Raj Parekh, a DOJ lawyer who was named the Bureau of Industry and Security’s first chief of corporate enforcement in September (see 2409120007), is leaving BIS next week to join the law firm Sparacino, he announced on LinkedIn. Parekh said his departure from government is “entirely unrelated to current events,” adding that his one-year detail as the BIS corporate enforcement chief “would have continued if it were not for this unique opportunity in the private sector.”
Kevin Kurland, the Bureau of Industry and Security's most senior career export enforcement official, has been tapped to replace longtime BIS official Matt Borman in overseeing the agency’s export administration efforts, three people familiar with the matter said. BIS updated its website Feb. 27 to reflect the change.
The Financial Action Task Force recently updated its list of jurisdictions with “deficiencies” in combating terrorism financing, weapons proliferation and other sanctions-related issues, the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network said Feb. 26. The FATF added Laos and Nepal to its list of "Jurisdictions Under Increased Monitoring" and removed the Philippines from it. The FATF’s list of "High-Risk Jurisdictions Subject to a Call for Action" remains the same and still lists Iran, North Korea and Myanmar.
Thailand on Feb. 27 returned to China at least 40 Uyghurs that had been detained in Thailand for years, despite calls from the U.S. officials not to do so and threats of possible sanctions by lawmakers.
Instead of prematurely lifting sanctions against Russia, the U.S. should look to close sanctions loopholes, double down on enforcement and continue coordinating the restrictions with allies, Charles Lichfield, deputy director of the Atlantic Council’s GeoEconomics Center, said in an analysis published by the think tank this week.
Microsoft this week urged the Trump administration to rethink portions of a Biden-era rule that placed global export controls on certain shipments of advanced artificial intelligence chips, saying the rule will have unintended negative consequences on the American technology industry.
Jeffrey Kessler, President Donald Trump’s choice to lead the Bureau of Industry and Security (see 2502040059), said at his Senate nomination hearing Feb. 27 that he has reservations about the agency’s latest export controls on advanced artificial intelligence chips and wants to scrutinize them. He also testified that he plans to examine whether BIS needs more resources and a reorganization.
China used forced labor from North Korean nationals on its tuna fishing vessels, advocacy group Environmental Justice Foundation said in a report published Feb. 23. EJF found evidence that North Koreans worked on 12 Chinese vessels and were subject to "physical abuse, verbal abuse and excessive overtime."
The U.S. will have to consider "all available measures, including sanctions," if Thailand moves ahead with plans to forcibly deport 48 Uyghur refugees to China, the leaders of the House Select Committee on China said in a joint statement Feb. 26.
The U.K. removed one entry from its Russia sanctions list on Feb. 26, the Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation said in a notice. Francois Mauron, a Swiss national, was removed after originally being sanctioned for working as a director for an entity conducting business in the Russian energy sector.