Washington, D.C. – U.S. Sen. Jim Risch (R-Idaho), chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, released the following statement applauding Thusday's announcement of Global Magnitsky sanctions designations against several leading members of the grand corruption network in South Africa led by the notorious Gupta family.
“I welcome today’s announcement of sanctions against members of the Gupta family whose complex and wide-ranging corruption network siphoned off billions of dollars of public assets and funds from South Africa. The level of 'state capture' witnessed by the Gupta family during the tenure of former President Jacob Zuma represented the greatest betrayal of public trust and brought economic hardship to the country.
"I applaud South Africans and the leadership of President Cyril Ramaphosa to tackle corruption and rebuild South Africa's economy. Today's designation against the Guptas reflects the unwavering commitment of the United States to support South Africans in their quest for justice against those who have stolen their precious public resources."
Background: On Thursday, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) announced Global Magnitsky sanctions designations against Ajay Gupta, Atul Gupta, Rajesh Gupta, and Salim Essa for their involvement in corruption in South Africa pursuant to Executive Order (E.O.) 13818, which builds upon and implements the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act.
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