The United Kingdom amended a sanctions entry for Martin Koumtamadji, according to an April 29 notice from the U.K. Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation. Koumtamadji, the leader of an anti-government militia in the Central African Republic (see 2004220011), is still subject to an asset freeze.
The United Kingdom’s Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation amended a Burma-related sanctions listing, according to an April 27 notice. OFSI updated the listing for Than Oo, who is still subject to an asset freeze. In a related action, the European Union renewed sanctions against Burma for one year until April 30, 2021, according to an April 24 notice.
The United Nations Security Council and the United Kingdom’s Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation sanctioned the leader of an anti-government militia in the Central African Republic, according to notices published this week. Martin Koumtamadji, president and commander-in-chief of the Front Démocratique du Peuple Centrafricain, is now subject to an asset freeze.
The Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control renewed a general license that authorizes transactions between certain companies and Petroleos de Venezuela, S.A., OFAC said April 21. General License No. 8F, which replaces No. 8E, authorizes transactions between PdVSA and Chevron Corp., Haliburton, Schlumberger, Baker Hughes and Weatherford International, with certain restrictions, through 12:01 a.m. Dec. 1, 2020. The license was scheduled to expire April 22.
The Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control removed sanctions from 12 narcotics-related entries on its Specially Designated Nationals List, according to an April 22 notice. The entries include people and entities based in Guatemala, Colombia, Honduras, the British Virgin Islands and Florida. OFAC also amended six entries under its Libya designations to include more identifying information.
The United Kingdom’s Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation issued a correction for four listings in its ISIL (Da’esh) and al-Qaida sanctions regime, OFSI said in an April 21 notice. The correction removes the following names from the consolidated list and the asset freezes for them: Amran Mansor, Abderrahmane Kifane, Son Hadi bin Muhadjir and Abdul Rahim Al-Talhi, the notice said.
The Treasury Department disputed a report that said South Korea obtained a “special license” to export humanitarian goods to Iran (see 2004170026), saying the country may be using an existing general license but did not receive an additional exemption. The Office of Foreign Assets Control “has not issued a ‘special license’ to the Koreans,” a Treasury spokesperson said. OFAC’s Iran sanctions regime contains “broad exemptions” for humanitarian exports, which may make some South Korean exports “permissible,” the spokesperson said.
The Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control is encouraging industry impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic to reach out to OFAC if the agency's regulations are delaying industry's ability to “meet deadlines,” OFAC said in an April 20 notice. This includes industry’s ability to file blocking and reject reports (see 2002200057), responses to administrative subpoenas, reports required by general or specific licenses or “any other required reports or submissions.” OFAC also asked industry to submit self-disclosures to OFACdisclosures@treasury.gov instead of physical submissions.
The United Kingdom’s Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation corrected several entries in its Iran (human rights) sanctions regime, according to an April 17 notice. The notice corrected entries for Mohammad Hosseini, Ali Ashraf Rashidi Aghdam, Hossein Taeb and the Iranian Cyber Police. All four entries are still subject to an asset freeze.
Several U.S. agencies, including the State Department and Treasury Department, issued an April 15 guidance on cyber threats posed by North Korea, including sanctions in place to counter those threats. The guidance includes information on the types of North Korean actions that constitute “sanctionable conduct,” entities and people currently designated for cyber activity, how Treasury investigates possible cyber-related sanctionable conduct and more.