WASHINGTON, May 15. /TASS/. US authorities impose sanctions against two gold mining companies in Nicaragua and against a Russian Interior Ministry training center in Managua, a high-ranking US Administration representative said during a special briefing.
According to the representative, the mining companies generate profit for the "Ortega regime". Another Administration employee explained that the restrictions are being imposed against the "Russian Interior Ministry training center in Managua," which, according to Washington, "contributes to anti-democratic actions and repressions from the Ortega-Murillo regime."
The mining companies in question are COMINTSA and Capital Mining. Washington considers them affiliated with the Nicaraguan government and involved in corruption schemes. The inclusion to the US blacklist implies freezing of assets and a ban for US citizens to carry out business with blacklisted entities.
In addition, the US Department of State imposed visa restrictions for over 250 Nicaraguan government officials, non-governmental actors and their close relatives. The list of blacklisted persons includes police employees, prosecutors, judges and prison employees.
On February 29, the Russian Interior Ministry training center in Managua was visited by Nikolay Patrushev, then-Secretary of the Russian Security Council. Established six years ago, the center trained over 2,000 specialists for law enforcement agencies in 12 states.