The U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control imposed sanctions on Mir Rahman Rahmani, the former speaker of Afghanistan’s Parliament, and his son Ajmal Rahmani, a former Member of Parliament, on Monday, citing corruption charges. The sanctions also extend to 44 associated entities.
According to a statement from the Treasury Department, these individuals and entities fall under the designation of Executive Order (E.O.) 13818, an extension and implementation of the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act. The order specifically targets individuals involved in serious human rights abuses and corruption globally.
The Treasury Department revealed that the Rahmanis, through their Afghan companies, orchestrated a complex procurement corruption scheme. This scheme led to the misappropriation of millions of dollars from contracts funded by the U.S. Government, meant to support Afghan security forces.
Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Brian E. Nelson emphasized, “Today’s designations underscore Treasury’s commitment to holding accountable those who seek to exploit their privileged positions for personal benefit. Treasury will continue to utilize our tools to promote accountability, including by disrupting the networks that enable corrupt activities.”
Simultaneously, the Department of State invoked Section 7031(c) of the annual Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations Act. This section allows for the designation of individuals and their immediate family members involved in significant corruption as public officials.
As per Section 7031 of the Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, officials of foreign governments and their immediate family members become ineligible for entry into the United States when there is credible information that the foreign official has been directly or indirectly involved in significant corruption and/or a gross violation of human rights.
