A Lebanese national, who was recently nominated honorary consul of South Sudan to Lebanon, has denied he’s wanted by the FBI and the CIA.

Ali Myree’s lawyer Ali Fayez Rahal describes the media reports as an inappropriate accusation.

He was appointed consul to Lebanon last year by former foreign minister Awut Deng Acuil.

Last week, media reports in Lebanon reported that Myree was a fugitive wanted by the FBI and the CIA for large-scale trafficking of pirated products to support terrorist groups.

In February 2000, Paraguayan authorities arrested Myree and charged him with selling millions of dollars of counterfeit software and funneling the proceeds to Hezbollah, according to the Washington Post.

He reportedly escaped from prison to an unknown location.

It is not clear how he ended up being South Sudan’s honorary consul to Lebanon.

When contacted by Eye Radio, the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Deng Dau said the Ministry will respond later today.

Responding to the media reports, lawyer Fayez said his client is from a middle-income family who acquired his wealth through hard work.

“The appointment, which came with persistence from the state of South Sudan was the result of the role of Honorary Consul Ali Myree,” he told Eye Radio.

“Both in terms of the effort and goodwill, he provided to his African country, as well as for the stability in the condition of the Lebanese community and protecting their livelihoods.”

The lawyer argued that digging back to the case 20 years ago in Paraguay was an attempt by “an oppressor who wanted to steal his livelihoods.”

Fayez claims the documents used in the report were leaked to the media for the purpose of tainting the image of his client.