OFAC on Feb. 4 issued a finding of violation to a Middle East subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson for violating Sudanese sanctions regulations, it said (here). According to OFAC, Johnson & Johnson (Middle East) Inc. in 2010 broke the regulations when it coordinated and supervised shipments of goods from Johnson and Johnson (Egypt) S.A.E. to Khartoum, Sudan. Before August 2010, Johnson & Johnson (Middle East)’s general manager for emerging markets, Middle East and North Africa, was “unfamiliar” with U.S. sanctions and wasn’t trained on compliance with OFAC regulations, OFAC said. The office did not assess any civil penalties for Johnson & Johnson, OFAC said (here).
Alston & Bird hired Thomas Feddo to work on international trade and regulatory issues, the law firm said (here). Feddo was most recently assistant director for enforcement at the Office of Foreign Assets Control.
The Office of Foreign Assets Control made several additions to its Specially Designated Nationals list on Feb. 1, OFAC said (here).
The Office of Foreign Assets Control made several counter-terrorism additions to its Specially Designated Nationals list on Jan. 28, OFAC said (here).
Lawmakers voiced their reactions on Jan. 26 to the Office of Foreign Assets Control’s announcement the same day that implemented the rollback of sanctions on Cuba, as the Obama Administration continues its push to normalize relations with Havana. Presidential candidate Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., accused the Administration of working to empower Cuban government-run businesses rather than the Cuban citizenry. “The Obama Administration's one-sided concessions to Cuba further empower the regime and enable it with an economic windfall,” Rubio said in a statement (here). “These regulations are more proof that the Obama Administration's intent has never been to empower the Cuban people but rather to empower the Cuban government's monopolies and state-run enterprises.”
The Office of Foreign Assets Control is lifting certain payment and financing restrictions for approved exports and re-exports of non-agricultural items to Cuba, and is authorizing the use of leasing arrangements, code-sharing, and blocked airspace by Cuban airlines to facilitate U.S. travel to the country, OFAC announced (here). The actions align with President Barack Obama’s Dec. 17, 2014 announcement of the rollback of sanctions on the country.
International Trade Today is providing readers with some of the top stories for Jan 19-22 in case they were missed.
The Office of Foreign Assets Control made several counter-terrorism additions to its Specially Designated Nationals list on Jan. 17, OFAC said (here).
The Office of Foreign Assets Control is adding a general license under Iran sanctions regulations, 31 C.F.R. part 560, relating to importation of Iranian-origin carpets and foodstuffs, to become effective Jan. 21, OFAC said (here). The P5+1 and Iran on Jan. 16 reached “Implementation Day” for the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, setting in motion a rollback of several sanctions on Tehran.
The Office of Foreign Assets Control on Jan. 17 designated 11 entities and individuals involved in procurement on behalf of Iran’s ballistic missile program, the office said in a press release (here). The news comes one day after Secretary of State John Kerry announced implementation of the unrelated Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, which initiated a rollback of several U.S. nuclear sanctions on Tehran. “Iran’s ballistic missile program poses a significant threat to regional and global security, and it will continue to be subject to international sanctions,” said Adam Szubin, Treasury’s acting under secretary for terrorism and financial intelligence. “We have consistently made clear that the United States will vigorously press sanctions against Iranian activities outside of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action." Obama administration officials have recently said that they were looking into reports that Iran conducted a ballistic missile test on Oct. 10 and another on Nov. 21.