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The US government has sanctioned Africa Resources Corporation and Winners Construction Companies for their involvement in corruption allegations.

The U.S Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control sanctioned the firms for profiting and allegedly looting the public funds.

In a statement issued yesterday, the Department of Treasury designated ARC and Winners Construction Company Limited for being owned or controlled by Benjamin Bol Mel – a sanctioned businessman by the U.S government.

ARC sanctioned came as the world marked the International Anti-Corruption Day yesterday.

The company allegedly received preferential treatment from high-level government officials in a non-competitive process for selecting ABMC to do roadwork throughout South Sudan.

It says ARC is linked to ABMC, and has been used by senior members of the Government of South Sudan for laundering money.

The company is among 15 individuals and entities targeted across several countries in Central America, Africa and Europe.

Both ARC Resources and Winners have been used to evade sanctions and travel restrictions on Bol Mel, and have been awarded noncompetitive and substantial oil-backed contracts from the Kiir administration for road construction.

In December 2017, Bol Mel and two companies in his vast corporate network, ABMC and Home and Away Ltd., were designated by the US for their involvement in corruption in South Sudan.

He previously oversaw ABMC Thai-South Sudan Construction Company Limited, which was awarded contracts worth tens of millions of dollars by the government of South Sudan.

Recently, a report showed the two blacklisted businessmen close to President Salva Kiir – Bol Mel and Kur Ajiing – were running businesses worth billions of US dollars.

Benjamin Bol Mel is engaged in road construction and other infrastructure project contracts worth at least 3.5 billion dollars, including the construction of the Bor-Juba road.

The contracts are oil-backed, but awarded in clear violation of the 2018 Public Procurement Act.

ARC Resources and Winners are now designated pursuant to E.O. 13818 for being owned or controlled by, directly or indirectly, Bol Mel, a person whose property and interests in property are blocked pursuant to E.O. 13818.