Jenner & Block partner Rachel Alpert was tapped to serve as the chief counsel to the Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control, the firm announced on Oct. 24. Alpert has worked at Jenner & Block since 2021 and has fleshed out the firm's national security, sanctions and export controls practice, along with the human rights and global strategy practice. Her practice centered around export controls and sanctions proceedings under the International Traffic in Arms Regulations, Export Administration Regulations and OFAC regulations, among other things. Prior to working at Jenner & Block, Alpert worked as an attorney-adviser to the State Department and as counsel at Latham & Watkins.
The European Council on Oct. 24 amended the sanctions listing for Irina Anatolievna Kostenko under its Russia sanctions regime. The council updated Kostenko's date of birth from April 4, 1974, to May 8, 1967.
The EU General Court on Oct. 25 annulled the listing of the ex-wife of Alfa Group founder Mikhail Fridman, referred to only as "QF" in the opinion, according to an unofficial translation. Originally sanctioned in April 2022, QF was delisted five months later. The court annulled her original listing. QF claimed the European Council based its decision on evidence lacking probative value and erroneously assessed the facts.
The U.K. on Oct. 25 issued a new license under its Russia and Belarus sanctions regimes related to certain legal services payments, replacing the current license that was scheduled to expire Oct. 28 (see 2305010012), according to the EU Sanctions blog. Under the new license, the cap for services based on a prior obligation and services not based on a prior obligation may not exceed 10% of the "amount payable for the professional legal fees and Counsel's fees," or around $60,700, whichever is lower.
President Joe Biden this week renewed a national emergency authorizing certain sanctions related to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the White House said. Congo has been “marked by widespread violence and atrocities that continue to threaten regional stability” and pose an “unusual and extraordinary threat to the foreign policy” of the U.S., the White House said. The emergency was renewed for one year from Oct. 27.
The U.N. Security Council recently renewed an arms embargo and certain sanctions against Haiti to help prevent the supply of weapons to the nation, the State Department said. The agency applauded the move, adding that the U.S. is using “new criminal authorities” to “hold firearms traffickers accountable,” including creating a Transnational Criminal Investigative Unit in Haiti to aid investigations and prosecutions of transnational crimes. The unit will focus on weapons and ammunition smuggling, human trafficking and transnational gang activity. “We will continue to use all available tools to promote accountability for corrupt actors, individuals supporting gang violence, and other criminal activity in Haiti,” the State Department said.
The Office of Foreign Assets Control this week renewed an authorization for certain Russia-related energy transactions. General License 8H, which replaced GL 8G, authorizes certain transactions with several Russian energy companies through 12:01 a.m. EDT May 1. The license was previously scheduled to expire Nov. 1.
The EU on Oct. 18 updated its list of "critical goods" Russia is seeking to acquire in violation of sanctions and export controls, including through third countries. The list includes mainly industrial goods and dual-use items "critical to the development, production or use of" Russian military systems, the EU said. They include hydrogen peroxide, oil filters, cranes, concrete mixers, various machine parts, pressure-reducing valves, electric conductors, motor vehicles and more.
The Bureau of Industry and Security on Nov. 6 will hold a public briefing on its recently updated export controls on advanced semiconductors and chipmaking equipment (see 2310170055). The briefing, which also will cover the agency’s addition this month of 13 Chinese semiconductor and technology companies to the Entity List (see 2310170063), will be led by Assistant Secretary for Export Administration Thea Kendler, who will “address important aspects” of the new restrictions.
The U.S. and the EU in recent months may have had a breakthrough tracking export-controlled goods being illegally diverted through third countries to Russia, senior sanctions officials said this week. They also said the U.S., the EU and other Group of 7 nations are preparing to take new “legal action” against parties transporting Russian oil using shadow fleets in violation of the price cap.