The U.S. and allies are considering imposing sanctions (see 2008270042) against Belarusian officials related to that country’s rigged elections, including the recent “abduction” and forced expulsion of Alexander Lukashenko’s political opponents, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said. Although the U.S. Office of Foreign Assets Control already imposed some Belarusian sanctions, Pompeo said Sept. 8 he is considering “additional targeted sanctions to promote accountability for those involved in human rights abuses.”
The Office of Foreign Assets Control on Sept. 8 sanctioned two former Lebanese government officials for corruption and supporting Hezbollah. The designations target former Lebanese minister of transportation and public works Yusuf Finyanus and former finance minister Ali Hassan Khalil. OFAC also added identifying information for Reinaldo Enrique Munoz Pedroza, who was sanctioned Sept. 4 (see 2009040023).
The Office of Foreign Assets Control identified and sanctioned four people who “have facilitated the illegitimate Maduro regime’s efforts to undermine the independence and democratic order of Venezuela,” the Department of the Treasury said in a Sept. 4 news release. “These individuals include David Eugenio De Lima Salas, Reinaldo Enrique Munoz Pedroza, Indira Maira Alfonzo Izaguirre, and Jose Luis Gutierrez Parra,” OFAC said. “Their actions are part of a broader election interference scheme to prevent free and fair parliamentary elections from taking place in December 2020 by restructuring the National Electoral Council and controlling the state’s wealth and assets for regime purposes through the Solicitor General,” OFAC said in the release.
A major Zimbabwe bank doesn't have to pay a $385 million penalty to the Office of Foreign Assets Control, the CEO of CBZ Holdings said in a recent interview with Bloomberg. CBZ Holdings issued a notice on Sept. 3 to shareholders to withdraw cautionary statements related to the OFAC investigation. The bank cooperated with OFAC “regarding historical transactions involving a party that was subject to OFAC economic sanctions,” it said. “OFAC has concluded its investigations and the matter has been resolved through the issuance of a Cautionary Letter,” it said.
The Office of Foreign Assets Control and the Delaware Department of Justice agreed to partner “to more effectively and efficiently communicate and cooperate on areas of common interest,” they said in a memorandum of understanding released by OFAC. Named issues of joint interest were “cross training staff, providing Delaware DOJ with compliance-related information towards the goal of protecting American national interests by supporting compliance with U.S. trade and economic sanctions laws,” and “supporting litigation against entities placed on OFAC's” sanctions list, it said. The MOU became effective Sept. 2.
The State Department sanctioned five entities and three individuals for taking part in Iran's petroleum industry, Secretary of State Michael Pompeo said in a Sept. 3 news release. “The entities sanctioned today are Iran-based Abadan Refining Company; China based Zhihang Ship Management CO Ltd., New Far International Logistics LLC and Sino Energy Shipping Ltd.; and United Arab Emirates (UAE) based Chemtrans Petrochemicals Trading LLC,” it said. “The individuals sanctioned today are: Min Shi, employee of New Far; Zuoyou Lin, employee of Sino Energy; and Alireza Amin, employee of Abadan.”
The Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control added International Criminal Court Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda and ICC’s Head of Jurisdiction, Complementary, and Cooperation Division Phakiso Mochochoko to the Specially Designated Nationals List, according to a Sept. 2 notice. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo mentioned the new sanctions while talking to reporters the same day. “In June, the Trump administration authorized the imposition of economic sanctions against foreign persons directly engaged in ICC efforts to investigate U.S. or allied personnel, and those who materially assisted in those -- in that effort,” he said. “Today we take the next step, because the ICC continues to target Americans, sadly.”
The Department of Justice seized three websites used by three front companies that allegedly tried to illegally ship Iranian oil to Venezuela, DOJ said in an Aug. 28 news release. The websites belong to Mobin International, Sohar Fuel and Oman Fuel, which arranged for a multibillion-dollar fuel shipment by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, DOJ alleged. The U.S. seized the shipment, including the oil aboard four tankers, last month (see 2008140021).
Industry members should be aware of the “key North Korean procurement entities and deceptive techniques employed in the operation and support of the regime’s ballistic missile program,” the Office of Foreign Assets Control, the Bureau of Industry and Security and the State Department Bureau of International Security said in a guidance document. The procurement activities “expose the electronics, chemical, metals, and materials industries as well as the financial, transportation, and logistics sectors to the risk of possibly violating United Nations (UN) and U.S. sanctions, as well as the imposition of sanctions and penalties under various U.S. legal authorities,” they said.
HSBC is maintaining bank accounts for individuals subject to U.S. sanctions on China while blocking credit card and account access of pro-democracy advocates, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in an Aug 26 statement. HSBC is maintaining relationships with people sanctioned for “denying freedom for Hong Kongers,” Pompeo said, while restricting account access for Hong Kong-based executives at Next Media, a “well-known publisher of pro-democracy publications.”