The US Treasury in Washington, in January 2017. (Credit: Paul J. Richards/AFP)
BEIRUT — Recent US sanctions against the Rahme brothers, two well-connected Lebanese businessmen, are "not related" to Lebanon's presidential election deadlock, US Treasury official Brian Nelson said Wednesday.
The sanctions are "not related to the presidential election at all," Nelson, the US Treasury’s Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence, said in an online briefing with journalists. "This action is focused on demonstrating the consequences for elites who continue to engage in corrupt practices in Lebanon," he added.
The US Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) announced Tuesday that it had imposed sanctions against Lebanese brothers Raymond Zina Rahme and Teddy Zina Rahme, accused of "using their wealth, power and influence to engage in corrupt practices that contribute to the breakdown of the rule of law in Lebanon."
One of the Rahme brothers, Raymond, is said to be close to presidential candidate and Marada Movement leader Sleiman Frangieh, a candidate for the Lebanese presidency.
The US sanctions come at a time when the Hezbollah-Amal duo, as well as France, support the candidacy of Frangieh.
"No, there is no political message," Nelson said in response to a question during the Wednesday briefing. "The way we build our sanctions packages is that they take time to meet certain legal criteria. In this case, OFAC determined that they had sufficient evidence to designate the Rahme brothers at this time, and that has been the thing that has driven the timing of our actions over the last day," Nelson said.
He also called on "Lebanese politicians to end the political gridlock, elect a president, form a government and undertake the reforms needed to pave the way for Lebanon’s economic recovery."
Lebanon has been without a president since the end of Michel Aoun's term, on Oct.31, 2022. Since then, Parliament has still not succeeded in electing a new president amid a lack of political consensus.