U.S. sanctions former Haitian official for corruption

April 6 (UPI) -- The United States has blacklisted the former president of the Haitian Chamber of Deputies as the administration of President Joe Biden continues to target corruption destabilizing the Caribbean nation.

The U.S. Treasury imposed sanctions against Gary Bodeau on Wednesday as the Department of State hit him with an entry ban.

Bodeau is being sanctioned on accusations of accepting and facilitating millions of dollars in bribes in exchange for influencing political appointments.

U.S. officials say the 45-year-old paid Haitian officials bribes to secure their votes while seeking ministerial position appointments in 2018 as well as having solicited bribes worth hundreds of thousands of dollars from senior government officials for his political support.

In 2019, Bodeau was involved in facilitating upwards of $7.4 million in bribes from businessmen for Haiti politicians so that they would produce a successful vote in the Chamber of Deputies, the lower house of Haiti's bicameral legislature.

"Corrupt officials like Bodeau have created an environment that empowers illegal armed gangs and their supporters to inflict violence on the Haitian people," Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Brain Nelson said in a statement.

"Along with our partners, including Canada, we are committed to holding accountable those undermining the integrity of Haiti's government and destabilizing the country."

Separately, State Secretary Antony Blinken designated Bodeau over his corrupt dealings, making him ineligible to enter the United States.

"The United States and its partners will continue to use all tools at our disposal to support the Haitian people and promote accountability for corrupt actors who exploit the Haitian people and contribute to the ongoing instability in Haiti," Blinken said in a statement.

The United States took action Wednesday as the Caribbean nation confronts political, security and humanitarian crises that have only worsened since the July 2021 assassination of President Jovenel Moise, whom the country has yet to replace.

In the absence of leadership at the country's helm, gang violence has grown rampant, food and fuel experience shortages and cholera surges, according a late January report from the Congressional Research Service.

Since October, the Biden administration has sanctioned at least five current and former Haitian officials -- including politicians Rony Celestin and Richard Lenine Herve Fourcand in December and Joseph Lambert and Youri Latortue in November -- and have supported Canada's sanctions, which include former Haitian President Michel Martelly.

Ottawa has also sanctioned, Bodeau, Fourcand, Lambert and Latorute, among others.

Charges have also been filed in the United States against several people in connection to Moise' assassination, with four men arrested as recently as mid-February over their alleged involvement.