Latvia citizen Oleg Chistyakov appeared in a U.S. court Aug. 21 after being extradited from Latvia to face charges that he violated U.S. export controls by shipping "sophisticated avionics equipment" to Russian companies, DOJ announced.
Comoros officially joined the World Trade Organization on Aug. 21, becoming the 165th member of the trade body after 17 years of accession talks, the WTO announced. Twenty-two other nations are negotiating their WTO access, including eight other African countries. Comoros also accepted the fisheries subsidies agreement, bringing the total number of countries that have accepted the deal to 82.
Venezuela citizen George Semerene Quintero pleaded guilty Aug. 20 to conspiring to evade U.S. sanctions on Petroleos de Venezuela (PdVSA), the Venezuelan state-owned oil company where he worked, DOJ announced.
The European Commission is cutting planned countervailing duties on Tesla vehicles imported from China by more than 10% and slightly lowering CVD on other EVs made by Chinese companies, it announced in draft definitive findings released Aug. 20.
Nonprofit advocacy group Texans for Israel and four of its members filed suit earlier this month to contest the constitutionality of President Joe Biden's executive order allowing for sanctions against those who undermine "peace, security, and stability in the West Bank" (Texans for Israel v. U.S. Department of the Treasury, N.D. Tex. # 2:24-00167).
The European Council on Aug. 14 removed two people from its Yemen sanctions regime. Ali Abdullah Saleh, former president of Yemen who has died, and his son, Ahmed Ali Abdullah Saleh, former commander of Yemen's Republic Guard, were delisted. The U.N. and the U.K. also recently delisted them (see 2408020018).
The U.K. added 20 frequently asked questions on Aug. 15 pertaining to its Russia sanctions regime, the Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation announced. The questions cover a range of topics including securities restrictions, payment systems and financial services. The FAQs also cover the process for reviews and appeals for civil penalties and reporting requirements, which OFSI said requires individuals to report personal financial circumstances changes to OFSI "as soon as practicable." This requirement comes into play when the value of a party's economic resources changes by over 10,000 British pounds.
Chinese semiconductor equipment maker Advanced Micro-Fabrication Equipment (AMEC) sued the Pentagon last week for wrongly designating the firm as a Chinese military company. AMEC claimed that its designation violates the Administrative Procedure Act, the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021 and the U.S. Constitution (Advanced Micro-Fabrication Equipment v. United States, D.D.C. # 24-02357).
U.S.-Iranian national Jeffrey Nader was charged Aug. 14 with conspiring to illegally export U.S.-made aircraft parts, including components used in military aircraft, to Iran, DOJ announced.
Switzerland on Aug. 13 added 27 people to its Belarus sanctions regime and amended the listing of one person, the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs announced. The sanctions additions include various Belarusian law enforcement officials responsible for cracking down on activists and protesters. The revised listing is for prosecutor Padkavyrava Iryna Vladimirovna, who was formerly sanctioned under the name Padkavyrava Iryna Uladzimirauna.