The Office of Foreign Assets Control this week sanctioned a network of people and entities for their ties to North Korean money laundering, sanctions evasion and information technology worker fraud. The agency said the network has helped North Korea generate revenue for its weapons programs.
The U.K.’s new trade sanctions enforcement agency warned freight forwarders and carriers this week about their obligation to comply with Russia-related restrictions, saying they risk criminal and civil penalties if they’re not doing enough due diligence to make sure every consignment they deal with complies with U.K. law.
The U.S. should ensure its export controls are not so restrictive that they harm the ability of American computing chip manufacturers to compete internationally, Rep. Rich McCormick, R-Ga., said this week.
The U.K. this week launched a new landing page that collects sanctions enforcement information from across the country's various government agencies, including penalty notices, annual reviews, case studies and lessons for industry. The U.K. created the site after hearing from companies that "easily accessible and consolidated enforcement information helps industry learn from remedial action," the government said in a Nov. 3 email to industry.
Texas resident Mohammed Aldalki is suing the Bureau of Industry and Security and CBP, alleging that they illegally detained his 2021 Mercedes before it could be exported to Jordan.
Rep. Ben Cline, R-Va., on Oct. 31 introduced a companion to a Senate bill aimed at ensuring that the Bureau of Industry and Security and the State Department’s Directorate of Defense Trade Controls can continue processing license applications for firearms exports during a lapse in government appropriations (see 2510310048). Cline’s measure was referred to the House Judiciary and Foreign Affairs committees.
John Hurley, the Treasury Department's undersecretary for terrorism and financial intelligence, traveled last week to Israel, the United Arab Emirates, Turkey and Lebanon to speak with those nations about implementing and enforcing the U.N.'s snapback sanctions against Iran (see 2509290051), Treasury said. The agency said Hurley planned to discuss the U.S. maximum-pressure campaign against Iran, as well as how the countries can prevent sanctions evasion and work together better on those measures.
The U.K. fined a British exporter about 1.16 million pounds (about $1.52 million) for making goods available to Russia, the country’s revenue and customs agency announced Nov. 3. The penalty is the largest settlement the U.K. has ever reached with a business for violating Russia sanctions.
The U.K.'s Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation issued new FAQ 172 on Oct. 31 to address whether licenses are required for certain dealings related to Russia's sanctioned National Settlement Depository (NSD). The FAQ specifically addresses a situation in which funds are allocated to the U.K. entity by an "International Central Securities Depository," but Russia's NSD has seized International Central Securities Depository funds held at the NSD. The U.K. said an OFSI license wouldn't be required by a U.K. financial institution to deal with or receive those funds as long as:
New Mexico resident Canyon Anthony Amarys, a U.S. national guardsman, was arrested last week after DOJ said he tried to provide an export-controlled radio to someone he believed was a Russian intelligence official. He was charged with attempting to violate the Export Control Reform Act.