Sen. Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska, is urging Congress to revisit legislation that would require U.S. firms to report outbound investments that could threaten American national security.
The U.N. Security Council recently sanctioned four criminal gang leaders in Haiti. The designations target Johnson Andre, leader of the 5 Segond gang; Renel Destina, leader of the Grand Ravine gang; Wilson Joseph, leader of the 400 Mawozo gang; and Vitel’Homme Innocent, leader of the Kraze Barye gang.
The Office of Foreign Assets Control this week sanctioned two former Afghan government officials for corruption, along with 44 of their companies. OFAC said Mir Rahman Rahmani and his son, Ajmal Rahmani, use the companies as part of a “complex procurement corruption scheme” designed to misappropriate millions of dollars from U.S. government-funded contracts meant for Afghan security forces. The sanctions were imposed under the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act.
New York-based stock exchange Nasdaq agreed to pay more than $4 million to settle allegations that its former Armenian subsidiary, which owned the Armenian stock exchange, violated U.S. sanctions against Iran. The enforcement notice released by the Office of Foreign Assets Control, which details violations stemming from transactions more than a decade ago, said Nasdaq failed to apply its sanctions compliance policies to the Armenian stock exchange, which illegally allowed the Armenian branch of an Iranian bank to participate.
New guidance from the Biden administration this week warned shippers, forwarders, brokers, ship owners and others involved in maritime and other transportation industries to better know their cargo, saying they each have a “responsibility” to craft their own “rigorous” compliance programs. The 10-page sanctions advisory specifically calls out freight forwarders, saying they play a “key role” in compliant supply chains.
The European Council on Dec. 8 added two Hamas military leaders to the EU terrorist list. Mohammed Deif, commander general of Hamas' military wing, and Marwan Issa, the deputy commander, are now subject to an asset freeze.
The State Department’s Defense Export Control and Compliance System's advisory opinions application will undergo system maintenance from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. EST Dec. 11, the agency said last week. Users should refresh their browser if they "experience any delays in the application," DDTC said.
A group of Senate Republicans asked the Biden administration for a briefing on how Iran is spending the billions of dollars it has received through recent U.S. sanctions waivers.
A bipartisan group of four senators introduced a bill that would impose sanctions on foreign banks and foreign cryptocurrency firms that do business with terrorist organizations such as Hamas.
The U.S., the U.K. and Canada last week issued a range of new sanctions to mark the internationally recognized Human Rights Day on Dec. 10, designating people across more than 10 jurisdictions for their ties to human rights violations. They include U.S. sanctions against Chinese officials with ties to human rights abuses in Xinjiang, including one designated under the Uyghur Human Rights Policy Act.