The Office of Foreign Assets Control this week sanctioned Alberto Pimentel Mata, Guatemala’s former energy and mining minister, for exploiting the country’s mining sector through “widespread bribery schemes” involving government contracts and mining licenses. OFAC said he reportedly accepted “large” monthly payments in exchange for certain permits, took bribes in exchange for accepting contracting bids, retaliated against companies that didn’t bribe him and more. The agency said Pimentel resigned from the government in July last year.
The Office of Foreign Assets Control Jan. 16 again extended a general license that continues to delay an exemption that would authorize certain transactions related to Petroleos de Venezuela, S.A. General License 5N, which replaced GL 5M, now authorizes certain transactions with PdVSA involving an 8.5% bond on or after April 16. The previous license was set to allow those transactions to occur on or after Jan. 18.
The U.N. Security Council and the U.K. last week amended 14 entries under their ISIL (Da'Esh) and al-Qaida sanctions regimes. The changes affect the listings for 12 people and two entities, including to reflect that some are reportedly deceased. All entries remain subject to an asset freeze.
The Office of Foreign Assets Control last week removed sanctions for 9H-OKO, an aircraft that it had sanctioned in 2022 for being owned by Emperor Aviation, a Malta- and Russia-based aircraft management company. The agency didn’t provide more information about the removal.
A new set of U.S. sanctions last week targeted one person and three entities involved in transferring and testing missiles shipped between North Korea and Russia, the State Department said.
Turkish trading company Cncform Group is selling computer numerical control machines to Russian importers with ties to sanctioned Russian aviation companies and military end users, according to compliance risk advisory firm Kharon.
The Office of Foreign Assets Control last week sanctioned two companies, in Hong Kong and the United Arab Emirates, along with their vessels, for shipping Iranian goods on behalf of a financial facilitation network for the Houthi rebels.
The Office of Foreign Assets Control this week sanctioned one person, two entities and three aircraft with ties to Russia, according to a Jan. 11 update to its Specially Designated Nationals List. The designations target Vladimir Vladimirovich Mikheychik, Ashuluk Firing Range, and Vladimirovka Advanced Weapons and Research Complex. OFAC also sanctioned aircraft with tail numbers RF-78757, RF-82011 and RF-86898.
A nonprofit is asking the Treasury Department to sanction seven Chinese companies after its reporting revealed their alleged ties to forced labor in China’s seafood industry (see 2310100030). The Outlaw Ocean Project, a Washington-based investigative journalism non-profit, said it submitted a petition to Treasury calling for human rights sanctions under the Global Magnitsky Act against the seven companies and their affiliates, who are “complicit in serious human rights abuses” against Xinjiang workers.
The U.N. Security Council last week amended several existing sanctions entries that were designated for their links to terrorism or North Korea. The changes revise identifying information for five people and two entities designated under the ISIL (Da’esh) and al-Qaida Sanctions List and two entities with ties to North Korea’s nuclear and missile programs.