The Office of Foreign Assets Control deleted 12 individuals from its Specially Designated Nationals list, under counterterrorism designations, OFAC said (here).
Treasury's Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) is seeking comments on a proposed new information collection method it is submitting to the Office of Management and Budget that will allow it to collect import data through ACE, it said (here). The information collection for the ACE alternate method form would cover what data to submit through ACE under the "alternate" electronic (i.e., in lieu of paper) method for submitting partner government agency (PGA) message set data. Most of the information TTB will require in ACE is already required by TTB regulations, but there are also additional requirements, TTB said. Comments should be submitted by Aug. 27.
The Office of Foreign Assets Control added eight individuals and seven entities to its Specially Designated Nationals list, under Syria and nonproliferation designations, OFAC said (here).
The Office of Foreign Assets Control issued general licenses under “Kingpin Act/Panama” on July 21, OFAC said (here). General License 5B is set to expire on Feb. 3, 2017, and authorizes certain transactions necessary during the reorganization of Balboa Bank & Trust by the Superintendency of Banking of Panama and the appointed reorganizer following the superintendency's seizure of Balboa to analyze and make recommendations regarding financial viability and reorganization, or to foster, negotiate or agree to Balboa's reorganization and any subsequent sale, disposition, or transfer of products. This includes software, hardware, goods and services related to bank employment and administration, and building maintenance and operations. General License 6B is set to expire on Feb. 3, 2017, and authorizes all transactions and activities otherwise banned by the Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act and the Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Sanctions Regulations necessary during the reorganization of Balboa Securities by the Superintendency of the Securities Market of Panama and the appointed reorganizer for inventory of assets and liabilities of Balboa Securities or to foster, negotiate or agree to Balboa Securities' reorganization and any subsequent sale, disposition or transfer of products. That includes exportation, re-exportation, or "provision, directly or indirectly," of software, hardware, goods and services related to bank employment and administration, and building maintenance and operations. Both licenses note that a separate OFAC license will be required for any transaction or activity to finalize, close or exchange assets or "any other thing of value" related to the sale, disposition or transfer of Balboa Bank or Balboa Securities involving a U.S. person or someone otherwise subject to U.S. jurisdiction. OFAC also updated two frequently asked questions about Panama-related activities.
Treasury determined al-Qaida members Faisal Jassim Mohammed Al-Amri Al-Khalidi, Yisra Muhammad Ibrahim Bayumi, and Abu Bakr Muhammad Muhammad Ghumayn to be Specially Designated Global Terrorists, Treasury said (here). "Global Terrorist" designations include prohibitions against knowingly providing, or attempting or conspiring to provide, material support or resources to, or engaging in transactions with, the individuals. The designations also freeze all property and interests of the individuals in the U.S. or in the control of U.S. citizens.
The Office of Foreign Assets Control answered two frequently asked questions (Nos. 43 and 50) on use of the dollar in certain transactions with Cuba on July 8 (here). The questions cover whether U.S. nationals may conduct dollar transactions in Cuba or with Cuban nationals, and whether correspondent accounts of depository instruments of a Cuban financial institution may be established and maintained in U.S. dollars.
The Office of Foreign Assets Control on July 6 designated North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, along with 10 other individuals and five entities of the North Korean regime, for ties to human rights violations in the country, OFAC said (here). Sanctions included the following groups:
The Office of Foreign Assets Control and Alcon Laboratories have reached a $7.6 million settlement agreement to settle potential civil liability stemming from 452 alleged violations of Iran sanctions regulations and 61 violations of Sudan sanctions regulations, after Alcon sold and exported medical end-use surgical and pharmaceutical products to the countries without OFAC authorization, the agency said (here). OFAC found that Alcon didn’t make a voluntary self-disclosure, and showed “reckless disregard” for sanctions requirements by not maintaining a compliance program, but said that Alcon’s alleged violations were not egregious. Mitigating factors that OFAC determined include Alcon’s blank sanctions violation history, the company’s cooperation with OFAC, and the apparent actions’ minimal harm to U.S. sanctions objectives, because the exports involved licensable medical end-use products, OFAC said.
The Office of Foreign Assets Control issued a general license under “Kingpin Act/Panama” on July 1, OFAC said (here). General License 4C authorizes certain transactions involving individuals or entities in the Kingpin Act-designated Soho Mall Panama and “associated complex” to "wind down" operations, maintain the mall complex, conduct activities with non-designated financial institutions, and accept payments by non-designated people and entities, OFAC said. U.S. persons participating in newly authorized "wind down" and maintenance transactions must file a report on the activities with OFAC within 10 business days after they conclude, according to the general license (here). General License 4C supersedes related General License 4B, which OFAC issued June 10 (see 1606130056).
The Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau is increasing the maximum civil penalty for failure to include health warning labels on domestic and imported alcoholic beverage containers from $11,000 to $19,787 per day, in a final rule (here). The one-time catch-up is required by the Civil Penalties Inflation Adjustment Act Improvements Act of 2015, signed into law in November, and will be followed by annual adjustments for inflation. The increase takes effect July 1.