Treasury sanctions Lebanese Parliament member, businessmen over corruption

Details: Businessmen Jihad al-Arab and Dany Khoury profited off relationships with powerful Lebanese politicians, the Treasury said.

• Al-Arab's company won multimillion-dollar contracts in exchange for bribes to government officials, while Khoury's company acted with impunity despite failing to follow through on public contracts.
• Jamil Sayyed, a sitting member of Lebanon's Parliament, sought to skirt domestic banking policies and regulations in 2021, according to the Treasury.
• The agency said Sayyed also called on officials to shoot and kill protesters during a 2019 demonstration that demanded his resignation.

Driving the news: Al-Arab, Khoury and Sayyed's property and interests in the U.S. are now blocked and must be reported to the Office of Foreign Assets Control.

• People in the U.S. are barred from facilitating transactions with them.

What they're saying: "While the Lebanese people face daily struggles to access basic public goods, including medicine, electricity, and food, during a historic and devastating economic crisis, members of the Lebanese political class and their cronies operate with impunity to enrich themselves and hide their wealth," the Treasury said in a release.

Worth noting: In September, Lebanese President Michel Aoun announced the formation of the new government, with billionaire businessman Najib Mikati serving as the country's prime minister.