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 for the title or clicking on the hyperlinked reference number.
The lead sponsor in the House on a Russia sanctions and secondary sanctions bill said that negotiations are still ongoing between the two chambers on the final language of the bill.
The Office of Foreign Assets Control and Chicago-based private equity firm IPI Partners reached a nearly $11.5 million settlement to resolve accusations that the firm violated sanctions against Russia through its business dealings involving a designated Russian oligarch.
The U.K. on Nov. 28 amended the entry under its Russia sanctions list for Sergey Vladimirovich Mikhailov. The Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation changed the listing to say that he's sanctioned due to his former role as director general of the state-affiliated TASS news agency.
The U.K. issued a new general license under its Russia sanctions list, allowing non-sanctioned individuals or entities to continue business operations with Lukoil International, the international business arm of major Russian energy firm Lukoil, and its related subsidiaries. The license runs from Nov. 27 to Feb. 26. Under the license, non-sanctioned parties may make payments to or receive payments from Lukoil and its subsidiaries under any existing or new obligations or contracts, and provide or receive economic resources from Lukoil.
Senate Foreign Relations Committee ranking member Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., and Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso, R-Wyo., introduced a bill last month that would require the president to sanction foreign entities and individuals who intentionally damage subsea fiber optic cables.
Rep. Wesley Hunt, R-Texas, reintroduced a bill Nov. 20 that aims to protect American companies that are sued in federal court for complying with U.S. sanctions and export controls against Russia.
The European Anti-Fraud Office and Europol, the EU's law enforcement agency, announced a new initiative this month to tackle Russia- and Belarus-related sanctions evasion, especially illegal exports of vehicles. The joint effort, called Project Transporter, aims to better support EU member states investigating potential sanctions breaches while bringing together expert investigators from the law enforcement community -- especially customs, police and financial crimes investigators -- to probe vehicle exports to Russia and Belarus.
A client alert this month from law firm Bracewell includes a table of Russian energy-related general licenses recently issued by the U.S., the U.K. and the EU, what they authorize and their expiration dates. The licenses cover certain transactions in light of sanctions against major Russian energy firms Rosneft, Lukoil, their subsidiaries, and other Russia-related transactions (see 2510290011, 2510220012 and 2510230014).
The Trump administration is examining a recommendation by Senate Democrats to sanction Chinese individuals and entities that buy liquefied natural gas from the U.S.-sanctioned Arctic LNG 2 project in Russia, the State Department said in a letter publicly released Nov. 24.