The Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control renewed a general license that authorizes transactions between certain companies and Petroleos de Venezuela, S.A., OFAC said April 21. General License No. 8F, which replaces No. 8E, authorizes transactions between PdVSA and Chevron Corp., Haliburton, Schlumberger, Baker Hughes and Weatherford International, with certain restrictions, through 12:01 a.m. Dec. 1, 2020. The license was scheduled to expire April 22.
The Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control removed sanctions from 12 narcotics-related entries on its Specially Designated Nationals List, according to an April 22 notice. The entries include people and entities based in Guatemala, Colombia, Honduras, the British Virgin Islands and Florida. OFAC also amended six entries under its Libya designations to include more identifying information.
The Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control has been quickly addressing humanitarian licensing issues from industry but could be doing more to encourage the flow of aid to Iran, a former OFAC official and a sanctions lawyer said. OFAC has been rightly criticized for not doing enough to eliminate industry fears of sanctions, said Brian O’Toole, a former senior adviser to the OFAC director, adding that the government should rethink restrictions surrounding humanitarian trade. And although OFAC issued a guidance (see 2004160039) encouraging banks to process humanitarian-related transactions involving Iran, banks continue to seek more assurances, lawyer Kerry Contini said.
The State Department Directorate of Defense Trade Controls has seen a decline in voluntary self-disclosures since 2013, according to an April 20 post on the EU Sanctions blog, which cited a report by the Global Investigations Review. DDTC processed just over 2,000 disclosures in 2013 but only 650 in 2019, the blog said. Since 2014, the number of self-disclosures fell by about 140 disclosures per year, the blog post said, but has remained “consistent” over the last two years. The decrease stems from the removal of certain dual-use items from the U.S. Munitions List to the Commerce Control List, the blog said.
Sen. Cory Gardner, R-Colo., urged the Trump administration to sanction Chinese officials responsible for committing human rights violations in Hong Kong. The U.S. must use “all diplomatic tools available to prevent Hong Kong’s backsliding on democracy,” Gardner said April 18, including sanctions. Gardner’s comments came after Chinese officials arrested pro-democracy leaders in Hong Kong, according to an April 18 Reuters report.
Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, said he plans to introduce a bill that would sanction Chinese officials involved in the “suppression” of medical experts, journalists and others, which is “helping to fuel” the COVID-19 pandemic, according to an April 14 press release. The bill would sanction officials who tried to censor Chinese people from sharing information about the virus and who tried to limit access to media, Cruz said. That censorship posed a threat to the U.S. and countries around the world trying to combat the spread of the coronavirus. Cruz said he will introduce the bill when Congress returns.
The United Kingdom’s Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation issued a correction for four listings in its ISIL (Da’esh) and al-Qaida sanctions regime, OFSI said in an April 21 notice. The correction removes the following names from the consolidated list and the asset freezes for them: Amran Mansor, Abderrahmane Kifane, Son Hadi bin Muhadjir and Abdul Rahim Al-Talhi, the notice said.
Export Compliance Daily is providing readers with some of the top stories for April 13-17 in case you missed them.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency plans to issue export control decisions for most shipments of controlled medical equipment within two days, but some shipments may take as long as four days, a FEMA spokesperson said April 21. Some law firms have advised medical equipment exporters to expect delays at ports across the country as FEMA makes those determinations, which involves a review of “letters of attestation” from exporters, who must certify that they qualify for one of several exemptions FEMA issued this week (see 2004200019).
The United Kingdom’s Export Control Joint Unit updated its guidance for export controls of dual-use items, software, technology and goods used for torture, and “radioactive sources,” according to an April 16 notice. The notice now includes updated contact information for traders during the COVID-19 pandemic, the notice said. The guide contains an overview of export controls for those items, how traders can apply for licenses, restrictions on licenses and penalties for violations.