WASHINGTON — U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ), Ranking Member of the Senator Foreign Relations Subcommittee on Africa and Global Health, welcomed the Treasury Department’s announcement of new sanctions designations under the Global Magnitsky Act, including sanctions on Dan Gertler, a close associate of President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo Joseph Kabila. Gertler’s long and documented history of systematically undervaluing DRC’s mineral wealth has resulted in the potential loss of billions of dollars from the government and ultimately, its people. In October of 2017, Booker sent a letter to U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley calling for the designation of sanctions on President Kabila and his government under the Global Magnitsky Act.
“This announcement is a welcome step in the fight against corruption in the Democratic Republic of Congo, but it is a step that must be followed with continued pressure on President Kabila and his government until they fully comply with their commitment to free and fair elections and a democratic transition,” said Booker. “The people of the DRC have suffered for too long under the violence and instability of the Kabila regime, and we must continue to use the levers available to us to support a democratic, peaceful and stable future for the people of the DRC.”
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