Official: BIS Has Had 'Discussions' About Increasing Statute of Limitations for Export Violations
The Bureau of Industry and Security is considering expanding its statute of limitations for certain export control violations, a Commerce Department official said.
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The official, speaking during the BIS annual update conference March 19, said “there have been some discussions” within the agency about increasing the current five-year statute under the Export Control Reform Act, especially after the Treasury Department recently expanded its own statute of limitations for civil and criminal violations of U.S. sanctions (see 2503190003, 2407220022 and 2404290071).
The Commerce official didn’t say how far those conversations have gone or whether BIS will make the change.
They encouraged exporters to submit voluntary disclosures even for older possible violations, saying penalties are often “way, way lower” for companies that self-report.
“Most of the time, you don't even get a penalty. You just get a warning letter. Not all the time, but most of the time,” the official said. “So it's much better when you find it and report it than when we find it.”