The Office of Foreign Assets Control amended and reissued the Western Balkans Stabilization Regulations and Central African Republic Sanctions Regulations to include more guidance, definitions, general licenses and “other regulatory provisions that will provide further guidance to the public,” OFAC said in a pair of notices this week. Effective Sept. 29, the new regulations replace the previous Western Balkans regulations published in 2011 and the CAR regulations published in “abbreviated form” in 2014.
The Office of Foreign Assets Control on Sept. 27 released quarterly reports on certain licensing activities for Iran and Sudan, covering the period from April 2019 through September 2021. The reports provide licensing statistics for exports of agricultural goods, medicine and medical devices to both countries as required by the Trade Sanctions Reform and Export Enhancement Act of 2000.
The Office of Foreign Assets Control this week sanctioned Diana Kajmakovic, a state prosecutor in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), for corruption and undermining democratic processes in the Western Balkans. OFAC said Kajmakovic is a “brazenly corrupt BiH state prosecutor with links to criminal organizations.”
The Office of Foreign Assets Control published in the Federal Register a group of previously issued general licenses. One notice covers two general licenses issued under the Iranian Transactions and Sanctions Regulations and the Global Terrorism Sanctions Regulations, and the other notice covers three general licenses issued under the Iranian Transactions and Sanctions program. The full text of each license appears in the respective notice.
People subject to U.S. jurisdiction can send remittances to Cuba through digital payments in certain situations, the Office of Foreign Assets Control said in a new frequently asked question this week. OFAC said remittances involving digital payments -- including money transfers through credit cards and digital bank accounts -- are permissible if the transaction is authorized under the Cuban Assets Control Regulations and if the digital payment service provider is a “U.S.-registered money transmitter or other qualifying banking institution.”
The Office of Foreign Assets Control announced two separate settlement agreements this week, fining a Switzerland- and a Monaco-based wealth management company for violating U.S. sanctions. OFAC said both companies committed violations due to “deficiencies” in their sanctions compliance practices.
The Office of Foreign Assets Control last week updated an Iran-related general license and guidance to expand the types of internet and communications services and exports that can be provided to Iran. Updated General License D2 “dramatically increases” U.S. support for internet freedom in Iran, a State Department official said, adding that the announcement brings U.S. sanctions guidance "in line with changes in modern technology.”
The Office of Foreign Assets Control sanctioned Iran’s Morality Police for abuse and violence against Iranian women peacefully protesting, according to a Sept. 22 news release. OFAC also targeted seven "senior leaders" of Iran’s security organizations: the Morality Police, Ministry of Intelligence and Security, the Iranian army, the Basij Resistance Forces and Law Enforcement Forces. OFAC said the sanctioned officials "oversee organizations that routinely employ violence" to suppress various groups within Iran.
The Office of Foreign Assets Control this week issued a reminder to industry to file annual reports on blocked property by Sept. 30 (see 2207010054). The notice applies to blocked property held as of June 30.
The Office of Foreign Assets Control has designated 22 individuals and two entities connected with Russia's war in Ukraine. The designated individuals have furthered Russia's objectives in Ukraine, both before and during the invasion, OFAC said in a Sept. 15 notice. “Today we’re taking steps to further degrade Russia’s ability to rebuild its military, hold perpetrators of violence accountable, and further financially isolate Putin," Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said in a news release.