Category: Sanctions

New Financial Sanctions Measures in Relation to Russia

Sanctions
Following the Prime Minister’s statement to the House of Commons on 22 February 2022, the UK announced a tranche of sanctions on Russia. The Prime Minister announced further measures on 24 February 2022 which are available on the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office website. If you require a licence to permit any activity which would otherwise be prohibited by sanctions regulations, you must contact the relevant department. We expect firms to have established systems and controls to counter the risk that they might be used to further financial crime and this includes compliance with financial sanctions obligations. Where the FCA…

First U.K. Annual Sanctions Report

Sanctions
The UK’s Annual Sanctions Report for 2021 details, for the first time, the full extent of its new autonomous sanctions since exiting the European Union. the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office Sanctions Annual Report for 2021 has been published, which shows that, in its first full year since leaving the EU, the UK has imposed sanctions against 160 individuals and entities individuals and entities sanctioned for, among other activities, corruption and human rights abuses, are from a number of countries, including Myanmar, China, Belarus, Pakistan and Venezuela the report shows that since leaving the EU, the UK is more agile…

U.S. Sanctions Bosnian Serb Leader over Graft and for Destabilizing Moves

Sanctions
The U.S. sanctioned on Wednesday the leader of the Bosnian Serbs and a TV station believed to be under his control for his “corrupt activities and continued threats to the stability and territorial integrity” of the Balkan country. Milorad Dodik, who is the Serb member of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s tripartite presidency, has frequently called for the dissolution of the country and has recently initiated a process of a gradual transfer of authorities from the state to the Bosnian Serb region called Republika Srpska, which occupies half of Bosnia and Herzegovina. He intends to withdraw the Serbs from the country’s army,…

As U.S. Sanctions Loomed, a Tycoon Mopped Up Zimbabwe’s Scarce Dollars

Corruption, Sanctions
As Zimbabweans faced the economic consequences of a crashing currency, well-connected businessman Kudakwashe Tagwirei skirted the rules to convert government-backed securities into scarce U.S. dollars —which he used to acquire shares in a lucrative platinum mine. Key Findings Even after Zimbabwe cut off its citizens from accessing U.S. dollars in mid-2019, the central bank governor allowed Tagwirei’s company to cash out large portions of a treasury bill he held before it matured, and unlawfully convert them into tens of millions of U.S. dollars. Documents indicate Tagwirei’s staff repeatedly used treasury bills as a source of U.S. dollars — which were…

EU Imposes Restrictive Measures Against the Wagner Group

Sanctions
The Council today adopted a set of restrictive measures against the Wagner Group, a Russia-based unincorporated private military entity. The measures target the Wagner group itself, and eight individuals and three entities connected to it. The Wagner Group has recruited, trained and sent private military operatives to conflict zones around the world to fuel violence, loot natural resources and intimidate civilians in violation of international law, including international human rights law. The individuals listed by the EU are involved in serious human rights abuses, including torture and extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions and killings, or in destabilising activities in some…

U.S. Designates Serbian, Salvadoran Gangs with Political Ties

Bribery, Corruption, Sanctions
The U.S. authorities announced Wednesday they have targeted 16 individuals and 24 entities suspected of corruption and serious human rights abuses. The ruling freezes U.S. property and money connected to those people and entities. The Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) took the actions “pursuant to Executive Order 13818, which builds upon and implements the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act,” according to the U.S. Treasury Department’s statement. “All property and interests in property of the persons above that are in the United States or in the possession or control of U.S. persons are blocked and must be reported to…

U.S. Expands Sanctions on Belarus Over Migrant Crisis

Sanctions
The U.S. Treasury Department tightened the screws on Belarussian strongman Alexander Lukashenko and his allies, according to a statement released Thursday. Treasury officials listed 20 individuals, 12 entities and three aircraft as “blocked property” in the United States. They said the move was “in response to the Lukashenko regime’s blatant disregard for international norms and the well-being of its own citizens.” The sanctions come amid a widening migrant crisis unfolding on Belarus’s border with Poland and Lithuania — both members of the European Union. Tens of thousands of immigrants, primarily from Iraqi Kurdistan, have gathered in the eastern European nation,…

Notorious Money Launderer Reza Zarrab’s Lavish Life and New Business in Miami

Money Laundering, Organised Crime, Sanctions
Facing 130 years in prison, infamous Turkish-Iranian money launderer Reza Zarrab took a plea deal in 2017 agreeing to testify in U.S. courts. Federal officials have since kept him out of the spotlight, while allowing him to live a government-sanctioned life of luxury under a false identity in Miami. But the man who made his fortune cleaning profits from sanctions evasion and dealing with companies tied to slave labor and organized crime has been anything but idle. An investigation by OCCRP, Law&Crime and the Miami Herald found that Zarrab remains connected to his former criminal network and has received multiple…

U.S. Imposes Further Sanctions in Connection With Nord Stream 2 Gas Pipeline

Sanctions
The Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement, targeting Russia-linked Transadria Ltd. and its vessel. The State Department submitted a report to the U.S. Congress listing two vessels and an entity, Transadria Ltd., involved in the pipeline, Blinken said, but did not give details on the second vessel. Washington opposes the $11 billion pipeline, which runs under the Baltic Sea to bypass Ukraine and carry gas from Russia’s Arctic region to Germany. Nord Stream 2 has faced stiff opposition from the United States and some European states, which say it will make Europe…

Ex-Prison Warden in Lithuania Struck $1M Deal with Sanctioned Belarusian State Truckmaker

Sanctions
A former prison warden from Lithuania may have helped the regime of Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko dodge sanctions by benefitting from a $1.1 million deal to export Belarusian trucks through Lithuania’s biggest seaport. The trucks in question were made by sanctioned Belrussian state company BelAZ, one of the world’s top manufacturers of large trucks and dump trucks, and a major source of income for Lukashenko’s regime. The European Union sanctioned BelAZ in June 2021 in the midst of a violent crackdown by Lukashenko on civil society, journalists, and opponents in the wake of a disputed election. Since then, EU businesses…

Crypto Exchange Chatex and Russian Nationals Indicted for Roles in Ransomware Operations

Digital Currencies, Sanctions
Today, the Department of Justice (DOJ) and U.S. Treasury’s Office of Foreign Asset Control (OFAC) announced joint indictments, arrests, and sanctions designations against organizations and individuals associated with ransomware attacks against U.S. companies. Telegram bot-based P2P cryptocurrency exchange Chatex, which shares a founder with recently sanctioned OTC service Suex, has now been added to the Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons (SDN) List, thereby prohibiting Americans from doing business with the company. Additionally, three other companies were sanctioned for their role in setting up key infrastructure Chatex relied on to operate. It’s important to remember that unlike violations of anti-money…

Everything You Need to Know About OFAC’s New Sanctions Guidance for Cryptocurrency Businesses

Digital Currencies, Sanctions
On October 15, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) released Sanctions Compliance Guidance for the Virtual Currency Industry. This guidance follows the recent designation of Russia-based cryptocurrency Over The Counter (OTC) broker Suex, as well as an updated Advisory on ransomware payments, which we wrote about in our blog. The newly-released brochure reiterates OFAC’s previous guidance and outlines best practices in one comprehensive document. Specifically, OFAC’s guidance covers: Sanctions-related compliance requirements for cryptocurrency businesses Consequences for non-compliance and examples of how timely reporting can mitigate those consequences Best practices for building a risk-based compliance…

U.S. Sanctions Two Lebanese Businessmen and a Member of Parliament

Sanctions
The U.S. Treasury has imposed sanctions on two top Lebanese contractors and a lawmaker close to the Hezbollah movement over alleged large-scale corruption that undermined the rule of law in Lebanon. Businessmen Jihad al-Arab and Dany Khoury, close to former Lebanese Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri and Christian politician Gebran Bassil respectively, were sanctioned on Thursday for alleged corruption related to state contracts. Lawmaker Jamil Sayyed was sanctioned for allegedly seeking to “skirt domestic banking policies and regulations” and transfer $120 million abroad, “presumably to enrich himself and his associates,” a Treasury statement said. The allegations come amid an unprecedented economic…

Ethereum Researcher Virgil Griffith Pleads Guilty to Helping North Korea Dodge US Sanctions

Sanctions
Virgil Griffith, an Ethereum Foundation researcher, pleaded guilty to aiding North Korea in sidestepping US sanctions using blockchain technology, according to a Bloomberg report. Griffith was arrested in 2019 after he attended a Pyongyang blockchain conference. US authorities alleged that he helped the North Koreans deploy blockchain tech to let the country sidestep strict international sanctions. Prosecutors say his presentation was tantamount to giving services to North Korea and his trip was not approved by America, according to the Wall Street Journal. Griffith’s lawyers countered that he gave out simple information available easily online. The trial was set to begin…

U.S. Sanction Crypto Exchange over Ransomware Attacks

Digital Currencies, Sanctions
For the first time ever, U.S. authorities imposed sanctions against a virtual currency exchange for its role in facilitating financial transactions for ransomware actors, the Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), said in a statement Tuesday. “All property and interests in property of the designated target that are subject to U.S. jurisdiction are blocked, and U.S. persons are generally prohibited from engaging in transactions with them,” read the statement. OFAC claims that SUEX OTC enabled transactions involving at least eight ransomware variants’ illegal proceeds, and that a study revealed that illicit actors were involved in more…

Behind Suex.io: the first sanctioned cryptocurrency exchange

Digital Currencies, Sanctions
This morning, OFAC sanctioned SUEX.io, a concierge cryptocurrency exchanger incorporated in Czechia but operating in Russia. This action comes as OFAC and the US Government writ-large try to tackle the festering problems posed by ransomware, and the criminal syndicates using it to extort billions of dollars out of victims around the world. SUEX filled an essential niche in the ecosystem of underregulated exchanges that, either through willful ignorance or witting cooperation, facilitate the conversion of illicit crypto ransoms into real-world currency. SUEX largely communicated with its clients on the Telegram app and accepted new customers on a system of referrals…

China’s Planned Anti-Sanctions Law for Hong Kong Unsettles Financial Sector

Sanctions
Global banks and other financial institutions in Hong Kong are scrambling to find out details of China’s planned imposition of an anti-sanctions law on the city, and trying to understand how it could impact their operations in the financial hub. Beijing adopted a law in June under which individuals or entities involved in making or implementing discriminatory measures against Chinese citizens or entities could be put on a government anti-sanctions list. Financial firms are closely watching a meeting this week of the National People’s Congress Standing Committee, the highest organ of China’s parliament, for signs on how and when similar…

UK/US Impose Sanctions on Russian Intelligence Agents Over Navalny Poisoning

Sanctions
Britain and the United States imposed sanctions on Friday on men they said were Russian intelligence operatives responsible for the poisoning one year ago of Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny. The two countries both targeted seven Russians with sanctions and also issued a joint statement warning Russia over chemical weapons. Washington separately imposed sanctions on another two men and four Russian institutes it said were involved in chemical weapons research or what it described as an assassination attempt against Navalny. Navalny was flown to Germany for medical treatment after being poisoned in Siberia on Aug. 20 last year with what Western…

Active Shipping Companies Linked to Oil Smuggling and Sanctioned Terror Financiers

Sanctions, Terrorism
On Jun. 10, 2021 the U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) designated a group of individuals and companies as Specially Designated Global Terrorists (SDGT). The designation is due to the group’s role in smuggling petrochemicals for Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps – Qods Force (IRGC-QF) and using the proceeds to finance Houthi rebels in Yemen. Using public records, we found multiple active companies linked to this network in the Middle East, Europe, and Latin America. These general trading and shipping companies, which remain unsanctioned, pose a risk to individuals or companies that might unknowingly do business with them,…

FinCEN Announces New Acting Director

Sanctions, Terrorism
WASHINGTON—Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) Acting Director Michael Mosier today announced he will depart FinCEN at the end of the week for a new opportunity, after serving as the organization’s acting director. Himamauli “Him” Das, a national security expert with experience at the White House, National Security Council, National Economic Council, and Departments of State and the Treasury, will assume the role of acting director of FinCEN. Today, Treasury launched a public search for a permanent FinCEN director. “It is an honor to be returning to the Department of the Treasury as acting director of FinCEN to continue the important…

Sanctions Fine for U.K. FinTech

Sanctions
Over a period of around 21 months up to 18 December 2019, TransferGo facilitated a series of 16 payments to accounts held at the Russian National Commercial Bank (RNCB). During that period, the RNCB was subject to EU sanctions imposed in relation to Russia’s annexation of Crimea. The EU’s sanctions regulations applied directly in the UK during that time as it preceded the end of the Brexit transition period. RNCB remains a sanctions target under the UK sanctions regime, which now operates distinctly from the EU sanctions framework. According to the OFSI, TransferGo had claimed that because “the relevant clients…

Equatorial Guinea to Close Embassy After U.K. Sanctioned President’s Son

Sanctions
In protest of the United Kingdom’s decision to put the son of President Teodoro Obiang Mangue on the latest list of individuals sanctioned for corruption, Equatorial Guinea said on Monday it will close its embassy in London. The U.K. last Thursday announced new sanctions against five individuals from Equatorial Guinea, Zimbabwe, Venezuela and Iraq for their involvement in “serious corruption” that has deprived citizens in these countries of “vital resources.” The announcement marks the second round of designations under the U.K.’s Global Anti-Corruption sanctions regime inaugurated in April when 22 individuals were targeted with asset freezes and travel bans. The…

Unseen and Unsanctioned, Belarusian Tycoon Slipped into the EU via Lithuanian Investments

Sanctions
Alexei Aleksin and Alexander Zaytsev have emerged as two of the wealthiest businessmen in Belarus. What are they doing in Lithuania? Key Findings Aleksin and Zaytsev began to receive generous economic preferences from dictator Alexander Lukashenko in the aftermath of 2012 sanctions against his regime. Around the same time, they managed to obtain Lithuanian residency permits and opened companies there. The nature of their activities in Lithuania raise serious questions about what they are doing in the EU member state. Aleksin registered a company in an abandoned building, then used it to buy an apartment where two more firms are…

New U.K. Sanctions Against Individuals Involved in Corruption Around the World

Corruption, Sanctions
Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab has announced further sanctions on individuals under the UK’s Global Anti-Corruption sanctions regime. Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab today announces new UK sanctions against 5 individuals involved in serious corruption in Equatorial Guinea, Zimbabwe, Venezuela and Iraq sanctions target cases of serious corruption which have deprived developing countries of vital resources one of those designated spent millions of misappropriated funds on mansions, private jets and a $275,000 glove that Michael Jackson wore on his ‘Bad’ tour, another ruthlessly exploited public food programmes in Venezuela. Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab has today announced further sanctions on individuals under the…

Russian oligarchs the ‘most sophisticated in the world’ at dodging KYC and evading sanctions

KYC, Sanctions
THE CAPACITY OF Russian oligarchs to work around rigorous KYC rules and international sanctions is the strongest in the world, a former FATF President has warned. Their methods were so capable that their identity may remain hidden even if a financial institution makes every effort to root out accurate beneficial ownership information, he suggested. In the same speech, he also hit out at the Russian FIU Rosfinmonitoring claiming that it was “firmly under the control” of the country’s Federal Security Service (FSB) and headed by a sixteen-year veteran of the Soviet KGB. Billingslea believes the FIU allows state-sponsored money-laundering schemes…

Biden-Harris administration: 100-day review of Sanctions policy

Sanctions
When the Biden administration took office on 20 January 2021 it had already announced that there would be reviews of how the US deals with international partnerships. Under the previous administration the US had left the Paris accord on climate change and the World Health Organisation (WHO). Within a day of taking office the new administration set in motion the reversal of both the withdrawal from the Paris agreement and WHO membership. US secretary of the treasury Janet Yellen has said that one of her top priorities is to review the US use of sanctions as well as those that…

New Magnitsky style sanctions regime will strengthen Britain’s toolkit for tacking global corruption and dirty money

Corruption, Sanctions
Transparency International UK welcomes the announcement of a new corruption sanctions regime by Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab. The new regime gives Britain the power to designate individuals and companies involved in serious corruption around the world, adding another option to the UK’s growing array of sanctions for corruption offences. The UK Government has published an initial list of 22 designated persons who are the first targets of the regime. Those that are designated will have their British assets frozen and be banned from travelling to the UK. The regime is international in scope, enabling the UK to align itself with…

UK Sanctions 22 Individuals for ‘Serious International Corruption’

Sanctions
The U.K. government has imposed asset freezes and travel bans against 22 individuals from six countries in its first set of measures under the nation’s new Global Anti-Corruption sanctions regime. The move, announced this week, seeks to “prevent those responsible from entering the U.K. or laundering their ill-gotten assets here,” and “ensure that the U.K. is not a safe haven for those involved in serious corruption, including those who profit from it,” Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab wrote in a statement delivered to Parliament on Monday. The first group of individuals sanctioned under the new regime hail from Russia, South Africa,…

North Korea is the most isolated country on the planet, but it still finds ways to steal billions of dollars

Financial Crime, Sanctions
The Department of Justice said last month that North Korea has used cyberattacks to steal over $1 billion since 2015 to fund its nuclear weapons program. Heavy sanctions, imposed by both the US and the UN, prevent North Korea from participating in the formal global economy. The regime often circumvents these sanctions, mostly through secretive ship-to-ship transfers of luxury goods, chemicals, and coal, which is North Korea’s primary export. North Korea’s nuclear program is essential to the Kim regime, and it devotes all the resources it can to increasing and improving its arsenal. The rise of digital currencies has created…

Biden in no rush to lift Venezuela sanctions

Sanctions
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President Joe Biden’s administration is in “no rush” to lift U.S. sanctions on Venezuela but would consider easing them if President Nicolas Maduro takes confidence-building steps showing he is ready to negotiate seriously with the opposition, a White House official told Reuters. Signaling that the new U.S. president may be unlikely to loosen the screws on Venezuela anytime soon, the official emphasized that existing sanctions have enough special provisions to allow for humanitarian aid shipments to help Venezuelans cope with economic hardships and the COVID-19 pandemic. But the official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Maduro’s Socialist…

A Renewed Sanctions Strategy for the EU

Sanctions
Last week the European Commission released a communication on the future of Europe’s economic and financial system. This document, formally issued to European institutions including the Parliament, the Council and the Central Bank, places sanctions at the forefront as a key tool in the Commission’s strategy, especially when seen in contrast with previous publications of this type. The Commission’s ambition for the economic and financial system relies on a vision for “openness, strength and resilience”, based on three pillars: “Promoting a stronger international role of the Euro” “Further developing EU financial market infrastructures and improving their resilience, including towards the…

New EU sanctions regime is an important achievement but leaves the door open to dirty money

Sanctions
Global Witness, Transparency International EU, Open Society European Policy Institute and twelve other organisations welcome adoption of a new sanctions regime by the European Union to target human rights abusers worldwide. However, we urge the EU to adopt a complementary sanctions regime targeting non-EU nationals involved in corruption and align itself with other existing regimes in the US or Canada and in development in the UK. Today, the European Council announced adoption of the new Global Human RightsSanctions Regime. The regime tackles crimes against humanity, arbitrary arrests and extrajudicial killings. It also targets those responsible for human trafficking, sexual violence,…

UK Sanctions Statutory Instruments Review – Individual regime

Sanctions
The individual regime reviews are listed below. These documents are for the individual UK sanctions SI reviews and along with the numerical section review, they also separate the findings into high, medium and low impact sections.” AFGHANISTAN BOSNIA BURMA BURUNDI CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC CHEMICAL WEAPONS COUNTER TERRORISM (INTERNATIONAL) CYBER DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO EGYPT GLOBAL HUMAN RIGHTS GUINEA HAITI IRAN (HUMAN RIGHTS) IRAN IRAQ ISIL (DA’ESH) AND AL-QAIDA LEBANON (ASSASSINATION OF RAFIQ HARIRI AND OTHERS) LEBANON MALI MOLDOVA NICARAGUA NORTH KOREA REPUBLIC OF BELARUS REPUBLIC OF GUINEA-BISSAU RUSSIA SERBIA AND MONTENEGRO SOMALIA SOUTH SUDAN SUDAN SYRIA (UN) SYRIA VENEZUELA…

Quarterly report to Parliament: 1 April 2020 to 30 June 2020 (‘TAFA 2010’)

Sanctions
Written Ministerial StatementOperation of the UK’s Counter-Terrorist Asset Freezing Regime: 1 April 2020 to 30 June 2020 The Economic Secretary to the Treasury (John Glen): Under the Terrorist Asset-Freezing etc. Act 2010 (TAFA 2010), the Treasury is required to prepare a quarterly report regarding its exercise of the powers conferred on it by Part 1 of TAFA 2010. This written statement satisfies that requirement for the period 1 April 2020 to 30 June 2020. This report also covers the UK’s implementation of the UN’s ISIL (Da’esh) and Al-Qaida asset freezing regime (ISIL-AQ), and the operation of the EU’s asset freezing…

Legal monitors tell Deutsche Bank to quit Russia

Money Laundering, Sanctions
NEW YORK STATE-appointed monitors want Deutsche Bank to pull out of business in Russia completely, according to new reports. The advice comes despite the bank’s ambitions for expansion in the country – although its relationship with Russia has not been void of scandal or allegations of wrongdoing in recent years. The monitors told senior executive leaders at Deutsche that efforts to minimise financial crime risks would not be enough to offset those that came with certain Russian clients, the Wall Street Journal reported Thursday after speaking to a source familiar with the communications. Both monitors are attorneys from Chicago-based law…

Sanctions and Transport

Sanctions
What are Transport Sanctions? From almost the first moment someone fashioned wood into a canoe to transport people and goods across a river there has been some form of maritime regulation. As with any regulations however, there will always be someone who seeks to circumvent them. Issues such as falsifying documents, obscuring ownership and hiding a ship’s registry have been endemic in the shipping industry for centuries. Unfortunately, there is no exception when it comes to enforcing sanctions. Such a multifaceted problem can never be tackled by one Government department alone. While OFSI plays its part in the implementation of…