Lansing — Attorneys for Global Link International, a nonprofit at the center of criminal charges stemming from a $20 million state taxpayer-funded grant, filed suit against the state of Michigan on Wednesday, challenging the state’s termination of the grant and the subsequent freezing of the nonprofit’s funding.
The attorneys filed pleadings in two separate courts, Ingham County Circuit Court in Lansing and 47th District Court in Farmington Hills, hours after Attorney General Dana Nessel announced that Global Link CEO Fay Beydoun would face 16 criminal charges related to the way she spent the grant money.
Nessel’s office has argued Beydoun expensed Tunisian rugs, catering for political events and a forged attorney invoice to the state grant meant for Global Link International, which was formed after the passage of the 2023 fiscal year budget to function as an international business accelerator to attract overseas companies to Michigan.
The Michigan Economic Development Corp. terminated the $20 million grant, $10 million of which it had already given to Global Link, in March 2025; and Nessel froze $6.3 million in bank accounts connected to Beydoun in September 2025 as part of the investigation that began in April 2024.
The court filings from Global Link’s attorneys Wednesday allege the MEDC erroneously terminated the $20 million grant agreement in March 2025 and that Nessel’s freezing of Beydoun and Global Link’s money was not done legally.
Nessel’s office, which does not represent the MEDC, said it had not yet received the legal action related to freezing of the bank accounts but would “respond to the motion at the appropriate time.”
An MEDC spokesperson declined to comment.
In Ingham County, Global Link challenges grant termination
In the Ingham County case, Global Link International filed suit against the Michigan Economic Development Corp., alleging the agency’s March 2025 termination of the grant infringed on the authority of the Legislature that appropriated the money. In effect, the lawsuit argued, the MEDC interfered in the business relationship by “interposing” itself between Global Link and the Legislature.
The lawsuit alleges tortious interference with a business relationship or, alternatively, breach of contract, unjust enrichment and promissory estoppel. The suit seeks a court order finding the funds must be tendered to Global Link with the MEDC playing no role in the process, as well as damages in an amount greater than $25,000 and attorney fees and costs.
“It’s not quite clear what the MEDC’s role is in this,” said Tarik Turfe, an attorney who filed on behalf of Global Link International in Ingham County. “After all, the state Legislature appropriated the funds. … It doesn’t give the funds to the MEDC to then do what it wants with them.”
Even if the MEDC did have the authority to terminate the grant, Turfe argued alternatively in the filing, its reasons for doing so are erroneous.
Global Link International, contrary to the MEDC termination letter, filed its annual reports with the state, had the proper number of nonprofit board members and submitted its tax returns, the filing argued.
Further, the grant agreement between Global Link and the MEDC stated that the grantee “shall retain all control of its employees and staffing decisions independent of the direction and control of the MEDC,” the filing said. That language allows salaries like Beydoun’s of $550,000, the court filing argued.
As for the MEDC’s allegations that Beydoun’s expenses — including expensive airfare and coffeemakers — were unreasonable, the filing argued that the grant agreement allows the grantee to provide services and achieve results “free from the direction or control of the MEDC as to means and methods of performance.”
“The MEDC had no right to unilaterally terminate the agreement,” the lawsuit said. “Furthermore, it is by no means clear that irrespective of the existence of the agreement, that the MEDC had the authority to terminate GLI’s right to the funds.”
The termination of the grant, the lawsuit alleges, “results in a windfall benefit to the MEDC to the detriment of GLI (Global Link International).”
In Farmington Hills, Global Link challenges AG’s freezing of funds
A separate motion in 47th District Court on behalf of Beydoun and Global Link International alleges that the Attorney General’s Office had no authorization to freeze the bank accounts of Beydoun and Global Link.
It requests a court order requiring the Attorney General’s Office to return all relevant property back to the parties.
“These funds have been frozen and not been used and there’s not been any day in court over who’s right it is to utilize these funds,” said Kassem Dakhlallah, an attorney who filed the motion.
The freezing of those funds, the filing said, constitutes an “improper seizure” without a valid warrant and violated Beydoun and Global Link’s rights under the takings and due process clauses of the state and federal constitutions and prohibitions against cruel and unusual punishment.
While the attorney general’s search warrant authorized the seizure of “any bank or financial records” mentioning Beydoun and Global Link, it did not authorize the seizure or freezing of any accounts, the motion argued.
The motion alleges the attorney general “has set its sights” on the MEDC and used its “subpoena, seizure, and investigative powers as a means to directly oppose the MEDC.”
“The AG has seized millions of dollars of funds earmarked for the development of business opportunities in the state of Michigan,” the filing said. “The AG has frozen legislatively approved appropriations and sat on its hands, hoping that something political might change. While these hopes remain, the AG is violating several critical principles of Michigan and federal law, warranting a return of the property wrongfully seized and retained by the government.”
eleblanc@detroitnews.com
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Global Link fights back, seeks release of millions in frozen grant funds
Reporting by Beth LeBlanc, The Detroit News / The Detroit News
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