The U.K. this week renewed its Russia sanctions license that authorizes certain payments to charities linked to sanctioned parties. The license authorizes transactions by interim managers or trustees appointed by the Charity Commission for England and Wales. Under the license, which now runs through May 30, 2028, interim managers or trustees may authorize payments for the basic needs of the charity, to disperse charitable funds and to "wind up" the charity. The license was scheduled to expire May 30.
The EU issued a new set of sanctions this week for people and entities with ties to chemical weapons, human rights abuses and Russian "hybrid threats." The additions were announced concurrently with the bloc's 17th sanctions package on Russia (see 2505200057).
The Trump administration has assembled a team to implement President Donald Trump’s recent order to remove sanctions on Syria, State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said May 22.
The EU is lifting its remaining sanctions against Syria, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said this week.
The Office of Foreign Assets Control this week sanctioned Miguel Angel de Anda Ledezma and Ricardo Gonzalez Sauceda, two senior members of the Mexico-based Cartel del Noreste, formerly known as Los Zetas, for their roles in trafficking firearms and violence. OFAC said de Anda oversees payments to “facilitators” and straw purchasers in the U.S., who make “false representations” to buy firearms from American businesses. Gonzalez led an armed enforcement wing of the cartel that has carried out attacks on the Mexican police and military, OFAC said. Mexican authorities arrested Gonzalez in February.
The Office of Foreign Assets Control this week deleted multiple Venezuela-related entries from its Specially Designated Nationals List, including Alejandro Antonio Fleming Cabrera and Leonardo Gonzalez. Fleming Cabrera was sanctioned in 2017 for being a senior Venezuelan Ministry of Foreign Affairs official, and Gonzalez was sanctioned in 2019 for his ties to corruption in Venezuela. The agency didn't release more information about the delistings.
The U.K. released two sanctions licenses on May 20 permitting parties to wind down their financial positions involving St. Petersburg Currency Exchange and non-bank credit organization Joint-Stock Company Petersburg Settlement Center and to pay insurance premiums to the State Corporation Deposit Insurance Agency. The St. Petersburg Currency Exchange license permits any party to wind down from transactions involving the exchange or the Joint-Stock Company Petersburg Settlement Center and expires on June 19, 2025. The State Corporation Deposit Insurance Agency license runs indefinitely but requires parties making such premium payments to keep accurate records of any activity taken under the license for a minimum of six years.
The U.K. on May 20 added 82 entries to its Russia sanctions regime and seven entries to its global human rights sanctions list. The additions to the Russia sanctions list include 20 individuals and 62 entities and cover dozens of financial services companies and their executives, along with Chinese entities Electronic Scientific Engineering, Innopolis, Shanghai New Chess Co. and Shanghai New Chess Int'l Logistics Co.
The Office of Foreign Assets Control is authorizing certain transactions related to the M.V. Tinos I, a vessel owned by sanctioned Iranian national and liquified petroleum gas magnate Seyed Asadoollah Emamjomeh (see 2504220032), while it's in the U.S.
The U.S. and Switzerland agreed this month to better share sanctions enforcement information, according to a memorandum of understanding released last week. The memorandum, signed by the Office of Foreign Assets Control and the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs, said they "express their intention to share information related to the monitoring, enforcement, and promotion of compliance with sanctions measures in force on both sides."