US Sanctions 2 Members Of Cambodian Ministry Of National Defense For Corruption - Treasury

Mohammad Ali (@ChaudhryMAli88) Published November 10, 2021 | 09:49 PM

The United States has imposed sanctions against two Cambodian officials from the Ministry of National Defense for corruption, the US Department of the Treasury said in a statement on Wednesday

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 10th November, 2021) The United States has imposed sanctions against two Cambodian officials from the Ministry of National Defense for corruption, the US Department of the Treasury said in a statement on Wednesday.

"Today, the US Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) sanctioned two Cambodian government officials, Chau Phirun (Chau) and Tea Vinh (Tea), for their roles in corruption in Cambodia," the statement said.

The Treasury Department explained that both individuals were designated in line with the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act.

In addition, the US State Department announced visa restrictions for both officials and their families, the statement said.

"The United States will not stand by while corrupt officials personally benefit at the expense of the Cambodian people," OFAC Director Andrea Gacki said.

The US authorities have accused Chau of conspiring to profit from activities regarding the construction and updating of the Ream Naval Base facilities in 2020 and 2021. Chau and Tea, along with other Cambodian government officials, likely conspired to inflate the cost of facilities at the Ream Naval Base and personally benefit from the proceeds, the statement added.

US law requires that the designated persons' property and interests in the United States must be blocked and US citizens are prohibited from engaging in commercial activities with them, according to the statement.