The United Kingdom’s Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation added 36 entries to its Belarus sanctions regime, a Dec. 18 notice said. The additions include government officials, military officials and judges.
The Office of Foreign Assets Control on Dec. 23 extended a general license related to Petroleos de Venezuela and updated a frequently asked question. General License No. 5F, which replaced No. 5E (see 2010060036), authorizes certain transactions with PdVSA involving an 8.5% bond on or after July 21, 2021. OFAC also updated a Venezuela sanctions FAQ to reflect the change.
The Office of Foreign Assets Control sanctioned one person and four entities for involvement in the “fraudulent” presidential elections in Belarus earlier this year and the “violent crackdown” on peaceful pro-democracy protests, OFAC said Dec. 23. The sanctions target Henadz Arkadzievich Kazakevich, a senior government official and chief of the country’s Criminal Police. OFAC also designated the Minsk Special Purpose Police Unit, the Main Internal Affairs Directorate of the Minsk City Executive Committee and KGB Alpha for suppressing peaceful protests. The agency also sanctioned the Central Commission of the Republic of Belarus on Elections and Holding Republican Referenda for undermining the country’s elections.
Norway proposed a new “sanctions act” that will allow it to implement certain European Union human rights sanctions, a Dec. 18 news release said. The act will “extend the government’s authority to impose sanctions” on people “involved in especially serious acts that demand a response” by allowing Norway to impose financial sanctions. The country said it is currently able to impose only travel restrictions.
The U.S. sanctioned eight people and 10 entities for being members of or supporting the Syrian government, the Treasury Department said Dec. 22. The sanctions designate two people and 10 entities by Treasury and six people by the State Department. Treasury also issued three new frequently asked questions related to Syria.
The Office of Foreign Assets Control sanctioned three senior Nicaragua officials for supporting President Daniel Ortega’s regime. The sanctions target Marvin Ramiro Aguilar Garcia, the vice president of the Nicaraguan Supreme Court of Justice; Walmaro Antonio Gutierrez Mercado, a deputy of the National Assembly; and Fidel De Jesus Dominguez Alvarez, chief of the Nicaraguan National Police in Leon, OFAC said Dec. 21. OFAC said all three support the Ortega regime’s effort to “undermine Nicaragua’s democracy.”
The Office of Foreign Assets Control sanctioned three entities controlled by the Cuban military for evading U.S. sanctions, OFAC said Dec. 21. Grupo de Administracion Empresarial S.A. (GAESA), and its subsidiaries Financiera Cimex S.A. (Fincimex) and Kave Coffee, S.A., use their “Panamanian incorporation to subvert international trade restrictions,” OFAC said. GAESA uses businesses in Panama to “bypass” U.S. Cuban Assets Control Regulations, while Fincimex operates as a financial investment and remittance company and Kave operates the country’s nationalized Cubita coffee brand, OFAC said. GAESA and Fincimex are also listed on the State Department’s Cuba Restricted List (see 2009280008).
The United Kingdom’s Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation will publish a “bridging document” to help traders process changes to its sanctions list after the Brexit transition period, according to a Dec. 18 press release. The document is “designed to facilitate sanctions screening” and will update certain administrative fields, including identifying information for sanctions entries. The U.K. stressed that the bridging document is “not a substitute” for the U.K. sanctions list. “Use of the Bridging Document is voluntary and is provided after engagement with stakeholders to assist with updating automated screening processes,” the U.K. said. “It remains the responsibility of the person doing the sanctions screening to ensure that their screening is accurate.”
The European Union renewed sanctions against Russia for six months, until July 31, 2021, the European Council said Dec. 17. The sanctions target people and entities for Russian interference in Ukraine and include a ban on sending dual-use goods for military end-users or for end-uses in Russia.
The Office of Foreign Assets Control sanctioned a Venezeulan biometric technology company and its directors for supporting the Nicolas Maduro regime, OFAC said Dec. 18. The sanctions target Ex-Cle Soluciones Biometricas C.A. and co-directors Guillermo Carlos San Agustin and Marcos Javier Machado Requena. OFAC said the company provides “management solutions” to Venezuela government entities and serves as an “electoral hardware and software vendor” to agencies under the Maduro regime.