The Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control sanctioned the son of Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega and three Nicaraguan companies owned by the Ortega family, Treasury said in a Dec 12 press release. The action targets Rafael Antonio Ortega Murillo and two companies he operates -- Inversiones Zanzibar, S.A. and Servicio De Proteccion Y Vigilancia, S.A. -- as well as Distribuidor Nicaraguense de Petroleo, S.A., a chain of gas stations controlled by the Ortega family. Inversiones Zanzibar is used to transfer and hide profits from Distribuidor Nicaraguense, Treasury said. Servicio De Proteccion Y Vigilancia is a security firm that has received “millions” in government contracts, the press release said.
The Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control issued two Iran-related frequently asked questions to address its Dec. 11 designations of the Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines (IRISL) and E-Sail Shipping Limited (see 1912110024). In FAQ 810, OFAC said the two entities are also subject to prohibitions under the Weapons of Mass Destruction Proliferators Sanctions Regulations due to their designation by the State Department. In FAQ 811, OFAC specified that license exceptions for exports of food, medicine and other humanitarian items generally do not apply to parties sanctioned for weapons proliferation activities. U.S. exporters will not be able to ship “agricultural commodities, food, medicine, or medical devices” to IRISL and E-Sail, OFAC said. Exporters who ship those items “risk exposure to sanctions under additional authorities.” To avoid risks, U.S. exporters should make sure sales of those goods are completed no later than June 8, 2020, when the designations take effect, OFAC said.
The Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control sanctioned an Iranian shipping network, its leader and three Mahan Air sales agents, Treasury said in a Dec. 11 press release. The shipping network illegally smuggled “lethal aid” from Iran to Yemen on behalf of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Qods Force, Treasury said, and the three sales agents, based in the United Arab Emirates and Hong Kong, were targeted for working for a sanctioned Iranian airline.
The Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control sanctioned 18 people and six entities under the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act for human rights violations, Treasury said in a Dec. 10 press release. The people are located in Burma, Pakistan, Libya, Slovakia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and South Sudan, and the six entities are all located in Slovakia.
A U.S. insurance company was fined about $170,000 for violating the Cuban Assets Control Regulations, the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control said in a Dec. 9 enforcement notice. Allianz Global Risks US Insurance Company (AGR US), a subsidiary of Germany-based Allianz SE, committed more than 6,000 violations of the CACR, OFAC said.
The Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control issued two new Venezuela-related frequently asked questions concerning filing a lawsuit against sanctioned Venezuelan people or entities and conducting an auction for shares of a sanctioned Venezuelan entity, according to a Dec. 9 notice.
The Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control sanctioned more than 40 people and entities involved in corruption networks in Europe, Asia and Latin America, and issued a general license to allow for wind-down activities, according to a Dec. 9 notice.
Chubb Limited, a Swiss holding company, was fined about $65,000 for more than 20,000 violations of the Cuban Assets Control Regulations, the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control said in an enforcement notice. The violations were the responsibility of ACE Limited -- an insurance and reinsurance service provider with locations in Switzerland, U.S. and Britain -- which merged with Chubb Corp. in 2016 to form Chubb Limited.
A US telecommunications company may have violated U.S. sanctions against Sudan, according to the company’s Dec. 4 filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Comtech Telecommunications Corp. disclosed to the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control in 2014 that it sent a “shipment of modems” to a Canadian customer, which was eventually “incorporated into a communication system” destined for an end-user at the Sudan Civil Aviation Authority, the filing said. OFAC subpoenaed Comtech in 2015 for information about the sale, the company said, which was worth about $288,000. Comtech responded to the subpoena and alerted OFAC of the company’s repair of three modems for a Lebanese customer who may have rerouted the modems from Lebanon to Sudan without the required U.S. license, the filing said. Comtech entered into two tolling agreements with OFAC, including one in November, which extends the statute of limitations in the case through June 2020.
The Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control sanctioned three Iranian militia leaders for attacks on peaceful protests and an Iraqi millionaire for corruption, Treasury said in a Dec. 6 press release. The militia leaders, Qais al-Khazali, Laith al-Khazali and Husayn Falih ‘Aziz al-Lami, opened fire on protesters, killing dozens, Treasury said. Both Qais al-Khazali and Laith al-Khazali are leaders of Iran-backed Asa’ib Ahl al-Haq, a militia in Iraq. ‘Aziz al-Lami was tasked by senior militia commanders to suppress protests in Iraq and was a part of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Qods Force. Khamis Farhan al-Khanjar al-Issawi, an Iraqi businessman, allegedly bribed government officials for “personal gain,” including by securing government contracts, Treasury said.