US Sanctions Nicaraguan Officials in Gold Sector, Targeting Presidents’ Sons
The US Treasury Department imposed sweeping sanctions on Thursday against individuals and firms operating within Nicaragua’s lucrative gold industry, specifically targeting two sons of the country’s co-presidents, Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo, alongside several key mining entities.
The Treasury Department identified Santiago Hernan Bermudez Tapia, the vice minister of energy and mines, as a primary sanctioned individual. Officials also blacklisted numerous companies for helping the Nicaraguan government generate illicit wealth and maintain its tight grip on political power. Consequently, the US is freezing the assets of Maurice Facundo Ortega Murillo and Daniel Edmundo Ortega Murillo.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent stated that the Ortega-Murillo government sought to fill its coffers by “confiscating American investments” in the country. “The United States will not allow the illicit confiscation of American-owned assets and will continue to target revenue streams that empower the corrupt Murillo-Ortega regime,” Bessent emphasized.
Response to Asset Seizure
These new penalties stem directly from the 2025 forcible seizure of a gold processing site belonging to BHMB Mining Nicaragua. Furthermore, investigators found that high-ranking members of the regime benefited from increased gold exports while funneling profits toward private sector partners.
Washington has maintained economic pressure on Managua since a violent crackdown followed mass demonstrations in April 2018. Although the UN accused dozens of officials of serious human rights violations last year, the regime continues its “coordinated system of repression.”
The sanctions also affect Santa Rita Mining Co. and Exportadora de Metales Sociedad Anonima, which reportedly funded government-linked paramilitary groups. Additionally, the US accused Grupo Minero Xiloa S.A. of using the American financial system to legitimize illicit funds for the government. Neither the sanctioned companies nor the individuals provided an immediate comment regarding the Treasury’s announcement on Thursday.
