US imposes sanctions on global sanctions evasion network of Russian financier

#US; #GlobalSanctions; #Sudan; YevgeniyPrigozhin; #EvadeSanctions

​United States, Jul 16 (Canadian-Media): A statement was issued by Michael R. Pompeo, Secretary of United States(US), that US has taken action to further limit destabilizing global activity of Yevgeniy Prigozhin by designating entities that have enabled his ability to evade sanctions, this time, in Sudan, 

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These designations include, continued the statement, apparent cover entity of Private Military Company (PMC) Wagner  in Sudan, M Invest, its subsidiary Meroe Gold, and their leaders, Andrei Mandel and Mikhail Potepkin. 

The statement continued to say that Prigozhin’s  well-documented global malign activities were demonstrated by his designation under multiple U.S. sanctions authorities such as financier of the Internet Research Agency (IRA), the Russian troll farm designated by the United States for attempts to interfere in U.S. elections, as well as the PMC Wagner, a U.S. designated Russian Ministry of Defense proxy force expanding Russian influence abroad.

Prigozhin's reliance on a network of front companies and facilitators, including three companies and an individual designated today based in Hong Kong and Thailand – Shine Dragon Group Limited, Shen Yang Jing Cheng Machinery Imp&Exp. Co, Zhe Jiang Jiayi Small Commodities Trade Company Limited, and Igor Lavrenkov, facilitated more than 100 transactions exceeding $7.5 million between 2018 and 2019 that were sent in the interest of Prigozhin, the statement said.

Throughout the course of this financial activity, Lavrenkov was the director and owner of Shine Dragon Group Limited and also a director at Shen Yang Jing Cheng Machinery Imp&Exp. Co. and Zhe Jiang Jiayi Small Commodities Trade Company Limited.

Prigozhin’s role in Sudan highlights the interplay between Russia’s paramilitary operations, support for preserving authoritarian regimes, such as that of former Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir, and exploitation of natural resources.

The actions taken, said the statement, will further limit attempts by Prigozhin and his backers to foment disorder or undermine democratic reforms in Sudan.