The United States imposed sanctions on Friday on Gibran Bassil, the leader of Lebanon's biggest Christian political bloc and son-in-law of President Michel Aoun, accusing him of corruption, according to a statement from the US Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC). Bassil is currently the head of the Free Patriotic Movement founded by President Aoun. Commenting on the move, US Treasury Secretary Steven T. Mnuchin said: "The systemic corruption in Lebanon's political system exemplified by Bassil has helped to erode the foundation of an effective government that serves the Lebanese people." "This designation further demonstrates that the United States supports the Lebanese people in their continued calls for reform and accountability." Bassil has held several high-level posts in the Lebanese government, including serving as the Minister of Telecommunications, the Minister of Energy and Water, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Emigrants, and Bassil has been marked by significant allegations of corruption, the statement said. In 2014, while serving as the minister of energy, Bassil was involved in approving several projects that would have steered Lebanese government funds to individuals close to him through a group of front companies, the OFAC has alleged. Bassil was designated for being a current or former government official, or a person acting for or on behalf of such an official, who is responsible for or complicit in, or who has directly or indirectly engaged in corruption, including the misappropriation of state assets, the expropriation of private assets for personal gain, corruption related to government contracts or the extraction of natural resources, or bribery, the statement added. The sanctions could complicate efforts by Prime Minister-designate Saad Al-Hariri, who is trying to navigate Lebanon's sectarian politics to assemble a Cabinet to tackle a financial meltdown, Lebanon's worst crisis since its 1975-1990 civil war. — Agencies
