U.S sanctions companies linked to President Kiir’s inner circle
December 9, 2021 (WASHINGTON) – The United States Department of the Treasury on Thursday sanctioned two companies linked to the sanctioned South Sudanese businessman Benjamin Bol Mel, who is closely connected to President Salva Kiir.
Businessman Mel and his sanctioned companies, ARC Resources Corporation Ltd and Winners Construction Company Limited, were spotlighted in The Sentry’s recent alert “Sanctioned South Sudanese Businessmen Are Skirting US Sanctions.”
The latest sanctions were imposed by the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), which targets serious human rights abuse and corruption.
It comes as the world marked the International Anti-Corruption Day, which is annually observed since the passage of the United Nations Convention Against Corruption on 31 October 2003, to raise public awareness for anti-corruption.
“Today’s designations demonstrate that efforts at sanctions evasion, such as registering new companies to receive non-competitive and lucrative US dollar-denominated government contracts, will not go unnoticed. Coming on International Anti-Corruption Day, the Department of the Treasury should be commended for highlighting actors that extract unfair gains at the expense of the people of South Sudan,” Justyna Gudzowska, Director of Illicit Finance Policy at The Sentry, said.
The U.S Treasury Department also issued sanctions on a total of fifteen individuals and entities across several countries in Central America, Africa, and Europe.
“Corrupt acts take resources from citizens, undermine public trust, and threaten the progress of those who fight for democracy,” Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said in a statement.
Those targeted include El Salvador’s chief of Cabinet, Martha Carolina Recinos De Bernal, Nestor Moncada Lau, a national security adviser to Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega, Liberian senator Prince Yormie Johnson, among others.
The State Department also announced visa bans on nine individuals who, it said, were involved in significant corruption, and their immediate family members.
(ST)