The Office of Foreign Assets Control sanctioned Jhon Fredy Zapata Garzon for supporting Clan del Golfo, a prominent drug trafficking and criminal group in Colombia, OFAC said Dec. 1. The agency also sanctioned three of Garzon’s family members and associates -- Tatiana Marguerid Zapata Garzon, Euclides Correa Salas and Einer Murillo Palacios -- and four businesses owned or controlled by Garzon and his associates -- Las Ingenierias S.A.S., Fresno Home S.A.S., Distriecor S.A.S. and Multioperaciones de Occidente S.A.S., which are used to launder money for Garzon’s drug trafficking.
China will sanction four people for promoting democracy in Hong Kong in retaliation for U.S. sanctions against officials responsible for implementing Hong Kong’s so-called national security law (see 2011090044). China’s sanctions target John Knaus, an Asia expert at the National Endowment for Democracy, National Democratic Institute official Manpreet Anand and former NDI employees Kelvin Sit and Crystal Rosario, China’s Foreign Ministry said Nov. 30. All four people will be banned from coming to China, Reuters reported Nov. 30.
Export Compliance Daily is providing readers with the top stories for Nov. 23-27 in case you missed them. You can find any article by searching on the title or by clicking on the hyperlinked reference number.
As China continues to gain ground in technology competition with the U.S., Congress should pursue more investment and visa restrictions to prevent China from accessing sensitive U.S. technologies, the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission said in a Dec. 1 report. Commissioners said China’s access to U.S. technologies is helping it innovate and export surveillance tools and other advanced technologies globally.
The Defense Department plans to add several more Chinese companies, including its top chipmaker, to a blacklist of firms with ties to the country’s military (see 2011230007), Reuters reported Nov. 29. The additions to the list, which have not yet been published, include Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation, China National Offshore Oil Corp. (CNOOC), China Construction Technology Co. Ltd. and China International Engineering Consulting Corp., Reuters said. The companies will likely fall under President Donald Trump’s November executive order to ban Americans from investing in Chinese military companies (see 2011130026).
The State Department’s Directorate of Defense Trade Controls will hold a webinar Dec. 9 on using the Defense Export Control Compliance System licensing application, DDTC said in a Nov. 26 notice, which includes login information. The webinar also will cover the state of DECCS, system statistics and a self-service tools demonstration.
A Venezuelan business executive was indicted on money laundering charges for his alleged involvement in a bribery scheme to benefit officials at Petroleos de Venezuela S.A., the Justice Department said Nov. 25. Natalino D’Amato allegedly worked with others to launder funds from the bribery scheme to and from bank accounts in Florida, including for joint ventures controlled by U.S.-sanctioned PdVSA. Companies controlled by D’Amato received about $160 million from PdVSA’s joint ventures, and D’Amato used a portion of that money to bribe Venezuelan officials, the Justice Department alleged. The U.S. is seeking to seize about $45 million belonging to bank accounts involved with the scheme.
The United Kingdom issued a guidance for its Mali sanctions Nov. 30, detailing the prohibitions, record-keeping requirements, enforcement measures and license exceptions. The guidance also clarifies how the sanctions will be imposed once the U.K. has left the European Union Jan. 1, 2021.
The United Kingdom amended 15 entries under its Afghanistan sanctions regime, a Nov. 27 notice said. The changes update identifying information for the entries.
The Office of Foreign Assets Control sanctioned the China National Electronics Import & Export Corp. (CEIEC), a Chinese state-owned company that exports advanced technologies and technical expertise globally, OFAC said Nov. 30. The agency designated CEIEC for selling technology, software and training to Venezuelan government entities, which then use the products to bolster the Nicolas Maduro regime’s “malicious cyber efforts.”