The United States of America Thursday sanctioned two South Sudanese construction companies over corruption allegations.
The companies; Africa Resources Corporation (ARC) and Winners Construction Companies are linked to the sanctioned South Sudanese businessman Benjamin Bol Mel.
The US Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) as Global Magnitsky designations in a statement on Thursday imposed the sanctions which target serious human rights abuse and corruption as the world marked the International Anti-Corruption Day.
The two companies have allegedly received preferential treatment from high-level government officials and are used to evade sanctions and travel restrictions on Bol Mel.
Both ARC and Winners have been awarded noncompetitive and substantial oil-backed contracts from the Kiir administration for road construction.
Bol Mel and two of his companies ABMC and Home and Away Ltd were designated by the US as being involved in corruption in South Sudan in 2017.
15 other individuals and entities have been sanctioned across Central America, Africa, and Europe.
Reacting to the santions, Justyna Gudzowska, Director of Illicit Finance Policy at The Sentry, said: “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.”