WASHINGTON — The US Treasury Department imposed sanctions Tuesday on two Lebanese brothers accused of using their business and political connections to enrich themselves while Lebanon’s economic crisis worsened. 

A Treasury statement described Raymond Zina Rahme and Teddy Zina Rahme as politically connected businessmen who used “their wealth, power, and influence to engage in corrupt practices that contribute to the breakdown of the rule of law in Lebanon.”

“Today’s action underscores the United States’ commitment to shining a light on corrupt actions, which continue to unjustly impact the Lebanese people,” Treasury Under Secretary for Terrorism Brian Nelson said in a statement. "Now more than ever, the Lebanese government should implement desperately needed economic and political reforms.” 

The small Mediterranean country has been without a president since Michel Aoun completed his six-year term in October and the parliament repeatedly failed to elect a replacement. The continued political paralysis has contributed to what’s considered Lebanon’s worst financial and economic crisis since the country’s 1975-90 civil war.