The U.S. Treasury Department sanctioned former Afghan parliamentary speaker Mir Rahmani, along with his son and fellow politician, Ajmal, in December 2023. Treasury accused them of running a corruption scheme in Afghanistan that resulted in “the misappropriation of millions of dollars from U.S. Government-funded contracts.”
The Rahmanis rejected the allegations, and launched a legal challenge on January 31. They have now withdrawn the case “in light of the ongoing negotiations and discussions” regarding sanctions, according to a court document.
“While we cannot discuss the substance or timing of the negotiations, we are encouraged by progress made to date and look forward to resolving this matter as soon as possible,” Ajmal Rahmani told OCCRP.
The Rahmanis filed what’s called “dismissal without prejudice,” which would allow them to bring back their lawsuit should they be unable to reach an acceptable settlement with the Treasury Department. The Biden administration and the judge did not oppose the Rahmani’s move to dismiss.
Under U.S. sanctions law, the Rahmanis’ lawsuit against Yellen and Blinken would have faced an uphill battle.
Their only avenue to overturn it by a court was the Administrative Procedures Act, meaning they would need to prove that the Treasury Department did not follow its own policies in imposing sanctions. That would be difficult to prove, especially because the Rahmanis may not have had access to the evidence against them — which is common in sanctions cases.
The Rahmanis were featured in a recent OCCRP series called Dubai Unlocked, which revealed they owned more than $15 million worth of property in the United Arab Emirates.