Jefferson Tamba Koijee is the only Liberia sanctioned alongside 20 others from different countries for their involvement into human rights abuse.
The United States Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) named individuals from nine countries.
The statement issued in Monrovia over the weekend said, “Today OFAC designated Jefferson Koijee, who is the mayor of Monrovia, Liberia, and is a senior leader in the Congress for Democratic Change (CDC) political party.”
“Koijee has a reputation for stoking violence and has a powerful grip on Monrovia’s youth. He controls paramilitary-style organizations associated with the CDC which allegedly recruits former combatants and recently released prisoners.
OFAC has reason to believe that Koijee has instructed these organizations to violently disrupt demonstrations conducted by government critics or political opposition. Koijee and his supporters have been involved in violence in connection with an opposition rally in July 2022, students attending a memorial service for former Liberian president Amos Sawyer in March 2022, an anti-rape protest in August 2020, a student graduation ceremony in December 2019, and an opposition rally in November 2018,” the release noted.
According to the U.S. OFAC statement, Koijee has also engaged in corrupt acts, including bribery and misappropriation of state assets for use by private political movements and pressuring anti-corruption investigators to halt corruption investigations.
The statement further narrated that Koijee is designated for being a foreign person who is responsible for, or complicit in, or who has directly or indirectly engaged in, serious human rights abuse and for being a foreign person who is 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 pursuant to E.O. 13818.
The statement maintained, “as a result of today’s actions, all property and interests in property of the designated persons described above that are in the United States or in the possession or control of U.S. persons are blocked and must be reported to OFAC.”
“In addition, any entities that are owned, directly or indirectly, individually or in the aggregate, 50 percent or more by one or more blocked persons are also blocked. Unless authorized by a general or specific license issued by OFAC, or exempt, OFAC’s regulations generally prohibit all transactions by U.S. persons or within (or transiting) the United States that involve any property or interests in property of designated or otherwise blocked persons.
In addition, financial institutions and other persons that engage in certain transactions or activities with the sanctioned entities and individuals may expose themselves to sanctions or be subject to an enforcement action,” OFAC warned.
The statement furthered, “The prohibitions include the making of any contribution or provision of funds, goods, or services by, to, or for the benefit of any designated person, or the receipt of any contribution or provision of funds, goods, or services from any such person.”
“The power and integrity of OFAC sanctions derive not only from OFAC’s ability to designate and add persons to the Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons (SDN) List, but also from its willingness to remove persons from the SDN List consistent with the law. The ultimate goal of sanctions is not to punish, but to bring about a positive change in behavior,” The release said.
Meanwhile, the statement added, “Those designated for sanctions may seek removal from an OFAC list, including the SDN List, by referring to OFAC’s Frequently Asked Question 897 or submit a request for removal from an OFAC sanctions list.”
