law by providing media training between 2007-2009 to representatives of two media outlets -- Al-Nour Radio and Al-Manar television -- under U.S. sanctions for their ties to Hizbullah.
It also accused AUB of listing the Hizbullah-linked Jihad al-Binaa, also under U.S. sanctions, on the university's NGO database.
Hizbullah is listed as a "terrorist" group in the United States and entities linked to it are also under sanctions.
In its statement, AUB said it acknowledged the accusations.
But it insisted "AUB does not agree that its conduct was knowing, intentional or reckless."
It welcomed the settlement and said it would conduct additional training of faculty and staff on U.S. law going forward.
AUB was founded in 1866 and is considered one of Lebanon's leading universities.
Source: Naharnet, Agence France Presse
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