South Korea is planning to officially remove Japan from its list of trusted trading partners next week, according to a Sept. 9 report from Yonhap News Agency. A South Korean trade official told reporters the country plans to make the announcement next week “after going through reviews,” according to the report. South Korea recently criticized Japan’s August decision to increase export controls on South Korea, calling for an “immediate withdrawal” of the restrictions (see 1908290045).
The Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control issued a general license authorizing certain transactions with Venezuela and amended a Venezuela-related Frequently Asked Question, OFAC said in a Sept. 9 notice. General License No. 34 allows certain transactions with Venezuelan government officials if they are U.S. citizens, residents, have U.S. visas or are former Venezuelan government employees. The FAQ, number 680, is amended to address GL 34 implications and deals with which transactions with Venezuelan government employees are blocked.
The U.S. trade representative and India's Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal have been talking on the phone, with the goal of trading a return to the Generalized System of Preferences benefits program for better agricultural access, according to two sources following the trade talks. The original industry complaints about market access filed with USTR, requesting that India be expelled from GSP privileges were from the medical device industry and from the dairy industry. A lawyer following the trade talks said that "there's talk -- and this is still a very contentious issue" -- that the pricing controls on medical devices, such as stents, would be changed in India.
A U.S. man was sentenced to three years in prison on charges that included conspiracy to violate the Arms Export Control Act, the Justice Department said in a Sept. 5 press release. In 2005 and again in 2010, Roger Sobrado submitted a “fraudulent application” to the Department of Defense “for access to export controlled drawings and technical data on behalf of a family member’s company,” the press release said. Sobrado said the drawings and data would only be accessed by U.S. citizens, but Sobrado allowed a family member, who was “illegally in the United States,” to download “hundreds of drawings that were sensitive in nature and that require special access.” The sentence also reflects charges of conspiracy to commit tax evasion and wire fraud.
The State Department sanctioned Liviu Nicolae Dragnea, the former speaker of the Romanian Chamber of Deputies, for involvement in “significant corruption,” according to a Sept. 5 press release. The State Department is also sanctioning Dragnea’s two children: Valentin Stefan Dragnea and Maria Alexandra Dragnea.
The Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control updated the Cuban Assets Control Regulations to eliminate certain transactions that were previously authorized by a general license, OFAC said in a notice. The update also revises and removes certain authorizations for remittances to Cuba. The changes take effect Oct. 9.
The European Union Permanent Representatives Committee will extend sanctions on people and entities designated for threatening the sovereignty of Ukraine, according to a post on the EU Sanctions blog. The extended sanctions are awaiting approval by the EU Council before they expire on Sept. 15, the post said.
President Donald Trump’s order to reduce the number of advisory committees will not affect Commerce’s committees involved with export controls reform, a top Commerce official confirmed. The executive order, issued in June, directed the executive branch's departments and agencies to cut down their advisory boards by one-third by Sept. 30. Speaking during a Sept. 5 Materials Technical Advisory Committee, Rich Ashooh, Commerce’s assistant secretary for export administration, confirmed that several Commerce committees dealing with export controls are safe because they are authorized by (see 1908080033) the Export Control Reform Act.
The Commerce Department is aiming to publish its advance notice of proposed rulemaking for foundational technologies before the end of September, said Rich Ashooh, the assistant secretary for export administration. “That’s kind of the goal,” Ashooh said, speaking during a Sept. 5 Materials Technical Advisory Committee meeting. “It’s really important for us to get there.”
Nixon Peabody hired John Sandweg, who was acting director of ICE in 2014, the law firm said in a news release. Sandweg most recently worked at Frontier Solutions, an "investigatory, compliance, due diligence, and crisis management firm he founded," the firm said. The law firm also brought on others from Frontier: counsel Rachel Winkler, associate Catherine Ingram, legal assistant Tracey Ford, and investigative directors Jerry Robinette and Miguel Unzueta. That team will be part of Nixon Peabody's new Cross-Border Risks team, it said. "The team comprises former Department of Homeland Security officials, federal investigators, regulators, law enforcement executives, and government affairs professionals who specialize in national security, immigration, Homeland Security compliance, cross-border regulatory, and international criminal matters," the firm said. "They provide valuable legal, regulatory, and reputational risks insight and counsel to help their clients build strong programs, handle crises, and manage risk on issues including anti-money laundering matters, import/export control, international sanctions work, and immigration for high-net-worth, global business leaders."