Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | On Friday, the United States Treasury Department announced visa and economic sanctions against former Inspector General of Police (IGP) General Kale Kayihura.
The US used the Global Magnitsky Act 2016 to attach his property. The law, named after a Russian accountant Sergei Magnitsky who was killed in Russia for exposing tax fraud, allows the USA to place sanctions on any ground, company or individual around the world they deem to be corrupt and abuser of human rights.
It is not yet clear if Kayihura owns properties in the US and how much money he has in the US banks.
But what do the sanctions mean for Kayihura?
According to Human Rights Watch, the sanctions deny individuals entry into the US, allow the seizure of any of their property held in the country, and prevent them from entering into transactions with large number of banks and companies.
The banks will be required to block any money sent to Kayihura.
Both American and non-American firms but with subsidiaries in the United States will have to look at Kayihura and his companies suspiciously.
If Kayihura wants to do a transaction with a company that is not from USA but has subsidiaries in the US, the company is likely to reject such transaction. This is done mainly not to damage their image with the USA. They may also be accused of violating US sanctions.
According to the US Treasury Department, when one’s properties are frozen, the department takes control of the targeted property.
The Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), which is a financial intelligence and enforcement agency of the US Treasury Department, takes charge. This is where Kayihura accounts and properties will fall.
The Treasury Department says the title to the blocked property remains with the target – in this case Kayihura – but the exercise of powers and privileges normally associated with ownership is prohibited without authorization from OFAC.
“Blocking immediately imposes an across-the-board prohibition against transfers or dealings of any kind with regard to the property,” it says on its website.
Sanctions are purposefully put to cause financial difficulties to the target individual.
For the case of Kayihura, they may be unilateral but countries friends to the US decide to implement them to show they agree with their friend.
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Kayihura deserves relief,he has suffered enough,let him forego uncalled for trips toUS
That’s what always happens when you work with those people. They always use you and once you reach the goal, they recycle you.
Ex. Mobutu, Savimbi etc. worked 100% hard for them. What was the end reward did they receive? Now it is turn of Kale K.
Kayihura is one of the luckiest guys on this planet. Having worked with the deadliest machine and still be alive is really lucky. He would have been recycled like Mobutu, Savimbi…
But these people also… they first wait until Kayihura has been made to pay for whatever mistakes he made, after his name has already finished being dragged through the mud and even the tabloids have finished making money from his name… after all the dust has settled… that’s now when they decide to take action? What’s the real problem? Those who were tortured have not forgotten, but it’s as if these Americans want to show off that they are doing some good work after the real work is already done. Funny people. Maybe they want to send a message that once a person who disturbs people loses status, that’s now when they will unleash all sorts of witchcraft?
your right
people are crying of poverty as a few are laying onto the wealth the mob are to use so as they get out of the that poor state of living
I think they did a right thing many people are suffering here in Uganda over poverty and being jobs less yet those guys have kept money in out side Uganda for, let his friends have an example on him 😡😡 .its not that I don’t support the government but I don’t like the people in the government because they don’t think about others
kaihura deserves the ICC for the crimes he did to ugandans..americans please dont forget museveni,kaka bagyenda,,elly tumwine and brigadier elweru…these are senior muderers with command from museveni
Lastly God is answering prayers of ugandans who are suffering..the list is long