US blacklists S Africa's Gupta family over 'widespread corruption'

The US Treasury announced sanctions Thursday on South Africa's Gupta family and associate Salim Essa, calling them a "significant corruption network" that dispersed bribes and misappropriated millions in state funds.

"The Gupta family leveraged its political connections to engage in widespread corruption and bribery, capture government contracts, and misappropriate state assets," said Sigal Mandelker, Treasury Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence.

"Treasury's designation targets the Guptas' pay-to-play political patronage, which was orchestrated at the expense of the South African people," she said.