The Office of Foreign Assets Control last week sanctioned 12 executives working for Kaspersky, the Russian cybersecurity software firm, for working in Russia’s technology sector. The designations target senior officials of AO Kaspersky Lab one day after the Commerce Department announced that it would be adding the lab, as well as Russia-based OOO Kaspersky Group and U.K.-based Kaspersky Labs Limited, to the Entity List (see 2406200032).
OFAC sanction activity
The Office of Foreign Assets Control urged a federal court late last month to dismiss the sole remaining claim in a lawsuit challenging the agency’s sanctioning of two former Afghan government officials for corruption.
The U.S. this week designated people and companies tied to the sanctioned president of the Serb Republic and his family, including businesses they use to generate wealth or evade sanctions, the Office of Foreign Assets Control said. OFAC also issued two new general licenses to authorize certain transactions with the people and companies and updated one existing license.
The Office of Foreign Assets Control this week sanctioned several people and entities, along with one vessel, for helping to procure weapons for the Iran-backed Houthis or for shipping commodities to fund the Yemen-based group. The designations target procurement officers and companies in China along with others in Oman, Cameroon and the United Arab Emirates.
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The Office of Foreign Assets Control this week sanctioned one of Guyana’s wealthiest families, their company, a Guyanese government official and two other other companies for ties to corruption. The sanctions target people and companies that have tried to “exploit Guyana’s underdeveloped gold sector for personal gain,” said Brian Nelson, the Treasury Department’s undersecretary for terrorism and financial intelligence.
The Office of Foreign Assets Control this week sanctioned shipping companies, shipowners, vessels and others based in China, the United Arab Emirates, India and elsewhere for helping to transport oil and commodities for Sa’id al-Jamal (see 2312280012, 2401120015 and 2403260016), a financial facilitator for the Yemen-based Houthis. OFAC said the network helps to forge shipping documents and hide their cargo origin to evade U.S. sanctions.
The U.S. last week removed sanctions from a Swiss business consultant, his two sons and his companies because they ended their business in Russia, a Treasury Department spokesperson said.
The Office of Foreign Assets Control this week sanctioned the Ecuador-based Los Lobos Drug Trafficking Organization and its leader, Wilmer Geovanny Chavarria Barre, for contributing to violence and illegal drug trafficking in the country. The agency said the sanctions build on the February designation of the Los Choneros gang in Ecuador and its leader (see 2402070066).
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.