WASHINGTON, Dec 9 (Reuters) - The U.S. State Department

announced a slew of sanctions on Monday to mark International

Anti-Corruption Day and the eve of Human Rights Day, targeting

individuals from multiple countries, including the former CEO of

SriLankan Airlines over Airbus purchases.

Also targeted were North Macedonia's former deputy prime

minister, Artan Grubi, as well as Enver Bexheti, a judge from

that country's appeals court and Kevin Kedi, a councilman from

the Marshall Islands, for allegedly accepting bribes.

The State Department said the United States was

redesignating UK resident Fawaz Akhras, father of the

British-born wife of the deposed Syrian president, Bashar

al-Assad, for providing him with material support.

A State Department statement said Kapila Chandrasena, the

former CEO of SriLankan Airlines, was designated for sanctions

along with immediate family members, for allegedly accepting a

bribe in exchange for ensuring Sri Lanka purchased Airbus

aircraft for over market value.

Sri Lanka's former ambassador to Russia, Udayanga

Weeratunga, meanwhile, was accused of benefiting from a corrupt

scheme involving the procurement of MiG aircraft for the Sri

Lankan Air Force. He and immediate family members were

designated, the statement said.

In 2020, Sri Lanka ordered a probe into allegations of

bribery by European planemaker Airbus over the sale of aircraft

to state-run carrier SriLankan Airlines, after Airbus agreed to

settle a corruption probe with regulators.

A senior official at SriLankan Airlines said at the time

that a Colombo court had issued orders to arrest Chandrasena and

his wife Priyanka Niyomali Wijenayake as suspects of money

laundering.

The State Department also said that the United States, in

close coordination with the United Kingdom, was also sanctioning

nine individuals and 19 entities involved in a global gold and

diamond corruption network based in Zimbabwe.

It said Abdul Qader al-Murtadha, head of the Houthi National

Committee for Prisoners' Affairs (HNCPA) and that organization

were designated for involvement in torture, while visa

restrictions were imposed on seven individuals accused of

undermining peace and security in the West Bank.

None of the individuals named could immediately be reached

for comment on the steps, which involve a range of sanctions

including freezes of any U.S. assets and U.S. visa bans.