The U.S. government and the United Nations, including their contractors, are allowed to conduct transactions related to Syria that involve “stabilization and early recovery-related activities,” the Office of Foreign Assets Control said in a Nov. 8 frequently asked question. OFAC also said the U.S. government and its contractors are authorized by a general license “to engage in all transactions in support of their official business” in Syria. The exemption applies to all government employees, including non-governmental organizations and private companies acting as grantees or contractors. The agency stressed that all U.N. or U.S. grantees or contractors must provide a copy of their contract or grant with either the U.N. or the U.S. “before the U.S. person engages in or facilitates any transaction or activity.”
Export Compliance Daily is providing readers with the top stories for Nov. 1-5 in case you missed them. You can find any article by searching the title or by clicking on the hyperlinked reference number.
A United Arab Emirates bank violated the U.S.’s now-repealed Sudanese Sanctions Regulations when it illegally processed more than 1,700 payments for Sudanese banks, the Office of Foreign Assets Control said Nov. 9. The bank, Mashreqbank psc, was issued a “finding of violation” by OFAC instead of a fine, partly because the bank voluntarily entered into a “retroactive statute of limitations waiver agreement,” which allowed OFAC to charge Mashreq with the sanctions violations.
The Bureau of Industry and Security fined a Pennsylvania-based scientific equipment manufacturer $80,000 for illegally exporting goods to Huawei and HiSilicon Technologies in 2019, according to a Nov. 8 enforcement order. The company, SP Industries, exported more than $170,000 worth of goods to the Chinese technology companies just after they were added to the Entity List (see 1905160072).
Rep. Suzan DelBene, chair of the generally pro-trade New Democrat Coalition, told a webinar audience that reaching an international agreement to lower tariffs on environmental goods and services would be good for U.S. companies, since the U.S. has lower tariffs on these goods than the European Union and China. She said that the European Union and China both export more environmental goods than the U.S. does.
The United Kingdom published a case study on the effectiveness of its enforcement of United Nations sanctions on North Korea. The study is part of a larger report ahead of the 10th review conference of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons. The case study looked at U.K. leadership on enforcement, including maritime guidance for the shipping sector through public-private outreach workshops. For instance, the U.K.'s Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation released Maritime Guidance alerting shipping sector actors to ship-to-ship transfers and Automatic Identification Systems concealment, the report said. The U.K. also cited measures to oppose North Korean cybercrime, including sanctions relating to the 2017 "WannaCry" cyberattack.
Ahead of a planned trip to India Nov. 22 by U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai, the Alliance for Trade Enforcement is asking her to make sure that the U.S.-India Trade Policy Forum "eliminates significant trade barriers in India to expand economic opportunities for U.S. workers and businesses."
The United Nations Security Council’s sanctions committee adopted its updated guidelines, the UNSC said Nov. 5. The guidelines will help the council “facilitate the conduct of its own work” and provide “useful” guidance to member states on implementing UNSC resolutions.
Kosovo sanctioned seven individuals and one entity on Oct. 27 for their alleged connection with Hezbollah, subjecting them to a travel ban and asset freeze, according to an unofficial translation of decrees. Listed are Ali Reda Hassan al-Banai, Ali Reda al-Qassabi Lari, Abd al-Muayyid al-Banai, Abd al-Rahman Abd al-Nabi Shams, Yahya Muhammed al-Abd-al-Muhsin, Majdi Fai'iz al-Ustadz, Sulaiman al-Banai and AlDar Properties. The sanctions follow those the U.S. imposed Sept. 29 (see 2109290021).
The U.S. announced new, coordinated sanctions this week against a virtual currency exchange for processing ransomware-related transactions, and designated several companies and people for supporting the exchange and “perpetuating” ransomware attacks in the U.S. The Treasury Department’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network also updated its ransomware payment advisory, which includes new information on ransomware trends.