US Sanctions DRC Election Officials Over Vote Fraud, Corruption Allegations - Treasury

WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 22nd March, 2019) The United States has sanctioned three senior Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) officials with the National Independent Electoral Commission (CENI) for undermining the elections last December, the Treasury Department said in a press release on Thursday.

"Today, the US Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) sanctioned three senior Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) officials pursuant to Executive Order (EO) 13413, as amended by EO 13671, which authorizes sanctions in light of actions or policies that undermine democratic processes or institutions in the DRC," the release said.

The sanctions target CENI President Corneille Yobeluo Nangaa, CENI Vice President Norbert Basengezi Katintima, and Katintima's son and high-level CENI adviser Marcellin Basengezi Mukolo (Basengezi), the release said.

The Treasury said the three officials have carried out various crimes such as disrupting the voter registration process, embezzling money from the government for personal gain, facilitating election delays, and bribing authorities investigating their illicit activities.

Effective immediately, all of the assets belonging to the designated individuals that is within US jurisdiction are blocked, and US persons are prohibited from engaging in transactions with them, the release said.