David Lim, a former prosecutor with DOJ’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section, has joined White & Case as partner, the firm announced May 29. Lim, who left DOJ earlier this month, was the co-director of DOJ’s Task Force KleptoCapture, where he supervised investigations and prosecutions of Russia-related sanctions and export control violations. The firm said he will advise clients on export control and sanctions enforcement risks and help handle government and internal investigations.
The U.K. on May 24 added one company and removed two from its open general trade control license regarding maritime anti-piracy, which allows certain companies to "supply, transfer or deliver controlled goods," the Export Control Joint Unit announced. The unit added Open Ocean Services Ltd. and removed Protection Vessels International Limited and Solace Global Maritime Limited.
The U.K. said it "reissued" a general license under its Russia sanctions regime allowing U.K. parties to use the retail banking services of a sanctioned credit or financial institution "provided that the payments made or received are intended for the personal use of" the individual. Payments may not exceed 50,000 pounds (about $63,500), and registered financial institutions can process those payments. Payments must be reported to the U.K. within 14 days with information on the amount processed, the payment route used and the date on which the funds were processed. The license expires May 27, 2026.
At least four congressional Republicans from Florida -- Sen. Marco Rubio and Reps. Mario Diaz-Balart, Carlo Gimenez and Maria Salazar -- criticized the Biden administration’s decision to give some in Cuba’s private sector access to the U.S. financial system (see 2405280033), saying such entities are generally controlled by, and enrich, the country’s communist government. “Instead of helping fund the repressive, anti-American dictatorship and their cronies, the Biden administration should tighten sanctions and stand in strong solidarity with the Cuban people in their struggle to be free,” Diaz-Balart tweeted.
Japan sanctioned one Russian national, nine Russian entities and two Cypriot entities last week for their roles in aiding Russia's procurement of arms from North Korea, Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry announced, according to an unofficial translation.
Treasury Deputy Secretary Wally Adeyemo met with researchers, non-governmental organizations and others in Kyiv, Ukraine, this week to discuss Russia sanctions, trade restrictions and other issues. Treasury said they talked about “unlocking the value of immobilized Russia sovereign assets, Russia’s transition to a wartime economy, and restricting Russia’s revenue and disrupting Russian procurement of priority goods.”
The Biden administration doesn't support congressional calls to sanction the International Criminal Court (ICC) for threatening to issue arrest warrants against two senior Israeli officials, a White House official said May 28.
The U.S. and other countries imposing sanctions and export controls on Russia need a more “aggressive” plan to cripple Moscow’s war effort, a group of researchers and economists said, including through tighter financial restrictions, new bans on Russian commodities and broader export controls. They also said American lawyers should have to follow strict due diligence and reporting rules when taking on clients with ties to Russia, and said the price cap on Russian oil should be lowered.
The U.S. plans to continue fine-tuning its export controls and sanctions against Russia in response to Moscow's attempts to get around them, a Biden administration official said this week.
The State Department should expand a carve-out in the U.S. Munitions List to make it easier for U.S. companies to export spacecraft that refuel other ships in space, said Orbit Fab, a company that develops in-space refueling systems. Orbit Fab said the existing exemption may be outdated, and an update could better support “U.S. and allied nations efforts in space.”