The Office of Foreign Assets Control is seeking comments by Nov. 8 on an information collection related to its Rough Diamonds Control Regulations, the agency said in a notice. The collection involves the ultimate consignee listed on a customs form for trade in rough diamonds.
The Office of Foreign Assets Control sanctioned four Iranian intelligence operatives who targeted a U.S. citizen and Iranian dissidents to silence their criticisms of the Iranian government, OFAC said Sept. 3. The agency designated senior intelligence official Alireza Shahvaroghi Farahani, who led a failed kidnapping attempt against a U.S. journalist and human rights activist. Others involved in the plot were intelligence operatives Mahmoud Khazein, Kiya Sadeghi and Omid Noori, all of whom were also sanctioned. OFAC said they researched options to abduct the journalist in New York City and transport him to Venezuela on “military-style speedboats.” The group also targeted dissidents in the United Kingdom, Canada and the United Arab Emirates, OFAC said.
The Commerce Department’s delay in issuing emerging and foundational technology controls may not be hampering U.S. foreign investment reviews as much as some lawmakers have suggested, trade lawyers said. Although the Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S. doesn’t yet have a clear set of Commerce-defined critical technologies to target, that has not slowed down CFIUS from catching non-notified deals in critical technology sectors, the lawyers said in interviews, especially those involving semiconductors (see 2109010051).
The United Kingdom's Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation added an individual and an entity to its Myanmar sanctions list for perpetuating human rights violations in the country, including the ethnic cleansing of the Rohingya Muslim minority population, it said in a Sept. 2 notice. OFSI added arms dealer Tay Za and the Htoo Group of Companies that he owns to the sanctions regime, subjecting them to an asset freeze and travel ban.
The G-7's Financial Action Task Force released its Japan Mutual Evaluation Report 2021 along with an executive summary that gives a synopsis of the anti-money laundering and counterterrorist financing (AML/CFT) measures imposed by Japan since November 2019. The report also broke down Japan's compliance with the FATF's 40 recommendations and the effectiveness of the nation's AML/CFT system, along with a fresh set of recommendations.
The Office of Foreign Assets Control on Sept. 2 removed four entries from its Specially Designated Nationals List. Three are Balkans related: Jovan Djogo, Momcilo Krajisnik and Dragan Nikolic. The fourth is Cuba-related, the vessel Hermann. OFAC also revised two Cuba-related entries for the vessels Sand Swan and Tifon. The agency didn’t immediately provide more information on the changes.
The European Commission will hold its annual export control forum Dec. 8, the commission announced Sept. 2, providing European Union member states, industry, academia and others an opportunity to discuss export control policies. The forum will include a discussion on the EU’s new dual-use control regulations (see 2105100013) and other export control developments globally.
The Treasury Department needs to provide significant assurances to banks and non-governmental organizations that they will not be sanctioned for transactions related to humanitarian relief in Afghanistan (see 2108260055), a former sanctions official and an export control official said. Without those assurances, large banks will be unwilling to risk approving transactions to the country because they fear violating U.S. sanctions and potentially large enforcement penalties.
The United Kingdom's Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation published guidance in an Aug. 31 LinkedIn post to anyone engaging in financial activity in Afghanistan, given that some members of the Taliban in positions of authority are under United Nations sanctions. The agency recommended conducting enhanced due diligence especially with entities controlled by designated individuals, checking the consolidated sanctions list, and considering bringing on independent legal counsel before engaging in any activity. The post also addressed charities operating in the region, referring them to OFSI's charity sector guidance and the Charity Commission's Compliance Toolkit.
Maryland residents Wilson Nuyila Tita of Owings Mills, Eric Fru Nji of Fort Washington and Wilson Che Fonguh of Bowie were charged Aug. 27 in a federal indictment at the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland with conspiracty to violate the Arms Export Control Act and the Export Reform Control Act, the Department of Justice said. The three allegedly shipped firearms and ammunition from the U.S. to Nigeria, violating export restrictions.