The U.K. added three entities to its Sudan sanctions list on April 15, the Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation announced. The entities are gold exporter Al-Fakher Advanced Works Co., Alkhaleej Bank Co. and Red Rock Mining Co., all of which are accused of funding the Rapid Support Forces, one of the main parties in the Sudan conflict.
The Council of the EU on April 12 passed a law establishing minimum rules for the prosecution of "violation or circumvention of EU sanctions in member states," the council announced. Various actions, including working to skirt a travel ban and trading in sanctioned goods, will be considered criminal offenses in all member states.
The World Trade Organization's Committee on Regional Trade Agreements met April 8 to consider six regional trade agreements and discuss how to enhance the committee's functionality, the WTO announced. The committee chair, New Zealand's Clare Kelly, said that members agreed to include an "executive summary in the factual presentations, to be drafted and circulated under the responsibility of the Secretariat."
The European Commission on April 10 released an updated report on "significant state-induced distortions" in China's economy, the Directorate-General for Trade announced. The report will allow EU industry to "use the most up-to-date information on the Chinese economy and on specific circumstances of the market" when filing antidumping petitions.
The U.K. on April 10 updated its guidance on export controls covering military goods, software and technology by adding language to the section concerning disclosures and violations. The section stresses the importance of voluntary disclosures, and if an "irregularity" is found during a compliance audit carried out by the government, the "compliance inspector will have informed" the country's revenue and customs agency, "and you are strongly advised to do the same.
The U.S. last week transferred thousands of weapons and rounds of ammunition to the Ukrainian armed forces that were confiscated from unflagged vessels en route to Yemen from Iran as part of a civil forfeiture action, DOJ announced on April 9. The shipment included "over 5,000 AK-47s, machine guns, sniper rifles, and RPG-7s, and over 500,000 rounds of 7.62mm ammunition."
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy sanctioned seven people and 86 entities, according to an unofficial translation of a notice released April 4. The notice said the parties were being sanctioned to "support proposals made by the Security Service of Ukraine," and added that the country's foreign affairs ministry should "inform the competent authorities of the European Union, the United States of America and other countries about the application of sanctions and raise the issue of introducing similar restrictive measures before them."
Former Venezuelan General Cliver Antonio Alcala Cordones was sentenced to 260 months in prison on April 8 for "providing material support" to the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Columbia (FARC), the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York announced. Starting in around 2006, Alcala Cordones leveraged his position in the military to aid the FARC, including by providing "high-powered weapons to the FARC." He pleaded guilty to "providing material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization" and transferring firearms with reasonable cause to believe they "would be used to commit a federal crime of terrorism."
The U.K. High Court of Justice last week said it has jurisdiction to hear a nearly $10 billion dispute between Russian aircraft companies and the owners, lessors and financing banks of those aircraft leased to Russia.
The European Commission on April 2 updated 19 of its Russia sanctions FAQs related to services for the Russian government and entities.