The Office of Foreign Assets Control sanctioned three entities controlled by the Cuban military for evading U.S. sanctions, OFAC said Dec. 21. Grupo de Administracion Empresarial S.A. (GAESA), and its subsidiaries Financiera Cimex S.A. (Fincimex) and Kave Coffee, S.A., use their “Panamanian incorporation to subvert international trade restrictions,” OFAC said. GAESA uses businesses in Panama to “bypass” U.S. Cuban Assets Control Regulations, while Fincimex operates as a financial investment and remittance company and Kave operates the country’s nationalized Cubita coffee brand, OFAC said. GAESA and Fincimex are also listed on the State Department’s Cuba Restricted List (see 2009280008).
The Bureau of Industry and Security plans to officially release the first tranche of its military end-user list (see 2012080046) Dec. 22, naming 103 companies that require licenses to receive certain U.S. exports, reexports or transfers. The first tranche will include 58 Chinese and 45 Russian companies that represent an “unacceptable risk of use in or diversion to” a military end-use or military end-user in China, Russia or Venezuela, the Commerce Department said Dec. 21.
The Bureau of Industry and Security published a set of frequently asked questions to provide industry guidance on its summer update to the foreign direct product rule, which increased restrictions on certain foreign-made items (see 2009170026). The guidance, issued this week, features FAQs that cover how the restrictions apply to companies and products, and how they impact prior exports, manufacturing plants, supply chains, prior licenses and more. BIS also outlined how the restrictions may apply to various scenarios faced by industry, including licensing responsibilities and due diligence requirements.
The Drug Enforcement Administration is proposing to list PMK glycidate, PMK glycidic acid, precursors used in the manufacture of methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) (also known as ecstasy), as well as alpha-phenylacetoacetamide (APAA), a precursor used to make amphetamine and methamphetamine, as schedule II substances under the Controlled Substances Act, it said in a notice released Dec. 18. “If finalized, this action would subject handlers (manufacturers, distributors, importers, and exporters) of PMK glycidate, PMK glycidic acid, and APAA to the chemical regulatory provisions of the CSA and its implementing regulations,” DEA said. Comments are due Feb. 19, 2021.
The United Kingdom’s Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation will publish a “bridging document” to help traders process changes to its sanctions list after the Brexit transition period, according to a Dec. 18 press release. The document is “designed to facilitate sanctions screening” and will update certain administrative fields, including identifying information for sanctions entries. The U.K. stressed that the bridging document is “not a substitute” for the U.K. sanctions list. “Use of the Bridging Document is voluntary and is provided after engagement with stakeholders to assist with updating automated screening processes,” the U.K. said. “It remains the responsibility of the person doing the sanctions screening to ensure that their screening is accurate.”
The European Union renewed sanctions against Russia for six months, until July 31, 2021, the European Council said Dec. 17. The sanctions target people and entities for Russian interference in Ukraine and include a ban on sending dual-use goods for military end-users or for end-uses in Russia.
The Office of Foreign Assets Control sanctioned a Venezeulan biometric technology company and its directors for supporting the Nicolas Maduro regime, OFAC said Dec. 18. The sanctions target Ex-Cle Soluciones Biometricas C.A. and co-directors Guillermo Carlos San Agustin and Marcos Javier Machado Requena. OFAC said the company provides “management solutions” to Venezuela government entities and serves as an “electoral hardware and software vendor” to agencies under the Maduro regime.
The Bureau of Industry and Security added 77 entities and people to the Entity List, including China’s top chipmaker, to further prevent China and other countries from acquiring sensitive U.S. technologies, the agency said Dec. 18. Along with China’s Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation, the Entity List additions include China-based DJI, one of the world’s largest drone makers, and companies in Bulgaria, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Italy, Malta, Pakistan, Russia and the United Arab Emirates.
The United Kingdom issued a guidance Dec. 16 on how it will manage export restrictions when the U.K. experiences supply shortages. The U.K. said it may introduce “temporary” export controls if there are certain shortages or a “risk of a shortage.” Those restrictions may include license requirements, export quotas and limits or bans on exporting a certain product.
The U.S. extended by one year from Dec. 20, 2020, a national emergency authorizing sanctions against serious human rights abuses and corruption, the White House said Dec. 16. The White House said human rights abuses and corruption “continue to pose an unusual and extraordinary threat” to U.S. national security and foreign policy.