The Unite States Treasury has imposed sanctions against the Gupta family and an associate over alleged corruption in South Africa.
The sanctions were targeted at brothers Atul, Ajay and Rajesh Gupta, and South African businessman Salim Essa.
They are accused of using their friendship with Jacob Zuma, South Africa’s former president, to profit financially and influence ministerial appointments.
The accused have denied any wrongdoing.
Zuma, who was forced to resign as president in February 2018, has faced allegations he oversaw a web of corruption while in office.
He was replaced by his then-deputy, Cyril Ramaphosa, who promised to tackle corruption in South Africa.
“The Gupta family leveraged its political connections to engage in widespread corruption and bribery, capture government contracts, and misappropriate state assets,” said Sigal Mandelker, the Treasury Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence.
The Treasury said the sanctions would target the Guptas’ “pay-to-play political patronage” in South Africa, but did not elaborate on the details.
“We will continue to exclude from the US financial system those who profit from corruption,” the Treasury added.
In a statement, South Africa’s Department of Justice said the sanctions will ensure the accused “are prohibited from conducting any business in the USA or with any American company worldwide”.
The Guptas have fled South Africa, and are said to be living in Dubai.
The Gupta brothers are a family of businessmen from India.
They relocated to South Africa from India’s northern state of Uttar Pradesh in 1993, just as white minority rule was ending and the country was opening up to the rest of the world.
They were small businessmen back home but their parent company Sahara Group – which has no links to the Indian giant of the same name – had an annual turnover of about 200m rand ($22m; £14.3m) as of early 2018.
As well as computers, they have interests in mining, air travel, energy, technology and media.
They are said to have met President Zuma more than 10 years ago when he was a guest in one of their parties.
South Africa welcomes US sanctions against Guptas
Meanwhile, South Africa’s government has welcomed the US Treasury’s decision to sanction the controversial Gupta family, which was accused of widespread corruption during the rule of former President Zuma.
“The interest of justice must not be shackled by any boundary or border and justice must be seen to be done without fear or favour,” Justice and Correctional Services Minuster Ronald Ramola said in a statement.
The sanctions freeze any assets the three Guptas brothers and their business associate Salim Essa have in the US and bar US citizens and businesses from entering into transactions with them.
The Guptas were close to Mr Zuma, and were accused of fraudulently acquiring government contracts and trying to influence cabinet appointments to advance their business interests.
All the accused have denied any wrongdoing.
.BBC