The United Kingdom has frozen the assets of Alex Saab, a
special envoy of the Venezuelan government who allegedly exploited two of
Venezuela’s public programmes which were set up to supply poor Venezuelans with
affordable foodstuffs and housing.
Saab was sanctioned alongside Alvaro Vargas, his associate.
The Venezuelan envoy is currently detained in Cape Verde and
facing extradition to the United States for corruption charges.
Teodoro Obiang Mangue, vice-president of Equatorial Guinea; Kudakwashe Tagwirei, a Zimbabwean businessman, and Nawfal Al-Sultan, an ex-governor of Iraq, were also sanctioned by the UK for their involvement in corruption.
According to Dominic Raab, UK foreign secretary, the
individuals were sanctioned under the UK’s global anti-corruption sanctions
regime.
Raab said the sanctions target cases of serious corruption
which have deprived developing countries of vital resources and individuals who
have lined their own pockets at the expense of their citizens.
“This second set of Global Anti-Corruption sanctions targets
corrupt individuals who have lined their own pockets through misappropriation,
with their greed causing untold damage to the countries and communities they
exploit,” Raab said.
“The UK will impose
asset freezes and travel bans against these individuals to ensure they will no
longer be able to channel their money through UK banks or enter the country.
“The new sanctions announced today target five individuals
involved in serious corruption in Equatorial Guinea, Zimbabwe, Venezuela and
Iraq. The individuals designated today are:
“Alex Nain Saab Morán and Alvaro Enrique Pulido Vargas for
exploiting two of Venezuela’s public programmes which were set up to supply
poor Venezuelans with affordable foodstuffs and housing. They benefitted from
improperly awarded contracts, where promised goods were delivered at highly
inflated prices. Their actions caused further suffering to already poverty
stricken Venezuelans, for their own private enrichment
“Teodoro Obiang Mangue, vice president of Equatorial Guinea,
and son of the current president, for his involvement in the misappropriation
of state funds into his own personal bank accounts, corrupt contracting
arrangements and soliciting bribes, to fund a lavish lifestyle inconsistent
with his official salary as a government minister. This included the purchase
of a $100m mansion in Paris and a $38 million private jet
“Kudakwashe Regimond Tagwirei for profiting from
misappropriation of property when his company, Sakunda Holdings, redeemed
Government of Zimbabwe Treasury Bills at up to ten times their official value.
His actions accelerated the devaluation of Zimbabwe’s currency, increasing the
price of essentials, such as food, for Zimbabwean citizens
“Nawfal Hammadi Al-Sultan has been involved in serious
corruption in his role as Governor of Nineveh province, Iraq, where he
misappropriated public funds intended for reconstruction efforts and to provide
support for civilians, and improperly awarded contracts and other state
property. Al-Sultan is currently serving a combined five-year prison sentence
in Iraq for corruption offences, including wasting five billion Iraqi dinars
(approximately £2.5 million) through fictitious public works”
The foreign secretary added that the UK is committed to
fighting corruption and holding those responsible for its corrosive effect to
account.
“These measures follow the first tranche of UK sanctions
under the Global Anti-Corruption sanctions regime in April, which targeted 22
individuals involved in serious corruption cases in Russia, South Africa, South
Sudan and Latin America,” he said.
The financial restrictions will also apply to any entities
owned or controlled by the persons designated.
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