Dear Supporter,

In South Sudan, a new Sentry investigation has uncovered over $4 billion in government contracts awarded to companies that appear to be controlled by US-sanctioned businessmen Kur Ajing Ater and Benjamin Bol Mel. In a well-worn tactic for sanctions evasion, the awarded companies were registered after the men’s sanction designations and seem to be owned by their relatives who can serve as proxies while potentially bypassing internal compliance controls at banks. This scheme could enable Ajing and Bol Mel, both part of President Salva Kiir’s inner circle, to still be the likely beneficial owners of the companies and continue conducting business in USD despite the US sanctions against them.

Our alert “Sanctioned South Sudanese Businessmen Are Skirting US Sanctions” offers evidence of large-scale corruption, as the men’s influence in South Sudan makes it likely that officials knew of their alleged beneficial ownership, and as our investigation revealed that some of the contracts were no-bid. The investigation highlights the need for South Sudan’s government to enforce the country’s AML/CFT laws and for financial institutions to ramp up their due diligence and compliance systems. The United States should also work with South Sudan to help build strong corporate transparency, oversight, and accountability mechanisms, in addition to taking more direct action related to the findings of this investigation.

As today’s alert illustrates, those in power in South Sudan continue to line their pockets, undermine stability, and sell out the country’s future. The awarding of billions of dollars in potentially no-bid contracts to companies that appear to be controlled by sanctioned persons close to the president is just one more documented instance of corruption, which is a key driver of conflict and political crises in the country.

Sincerely,

John Prendergast
Co-Founder of The Sentry