MADRID, Sept 22 (Reuters) – Spain on Tuesday allowed a US extradition request for pro-Palestinian donor James Cox Chambers to proceed to court, despite protests from the government’s left-wing coalition partners who argue the case is politically motivated.
The case is politically sensitive for Spain’s Socialist-led government, whose pro-Palestinian stance has drawn rebuke from the Trump administration and contributed to wider tensions with Washington.
Chambers, 41, an American multimillionaire media heir known as Fergie, was arrested at the request of US authorities on July 10 while on holiday in Ibiza. He is currently in pre-trial detention in Madrid.
A self-described anti-imperialist and communist, Chambers has called in interviews and on social media for the destruction of the United States. He received $250 million after divesting from his family’s media conglomerate, Cox Enterprises, in 2023, his spokesperson said.
Chambers has donated over $1 million to humanitarian causes in Gaza and paid legal fees for some members of the activist group Palestine Action, according to his legal team.
The group was designated as a terrorist organisation by the US and UK for its actions which include targeting Israel-linked defence companies by blocking entrances and spraying paint.
The United States has not publicly detailed the charges against Chambers. His legal team says they include money laundering and conspiracy to commit disorderly conduct.
The US Department of Justice declined to comment on the charges.
The case has attracted widespread attention from pro-Palestinian figures, with 150 prominent activists and celebrities, including Richard Gere, Greta Thunberg and Fatima Bhutto, signing a letter urging Spain not to move forward with the extradition proceedings.
Both Chambers’ lawyers and Sumar, the Socialists’ junior coalition partner, say that the lack of publicly available evidence suggests he is being targeted for his political views. Under Spanish law, extradition cannot proceed if a request is found to be politically motivated.
“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, who has filed an application for asylum for Chambers in Spain.
Government spokesperson Elma Saiz said the decision to advance the case was “purely procedural”, adding that the cabinet would make the final determination after the court process concludes.
A date for the hearing would be set in the coming weeks, a court spokesperson said.
(Reporting by Victoria Waldersee, additional reporting by Benjamin Mejias, Emma Pinedo; editing by Charlie Devereux and Ros Russell)
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