Spain Moves Ahead With US Extradition Case Against Pro-Palestine Millionaire

The Spanish government has allowed an extradition request from the Trump administration to proceed to court, in the first known case of the US seeking to extradite a citizen over alleged support for Hamas.

Defence lawyers for James ‘Fergie’ Chambers, a wealthy donor to leftwing and pro-Palestine causes, say their client is being targeted for his political views. 

Under Spanish law, an extradition request cannot proceed if it is found to be politically motivated.

While the US has yet to publicly outline the full charges against Chambers, his legal team say he is accused of laundering $7.5m (£5.6m) in Tunisia to support Hamas – a charge they strongly deny. 

Chambers’ wife Stella Schnabel, who is Jewish, said the US has failed to provide any evidence for its allegations.

Spain’s national court will now examine the request, with a hearing expected in the coming weeks before the government makes its final decision. Chambers has applied for asylum in Spain, according to his lawyer.

Chambers, a multimillionaire media heir and self-described communist who previously donated to Occupy Wall Street and the Stop Cop City movement, has been held in pre-trial detention in Madrid since his arrest in Ibiza on 10 July.

The decision to allow the case to proceed to the national court is likely to anger members of Spain’s leftwing governing coalition, after they previously urged prime minister Pedro Sánchez not to advance the request.

The move – seen as a test case for Sánchez – comes amid strained relations with the Trump administration over Spain’s support for Palestine.

Around 150 public figures, including activist Greta Thunberg, actor Richard Gere and writer Fatima Bhutto, have signed a letter urging Spain not to proceed with the extradition. 

“This extradition would set an alarming precedent in ​Europe if ⁠Spain permits the Trump administration to criminalise humanitarian aid vital to the Palestinian people,” said Chambers’ lawyer Baltasar Garzon.

Chambers has donated more than $1m to humanitarian causes in Gaza and paid legal fees for some members of Palestine Action, his lawyers say.