The Office of Foreign Assets Control designated a Nicaraguan financial institution and two government officials for undermining Nicaragua’s democracy, OFAC said Oct. 9. The sanctions target Cooperativa De Ahorro Y Credito Caja Rural Nacional RL, a bank that is “not subject to traditional regulatory oversight,” and Nicaraguan Attorney General Ana Julia Guido De Romero and Secretary of the Presidency Paul Herbert Oquist Kelley.
The Office of Foreign Assets Control announced a range of sanctions targeting 17 major Iranian banks for operating in the country’s financial sector and one Iranian bank for being affiliated with the Iranian military. The agency also issued a general license authorizing certain transactions with the banks and announced a 45-day wind-down period for activities involving non U.S. people and companies.
The Office of Foreign Assets Control on Oct. 6 extended a general license related to Petroleos de Venezuela and updated a frequently asked question. General License No. 5E, which replaced No. 5D (see 2007150018), authorizes certain transactions with PdVSA involving an 8.5% bond on or after Jan. 19, 2021. OFAC updated a Venezuela FAQ to reflect the change. The license was scheduled to expire Oct. 20.
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A group of human rights lawyers and law professors sued the Trump administration over its sanctions against the International Criminal Court, saying the measures violate freedom of speech laws and the U.S. Constitution. The group said the sanctions (see 2009300003) -- which the administration said are designed to target ICC officials for “harassment” and “abuse” of U.S. government officials (see 2006110028) -- will affect worldwide support for international justice.
The Office of Foreign Assets Control sanctioned eight people for their roles in the illegitimate Belarusian presidential election this summer, OFAC said in an Oct. 2 press release. The designations target Belarus’ Minister of the Interior Yuriy Khadzymuratavich Kareau, Deputy Minister of the Interior Alyaksandr Pyatrovich Barsukou and commander and deputy commander of the Minister of the Interior’s Internal Troops Yuriy Henadzievich Nazaranka and Khazalbek Bakhtsibekavich Atabekau, respectively. OFAC also sanctioned Ivan Uladzimiravich Kubrakou and Dzmitriy Uladzimiravich Balaba, who lead organizations that detain peaceful protestors in Minsk, and Vadzim Dzmitrievich Ipatau and Alena Mikalaeuna Dmukhayla, senior election commission officials. The U.S. sanctions follow similar designations by the United Kingdom and Canada (see 2009300011).
The Office of Foreign Assets Control on Sept. 30 sanctioned a Cuban national for helping his country’s government oppress Cubans and Venezuelans. The designations targeted Luis Alberto Rodriguez Lopez-Calleja, the head of the Cuban military-owned conglomerate Grupo de Administracion Empresarial S.A., the State Department said. Funds generated from the conglomerate are used to “oppress the Cuban people and to fund Cuba’s parasitic, colonial domination of Venezuela,” the State Department said.
The Office of Foreign Assets Control fined a New York travel services company nearly $5.9 million for violating U.S. sanctions against Cuba, OFAC said in an Oct. 1 notice. The company, Generali Global Assistance, Inc. (GGA), used a Canadian affiliate to evade U.S. sanctions, OFAC said.
The Office of Foreign Assets Control issued guidance Oct. 1 on the sanctions risks of facilitating ransomware payments. The guidance urged companies to refrain from facilitating payments “on behalf of victims” of cyberattacks because they encourage future payment demands and may risk sanctions violations.
The Office of Foreign Assets Control amended its Weapons of Mass Destruction Proliferators Sanctions Regulations and its Iranian Transactions and Sanctions Regulations, the agency said in a notice released Sept. 30. The final rule revises a note that describes how people designated under the WMD regulations for North Korea are identified in OFAC’s Specially Designated Nationals List and amends the ITSR to “refine” a general license. The rule is effective on Oct. 1.