Dear Supporter,

Two weeks ago, The Sentry learned that, in a last-minute action, the Trump administration gave Israeli mining tycoon Dan Gertler and his businesses a license that effectively nullifies sanctions previously imposed by the US Department of the Treasury for corruption related to illicit mining deals.

Immediately upon learning this news, our team launched an intense policy, advocacy, and media outreach campaign to have the sanctions reinstated, resulting in extensive coverage by the New York Times, Reuters, Bloomberg, The Economist, Al Jazeera, Congolese media, and others. At the same time, The Sentry is advising banks to maintain blocks on transactions and assets linked to Gertler because of the ongoing money laundering and corruption risks they represent.

The Sentry is urging the Biden administration to take swift action to reverse this ill-advised decision. Earlier this week, Senators Cory Booker (D-NJ), Dick Durbin (D-IL), and Ben Cardin (D-MD) released a letter to Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, citing The Sentry’s analysis and urging her to "immediately and publicly rescind the license, making it clear to Gertler and other sanctioned individuals that the Biden administration will uphold the spirit and the letter of the Global Magnitsky Act." A day later, House Foreign Affairs Committee Chair Gregory Meeks (D-NY), Africa Subcommittee Chair Karen Bass (D-CA), and National Security Subcommittee Chair Jim Himes (D-CT) wrote a scathing letter, pointing out that Gertler risks becoming “a case study in how to circumvent American sanctions.”

The free pass given to Gertler threatens the integrity of sanctions programs more broadly, significantly undermines US anti-corruption efforts in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and sends signals to the world's most corrupt businesspeople that they will not face consequences.

We need your help to make sure this decision is quickly reversed.

Take Action: Urge the Biden administration to immediately revoke the license to Dan Gertler and his companies.

Thank you,

Sasha Lezhnev
Deputy Director of Policy
The Sentry