The departments of state, the treasury, commerce and labor issued an advisory concerning U.S. Businesses in Sudan, to highlight the growing risks to American interests conducting business in the country, especially with Sudanese state-owned enterprises. Recent actions undertaken by the Sudanese government and security forces could adversely impact U.S. businesses and their operations in the country and the region, according to the advisory.
The Office of Foreign Assets Control has designated Lebanese businessman and Hezbollah financier Ahmad Jalal Reda Abdallah along with five associates and eight of his companies in Lebanon and Iraq, according to a May 19 notice. The action highlighted Hezbollah’s practice of using seemingly legitimate businesses to secretly fund the terrorist group and its activities, the OFAC news release said.
A federal magistrate judge at the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia ruled in an order unsealed May 13 that the U.S. had probable cause to believe that an unnamed American citizen violated U.S. sanctions by using cryptocurrency to help various parties evade restrictions. Magistrate Judge Zia Faruqui ruled that virtual currency is traceable and that sanctions apply to virtual currency (In Re: Criminal Complaint, D.D.C. #22-00067).
The departments of State and the Treasury, along with the FBI, issued a May 16 advisory regarding possible attempts by North Korean IT workers to obtain employment while posing as non-North Korean nationals, according to a notice from the Office of Foreign Assets Control.
The Office of Foreign Assets Control has issued Syria General License 22, which authorizes the processing or transfer of funds on behalf of third-country entities to or from Syria in support of the transactions necessary for agriculture, information and telecommunications, power grid infrastructure, construction, finance, clean energy, transportation and warehousing, water and waste management, health services, education, manufacturing and trade in northeast and northwest Syria.
The Office of Foreign Assets Control this week sanctioned five “financial facilitators” for the Islamic State group of Iraq and Syria. The people operate across Indonesia, Syria and Turkey and help “extremists” travel to Syria and other regions where ISIS operates, OFAC said. The facilitator network also helps the group conduct financial transfers. The agency designated Dwi Dahlia Susanti, Rudi Heryadi, Ari Kardian, Muhammad Dandi Adhiguna and Dini Ramadhani.
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The Treasury Department has enough evidence to show that its Russia sanctions are being violated and needs to move faster to impose secondary sanctions, Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., said. He said he and Sen. Pat Toomey, R-Pa., plan to push the agency to act.
The U.S., the EU and the other G-7 members on May 9 announced a series of new sanctions and restrictions on Russia, including a ban on providing certain business management services to the country and a commitment to phase out imports of Russian oil. New U.S. restrictions include broader export controls and sanctions targeting Russian banking executives, a weapons manufacturer and state-owned media.
The Office of Foreign Assets Control issued Russia-related general licenses 7A, 26A, 31 and 32 on May 5. The licenses allow emergency overflight and landings of U.S. aircraft in Russia and the filing and prosecution of infringement of various intellectual property protection, as well as the wind-down of transactions with Amsterdam Trade Bank NV and Sberbank subsidiaries through 12:01 a.m. EDT July 12. OFAC also published one new frequently asked question on Afghanistan-related sanctions and updated one FAQ on Ukraine-/Russia-related sanctions.