KABUL: The U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control has put the former speaker of Afghanistan’s Parliament Mir Rahman Rahmani and his son Ajmal Rahmani, a former Member of Parliament under sanctions over corruption charges.
The Treasury Department in a statement said that the list falls under the designation of Executive Order (E.O.) 13818, an extension and implementation of the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act.
The order specifically includes targets individuals involved in serious human rights abuses and corruption globally.
The Treasury Department said that the Rahmanis, through their Afghan companies, ran a complex procurement corruption scheme. Under the scheme millions of dollars were misappropriated through contracts funded by the U.S. Government for Afghan security forces.
Brian Nelson, Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence has said that the latest designations highlight Treasury’s commitment to hold those accountable who exploit their positions for personal gains.
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He went on to say that Treasury will continue to utilize its tools to promote accountability, including by dismantling the networks that allow corrupt activities.
Similarly, the Department of State invoked Section 7031(c) of the annual Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations Act. This section designates individuals and their immediate family members involved in significant corruption practices as public officials.
