The Bureau of Industry and Security this week renewed the temporary denial order for Russian airline Ural Airlines, whose export privileges were suspended for 180 days in October after BIS said it violated U.S. export controls by flying multiple aircraft to Russia without required licenses (see 2210170009). BIS said Ural continues to fly planes in violation of the Export Administration Regulations, including flights within Russia and to and from Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. The agency renewed the order for another 180 days from April 10.
The White House this week announced a new “whole-of-government approach” to tackle illegal fentanyl trafficking, including plans to impose more sanctions against drug traffickers and prevent them from accessing American raw materials and technology.
DOJ’s recent sanctions-related subpoenas of Credit Suisse Group and UBS Group are more evidence of the agency’s increasing “emphasis” on corporate enforcement, Rahman Ravelli said in an April 6 client alert. The agency launched a probe on both Swiss banks to examine whether they helped Russian oligarchs evade sanctions, Bloomberg reported last month, and Rahman Ravelli said the effort is part of a “wave of subpoenas” issued by DOJ in recent weeks.
The upcoming expiration of the Bureau of Industry and Security's temporary general license outlined in the China-related chip controls from October presents “good opportunities to see” how the agency will “interpret and enforce the new restrictions,” Lee, Tsai & Partners said in a recent client alert. The TGL expires April 7, when BIS has said it will begin reviewing license applications for activities that were covered by the TGL on a case-by-case basis (see 2301270026).
The Commerce Department’s proposed guardrails for recipients of Chips Act funding could lead to compliance risks for semiconductor companies, especially as the agency bolsters its enforcement arm, law firms said. They also said companies should carefully review how the proposals intersect with chip export restrictions.
Microsoft will pay more than $3.3 million combined to settle alleged export control and sanctions violations largely related to its foreign subsidiaries, the Bureau of Industry and Security and the Office of Foreign Assets Control said in a pair of news releases April 6.
The Bureau of Industry and Security is seeking public comments on an information collection involving records retention requirements for export transactions and boycott actions. BIS requires people and entities to keep those records for five years “to preserve potential evidence for investigations.” Comments on the information collection are due June 5.
The U.S. should be preparing a strategy to make sure it leads in the next generation of advanced semiconductor technologies, said Romesh Wadhwani, founder of investment firm Symphony Technology Group. Wadhwani also said the funding included in the Chips Act is a good start, but likely won’t be enough to remain ahead of China and shield U.S. supply chains from geopolitical risks.
The Bureau of Industry and Security last week extended by 30 days its public comment periods for two recent information collections. One information collection involves BIS foreign availability procedures and determinations (see 2211210033); the other is related to the report of requests for restrictive trade practices or boycotts (see 2211210031).
The Bureau of Industry and Security this week extended its public comment periods for two recent information collections. BIS initially requested comments on each in November and is now extending the comment periods for 30 days. One information collection involves the procedure for entities on the Unverified List or Entity List to request removal or “modification” of their placement on either list (see 2211230010), and the other is related to voluntary disclosures for violations of the Export Administration Regulations (see 2211170010).