The federal government Thursday asked a court to throw out a lawsuit filed by a major Clinton Foundation donor who says he was damaged by what he said were improper government leaks to the Los Angeles Times.

Gilbert Chagoury, a billionaire Nigerian who gave at least $1 million to the foundation, said his reputation was damaged by disclosure of the government’s decision to deny him a visa to travel to the United States.

In court filings, Chagoury maintained that a Times report caused a bank to cancel his account and forced him to take a loss on the sale of his Beverly Hills mansion.

Chagoury, a philanthropist, Vatican ambassador and one of the richest men in Africa, was denied a visa in 2015 on suspicion that he had provided terrorism support. One FBI document, citing unverified information, claimed that Chagoury, who is of Lebanese descent, had funneled money to Hezbollah, a designated terror organization.


Chagoury adamantly denies providing money to any terror group. He has sued the FBI, State Department and other federal agencies, seeking a court hearing to rebut the claims.

“American justice demands due process, yet I still have been given no explanation for having my reputation dragged through the mud and no opportunity to rebut these falsehoods,” Chagoury said Thursday in a statement. “That is not the America I know and love. I deserve my day in court in order to clear my good name.”

But the Department of Justice said that Chagoury does not have standing to ask for a hearing. “Otherwise any alleged leak of sensitive or classified information, regardless of its truthfulness or accuracy, could trigger a name-clearing hearing,” the government said. “Such a result is not mandated by the Constitution.”

Chagoury’s case illustrates the difficulty of contesting decisions to deny visas, particularly on terrorism-related claims. Usually, customs officials do not detail the exact reasons for the denial. Those denied visas can ask for a waiver, but they usually have no right to contest the findings in court.


joseph.tanfani@latimes.com

Twitter: @jtanfani