The U.K.'s Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation added one entry to its ISIL (Da'esh) and al-Qaida sanctions regime and amended and corrected entires under the Iran (Nuclear) sanctions list in a pair of notices March 8. Under the ISIL sanctions list, OFSI added Khatiba Al-Tawhid Wal-Jihad, a terrorist organization operating under the Al-Nusrah Front for the People of the Levant, which operates mainly in Syria. Under the Iran sanctions regime, OFSI amended the entries for Mohammad Hejazi and the Passive Defence Organisation, and it corrected the entries for Jelvesazan and the Centre for Innovation and Technology Cooperation.
The U.N. Security Council on March 7 added one entry to its ISIL (Da’esh) and al-Qaida sanctions list. Sanctions now apply to the terrorist group Khatiba al-Tawhid wal-Jihad, which operates in Syria, Turkey, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Russia, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, Egypt, Afghanistan and Ukraine. The State Department sanctioned the group earlier this week (see 2203070059).
Australia imposed new sanctions against a range of Russia’s “propagandists,” military officials and entities for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the country’s foreign ministry announced March 8. The sanctions target the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation and six senior military officials and an additional 11 financial institutions “of economic significance to Russia,” including the country’s central bank. Australia also sanctioned another 10 people that help promote “pro-Kremlin propaganda to legitimize Russia’s invasion.”
The EU launched a Sanctions Whistleblower Tool to aid the reporting of past, ongoing or planned sanctions violations. "It responds to the Commission's ambition to fully support the effective implementation and enforcement of EU sanctions," the commission said March 4. "The EU has more than 40 sanctions regimes in place and their effectiveness relies on their proper implementation and enforcement, including in thwarting circumvention and evasion of sanctions." The platform was announced by the European Commission in January 2021.
The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network issued an alert to financial institutions to be vigilant against efforts to evade the sanctions and other restrictions implemented against Russia. FinCEN warned that all financial institutions identify and report suspicious activity associated with potential sanctions evasion, and conduct customer due diligence. The alert highlighted the following activities as possible evasion activities requiring higher scrutiny:
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The Commerce Department could impose strict export controls, including through the Entity List, on Chinese companies that violate U.S. export restrictions against Russia, agency officials said this week.
The U.S.’s new Russia export controls could lead to a short-term spike in license applications, but volumes will likely taper off later this year as businesses divest from Russia, said Nazak Nikakhtar, a former senior U.S. export control official.
The U.K.'s Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation amended three entries under its North Korea sanctions regime. The entries for Yong Chol Kim, vice chairman of the Workers Party of Korea; Kyong Hui Kim, a North Korean army general; and Yong Nam Kim, agent of the Reconnaissance General Bureau, were updated.
Joe Sery, former owner and CEO of San Diego-based Tungsten Heavy Powder & Parts, and his brother, Dror Sery, were arrested and charged with violating federal export laws by shipping defense products listed on the U.S. Munitions List without obtaining a proper export license, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of California said March 4. The Sery brothers' alleged actions violated export laws under the International Traffic in Arms Regulations. The brothers are charged with conspiracy to commit offenses against the U.S., exportation of defense articles without a license and criminal forfeiture. The latter charge has a maximum 20-year prison sentence and $1 million fine.