Fight Over Corruption and Congo’s Mining Riches Takes a Turn in Washington

In recent weeks, Mr. Gertler’s lobbying campaign has extended to international human rights groups, which have been highly critical of his activities in Congo, asking them to endorse his effort to have the sanctions lifted by the American authorities.

“You have achieved the desired changes being sought,” Mr. Gertler wrote in the letter to the human-rights groups in February. “To oppose this settlement is to say that continuing my suffering is more important than improving the lives of the Congolese people.”

Several Congo-based civil society groups, including one known as Congolese Association for Access to Justice, have also joined the effort sending their own letters to top officials in Washington urging them to revoke the sanctions, arguing the settlement agreement benefits the citizens of Congo. “We, the Congolese people, want these assets now, and to benefit from these assets now!” said one of the letters sent in March to Mr. Blinken and Ms. Yellen, which listed hundreds of signatures.

But international human rights groups have fired back with letters to Mr. Gertler and the U.S. government, arguing that he was still wrongly profiting from corrupt deals in Congo even after he promised to return assets his companies owned.

“If Gertler succeeds,” said Justyna Gudzowska, the director of illicit finance policy at the Sentry, a human rights group, “this will become the playbook for other wealthy sanctions targets — including Russian oligarchs — from all over the world.”

Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2023/04/02/us/politics/dan-gertler-biden-congo-sanctions.html