Pro-Palestine Philanthropist Faces Extradition Battle in Spain Amidst Accusations of Hamas Financing

James 'Fergie' Chambers, a prominent US donor to Palestinian causes, is currently embroiled in an extradition hearing in Spain, facing accusations of financing Hamas. Chambers vehemently denies these charges.

His wife, Stella Schnabel, an actress, has made a public appeal to Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, urging him to grant Chambers political asylum to prevent his extradition to the United States. Chambers is reportedly the first US citizen to face such extradition proceedings to his own country.

The allegations against Chambers are linked to a money laundering charge and donations made to support Palestinians in Gaza. "I am pleading with [Spanish Prime Minister Pedro] Sanchez to use his powers to ensure Fergie’s political asylum claim is expedited for urgent consideration by the panel of ministers. This is within his gift. If he chooses not to act, he risks enabling [US President Donald] Trump to establish a precedent in Spain and across Europe which criminalises solidarity with the Palestinian people," Schnabel stated.

Spain's National Court is scheduled to review evidence from US authorities on Thursday, with a final decision expected later. Chambers, identified as a left-wing activist with an estimated net worth of $250m, also faces charges of riot and conspiracy to riot in the US, related to a 2023 protest against an Israeli arms company. These charges could potentially lead to a 30-year prison sentence.

Chambers, who describes himself as an anti-imperialist, denies all accusations. He was apprehended in Ibiza in July while searching for a school for his son with Schnabel, following an Interpol Red Notice. Since his arrest, he has sought asylum, claiming political persecution.

His extradition is contingent on the resolution of his asylum claim; if successful, he cannot be extradited. The US government's case reportedly focuses on Chambers's alleged laundering of $7.5m, transferred from a US bank account to Tunisia several years ago, where he resided at the time, with the funds purportedly intended to support Hamas.

Schnabel has previously stated that the funds were intended for Club Africain, a Tunisian football club, to cover debts, salaries, and to reconstruct a training center and build youth pitches.

Allegations of Mistranslation and Lack of Evidence

Chambers's legal team has raised concerns about alleged mistranslations between the original US criminal charges and the Spanish versions presented to Spanish authorities. They argue these inaccuracies make the allegations appear more severe.

Specifically, lawyers point to translations of protests in 2003 targeting Elbit Systems, an Israeli weapons manufacturer, where terms like "direct action" were allegedly translated to "direct violence." Furthermore, they claim the Spanish version mentions "three fires" despite no fires being referenced in the original US complaint, and describes protesters' "activation" of smoke canisters as "detonation," a term typically associated with explosives.

The defense also highlights a significant mistranslation concerning a conversation between third parties, where Chambers was described in the original complaint as part of a "global terrorism game." In the translated version, this phrase reportedly became "global terrorism activities."

Aitor Martinez, one of Chambers's defense lawyers, emphasized that his client has not been charged with any terrorism-related offenses. "It’s important to highlight that the US administration has not charged Fergie with material support for or financing terrorism or any terror-related offences, nor presented a shred of evidence that even a single cent has been used for violent or terrorist acts," Martinez told Al Jazeera, adding, "The reason not to charge him with those offences is clear: there is no evidence."