The European Union General Court dropped the sanctions listing of former Ukrainian Minister of Revenue and Taxes Oleksandr Viktorovych Klymenko, annulling actions in March maintaining the designation, according to an unofficial translation. The ruling marks the fifth of its kind. The European Council used Ukraine's investigation of Klymenko for the embezzlement of public funds as the basis for the sanctions listing. The General Court, as it has done in the previous four rulings, said that the council hadn't adequately identified that the investigating judge had respected Klymenko's rights of defense or that the proceedings were being carried out in a reasonable time. This decision ends the matter because the Council didn't renew the sanctions listing in September 2021, an action that occurred after Klymenko in April 2021 initiated the latest petition for annulment of his listing.
The Commerce Department is adjusting its civil monetary penalties for inflation for 2022, the agency said in a Jan. 4 notice. The change increases maximum civil monetary penalties for violations of the Export Controls Act of 2018 from $308,901 to $328,121 Commerce said. The rule is effective Jan. 15.
Export Compliance Daily is providing readers with the top stories from last week in case you missed them. You can find any article by searching the title or by clicking on the hyperlinked reference number.
A Canadian practice of reserving at least 85% of dairy quotas for Canadian processors is counter to the USMCA, a panel ruled. The panel's decision was made public Jan. 4. Canada has until Feb. 3 to reform its tariff rate quota allocations. The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative noted that from January through October last year, the U.S. exported $478 million worth of dairy products to Canada.
Daniel Solomon, former anti-corruption and trade compliance attorney at Smith Pachter, joined Miller & Chevalier as a member its International Department, the firm announced. Solomon brings to his new practice experience with economic sanctions, export controls and U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act enforcement and investigations, the firm said.
Export Compliance Daily is providing readers with the top 20 stories published in 2021 in case they were missed. All articles can be found by searching on the titles or by clicking on the hyperlinked reference numbers.
The Office of Foreign Assets Control fined Airbnb just over $91,000 for violating U.S. sanctions against Cuba, the agency said Jan. 3. OFAC said the company’s subsidiary, Airbnb Payments, illegally processed payments for guests traveling in Cuba and failed to keep certain records related to those payments.
China’s foreign ministry criticized the U.S. decision last month to identify five additional Chinese officials under its Hong Kong Autonomy Act (see 2112200054), saying it “strongly condemns the U.S. act of sanctioning Chinese personnel.” As a result of the sanctions, the U.S. is looking into whether any foreign bank knowingly conducts “significant” transactions with the five officials and could impose further sanctions. “Once again we urge the U.S. to remove the so-called sanctions on Chinese personnel and stop meddling in Hong Kong’s affairs, which are China’s domestic affairs,” the spokesperson said Dec. 30, according to a transcript of a regular press conference. “The Chinese side will continue to take all necessary measures to defend its national interests and dignity."
Israel’s Justice Ministry charged Israeli drone maker Aeronautics and three senior employees with violating the country’s defense export control laws, according to a Dec. 30 report from Haaretz, an Israeli newspaper. An Israeli court placed a gag order on all details relating to the case, “presumably because the buyer is a country with whom Israel has sensitive relations or that exposure of details could harm Israeli drone sales,” The Jerusalem Post said in a Dec. 29 report. Haaretz said Aeronautics has been under investigation for several years for violating export laws.
The U.N. Security Council on Dec. 29 amended 62 entries on its ISIL (Da’esh) and al-Qaida sanctions list. The changes include “technical amendments” to identifying information for each of the entries.