WASHINGTON

The US sanctioned on Friday former Paraguayan President Horacio Manuel Cartes Jara for his alleged involvement in "significant corruption."

Cartes served as Paraguay's president from 2013 through 2018. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said he used his powers to "obstruct a major international investigation into transnational crime in order to protect himself and his criminal associate from potential prosecution and political damage."

"These actions undermined the stability of Paraguay’s democratic institutions by contributing to public perception of corruption and impunity within the office of the Paraguayan President," the top US diplomat said in a statement.

"Additionally, these actions enabled and perpetuated Cartes’s recently documented involvement with foreign terrorist organizations and other U.S.-designated entities which undermines the security of the United States against transnational crime and terrorism and threatens regional stability." he added.

Cartes' three adult children -- Juan Pablo Cartes Montana, Sofia Cartes Montana, and María Sol Cartes Montana -- were also blacklisted.