The Office of Foreign Assets Control this week updated and added to its Syria-related restrictions under several sanctions regimes, including restrictions related to “foreign sanctions evaders.” The agency also added various definitions and a new general license, along with updating other licenses, including changes to a license that authorizes certain legal services.
U.S. in-house attorneys need to be more vigilant than ever when investigating possible export control violations, lawyers said this week, adding that the risks of a possible civil or criminal penalty for a subpar internal investigation, or for not disclosing a violation quickly enough, are rising.
The House version of the FY 2025 Financial Services and General Government Appropriations Bill could withhold funds the Treasury Department’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network may need to implement or enforce its new beneficial ownership information (BOI) reporting rule.
The U.S. called on Israel to do more to prevent its citizens from attacking Palestinian civilians in the West Bank, saying the U.S. may impose more sanctions against perpetrators.
The State Department’s Directorate of Defense Trade Controls released its annual report to Congress on certain defense exports controlled on the U.S. Munitions List. The report, released June 3, details the aggregate value and quantity of defense items and services authorized to each foreign country and international organization during FY 2023.
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A top Treasury Department official this week called on U.S. companies and banks to bolster their trade compliance efforts, saying they need to do more to prevent their customers and counterparties from buying and shipping sensitive items for Russia’s military.
The EU General Court on May 29 dismissed a suit from Belarusian Airlines AAT challenging the validity of its 2021 sanctions designation.
The EU General Court on May 29 annulled the European Council's sanctions designation of Russian businessperson Farkhad Akhmedov, founder of Russian gas equipment supplier Tansley Trading and minority shareholder of Northgas. The court said that the council "made an error of assessment" in sanctioning Akhmedov "by considering that the applicant was a leading businessperson involved in economic sectors which provided a substantial source of revenue to" the Russian government.
The U.S. and a group of its allies recently urged Russia and North Korea to end their “unlawful” arms transfers that they said have helped Russia’s military attack Ukraine. The nations noted that they have recently sanctioned people and companies involved in those transfers (see 2405220013, 2405170015 and 2405160029), adding that they’re “gravely concerned by the deepening DPRK-Russia cooperation in flagrant violation of multiple United Nations Security Council resolutions.” The countries also urged North Korea to abandon its nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programs. The statement was issued by the U.S., Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, New Zealand, South Korea, the U.K. and the EU.