A Hallandale, Florida, resident was charged on July 2 with smuggling controlled goods into Russia from the U.S. Kirill Gordei, president of Florida-based freight forwarding company Apelsin Logistics, faces three counts -- conspiracy to commit offenses against the U.S., smuggling goods from the U.S. and exporting a spectrometer, a controlled item, unlawfully -- DOJ announced. A Belarus citizen and U.S. permanent resident, Gordei faces maximums of five, 10 and 20 years in prison for the charges, respectively.
Kazakhstan formally accepted the World Trade Organization Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies July 1, bringing to 78 the number of countries that have accepted the deal. The WTO requires 32 more to reach the two-thirds threshold needed for the agreement to be able to enter into force.
Germany on June 28 arrested four people, searched 23 residential and commercial buildings and seized various cash and assets pertaining to the illegal sale and export of passenger cars to Russia in violation of EU sanctions, according to an unofficial translation of a press release from the country's customs agency. The customs authorities seized over $14.5 million worth of euros, "extensive business documents" and five vehicles. The four arrested individuals are accused of exporting over 170 luxury vehicles to Russia since the end of 2022.
The U.K. issued a general license July 1 authorizing sanctioned parties to make certain payments "owed or due" to "His Majesty's Revenue & Customs; the Welsh Revenue Authority; and Revenue Scotland." The license also allows individuals acting on behalf of sanctioned parties to make these payments. Payment details must be reported to the Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation within 10 working days of the payment being made. The license took effect July 1 and runs indefinitely.
The EU on June 29 expanded its sanctions on Belarus for its role in Russia's war in Ukraine to better align it with the restrictions imposed on Russia and address sanctions evasion issues, including by requiring companies to insert a “no-Belarus clause” in their contracts.
The EU General Court in a pair of decisions on June 26 annulled the sanctions listings of Russian businessman Dmitry Alexandrovich Pumpyanskiy and his wife, Galina Evgenyevna Pumpyanskaya. Pumpyanskiy was listed for supporting the Russian government and acting as a "leading businessperson operating in Russia" providing a "substantial source of revenue to the Government of Russia." He formerly served as chairman of Pipe Metalurgic Company (TMK) and president of investment firm Group Sinara, while his wife was listed solely for her link to the businessman. The court said the European Council can't rely on those listing criteria to maintain Pumpyanskiy's sanctions designation given that he no longer holds those positions at TMK or Group Sinara. Pumpyanskaya was removed because the sole basis of her designation was severed following her husband's successful appeal.
The free trade agreement between China and Serbia will take effect July 1, China's Ministry of Commerce announced, according to an unofficial translation. The ministry said the deal will scrap tariffs on 90% of goods, of which over 60% will be eliminated July 1. The deal also includes chapters on "rules of origin, customs procedures and trade facilitation, sanitary and phytosanitary measures, technical barriers to trade, trade remedies, dispute settlement, intellectual property protection, investment cooperation, competition, etc.," the ministry said.
DOJ struck a deal with Malaysian businessman Low Taek Jho, members of his family and trust entities he established to settle two civil forfeiture cases stemming from the 1Malaysia Development Berhad international embezzlement scheme, DOJ announced.
PetroChina International America -- a subsidiary of oil and gas giant PetroChina International Co. -- agreed to pay a $14.5 million fine for violating U.S. export laws, the Office of the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Texas announced this week.
The U.K. on June 26 renewed a general license authorizing certain humanitarian activity involving Syria and Turkey. The license, which allows the U.N., its programs and other entities specialized in humanitarian relief to provide relief to people in Syria and Turkey in response to the February 2023 earthquake, was extended through Feb. 14, 2025. The license was first issued in 2023 (see 2302160013) and was scheduled to expire Aug. 14 after being renewed in February (see 2402070010).