Export Compliance Daily is providing readers with the top stories for Jan. 4-8 in case you missed them. You can find any article by searching on the title or by clicking on the hyperlinked reference number.
The Office of Foreign Assets Control sanctioned seven people and four entities involved in a Russia-linked influence network aimed at influencing U.S. elections, OFAC said Jan. 11. The designations target former Ukrainian government officials Konstantin Kulyk, Oleksandr Onyshchenko, Andriy Telizhenko and current Ukraine Parliament member Oleksandr Dubinsky. OFAC also sanctioned NabuLeaks and Era-Media TOV, media companies in Ukraine that “push false narratives,” and Petro Zhuravel, who owns designated media disinformation companies Only News and Skeptik TOV. Also designated were Dmytro Kovalchuk and Anton Simonenko, who work closely with Andrii Derkach, a sanctioned Russian agent. Senate Finance Committee ranking member Ron Wyden, D-Ore., released a statement on the move, saying: “The decision to impose sanctions on Andriy Telizhenko for his role in these efforts is welcome and long overdue. By imposing sanctions on Telizhenko, the Trump administration confirms that Senate Republicans’ year-long investigation was based on Russian disinformation. In fact, Chairmen [Ron] Johnson [of Wisconsin, who chairs the Homeland Security Committee] and [Chuck] Grassley [of Iowa, the Finance Committee] cited Mr. Telizhenko 42 times in the letters sent as part of this investigation, and ignored repeated warnings to not give credibility to disinformation.”
The Office of Foreign Assets Control on Jan. 8 updated its list of Chinese military companies and sanctioned an Iraqi official for human rights abuses. OFAC designated Falih al-Fayyadh, a former national security adviser who serves as the Iraqi Popular Mobilization Committee chairman. OFAC said al-Fayyadh headed the PMC when its “subcomponents” fired live ammunition at peaceful protesters in 2019.
The Office of Foreign Assets Control on Jan. 6 issued a frequently asked question to provide guidance on President Donald Trump’s November executive order to ban U.S. investment in Chinese military companies (see 2011130026). OFAC said market intermediaries and others may “engage in ancillary or intermediary activities that are necessary to effect divestiture during the relevant wind-down periods” with publicly traded securities of Chinese military companies. The agency clarified that transactions by U.S. people and investors involving investment funds “seeking to divest during the relevant wind-down periods to ensure compliance” with Trump’s order are allowed.
A Microsoft subsidiary said it received a U.S. sanctions license to provide its services to software developers in Iran. GitHub, which provides hosting for software development, said it was able to convince the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Controls that use of GitHub “advances human progress,” international communication and improves free speech, the company said Jan. 5. GitHub called the two-year process with OFAC “lengthy and intensive” and said it is “in the process” of rolling back “all restrictions on developers in Iran, and reinstating full access to affected accounts.” The company said it is also working to secure similar licenses for developers in Crimea and Syria. OFAC didn’t comment.
The Office of Foreign Assets Control Jan. 6 issued two new frequently asked questions related to President Donald Trump’s November executive order to ban U.S. investment in Chinese military companies (see 2011130026). In FAQ 863, OFAC said U.S. people can “custody, offer for sale, serve as a transfer agent and trade” in securities covered by the order “to the extent that such support services are not provided to U.S. persons in connection” with certain “prohibited transactions.” Those transactions include “clearing, execution, settlement, custody, transfer agency, back-end services, as well as other such support services,” OFAC said.
The Office of Foreign Assets Control Jan. 5 issued two new frequently asked questions and amended two other FAQs to clarify sanctions against Russia under the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act. The FAQs cover OFAC’s non-blocking menu-based sanctions, certain definitions and other sanctions clarifications.
The Office of Foreign Assets Control accepted a settlement from a French bank of than $8.5 million for apparent violations U.S. sanctions against Syria, OFAC said in a Jan. 4 notice. Union de Banques Arabes et Françaises (UBAF) operated U.S. dollar accounts for Syrian financial institutions and “indirectly conducted USD business” for those accounts on behalf of the institutions through the U.S. financial system, OFAC said. UBAF agreed to remit $8,572,500 to settle its potential civil liability for 127 “apparent violations.”
The Office of Foreign Assets Control Dec. 31 released its annual terrorist assets report for 2019. The report includes an overview of OFAC terrorism sanctions, their impact, enforcement measures and a summary of blocked assets.
The Office of Foreign Assets Control Jan. 4 issued a revised general license that continues to authorize certain transactions (see 1908060048) with Venezuela's “Interim President” Juan Guaido, his staff and others operating under his government. OFAC also amended frequently asked question 679, which outlines the people and entities covered by general license No. 31A.