Lithuanian authorities submitted evidence against nine Lithuanian companies showing the businesses violated EU sanctions by declaring that Russian and Belarusian imports of plywood, pellets and other timber products were from Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan, the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project recently reported. The evidence resulted from an OCCRP investigation concluded in December 2022, which led to a separate investigation from the Lithuanian State Consumer Rights Protection Authority. OCCRP expects that the number of companies accused of evading sanctions will increase since many of them are "evading SCRPA's request to provide information about their activities."
The Office of Foreign Assets Control published previously issued general licenses, a sectoral determination and a directive under its Russian Harmful Foreign Activities Sanctions Regulations. Each notice includes the full text of the licenses, determination and directive.
The U.K. added one name to its Somalia sanctions list and amended two others under its Russia sanctions regime, the Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation said. OFSI added Abdullahi Osman Mohamed Caddow to its Somalia list and revised the listings for Russian businessmen Vladimir Nikolaevich Lepin and Dmitry Vladimirovich Konov.
The U.K.'s Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation published a blog post with guidance on how to navigate its trust services sanctions (see 2303220021), covering where the sanctions apply, key exceptions, OFSI's enforcement powers and licensing. Under the key exceptions guidance, OFSI said sanctions do not apply for acts "for the purposes of complying with the prohibitions and obligations of an asset freeze," and for trust services "provided in respect of registered pension schemes, where these services are not provided primarily to, or for the benefit of, a designated person" or persons connected with Russia.
Canada this week sanctioned seven people and one entity in Moldova for acting as “Russian collaborators,” including Moldovan oligarchs, business people, parliamentarians and politicians. Also designated was the Shor Party, a political party “closely connected” to Ilan Mironovich Shor -- who is also being sanctioned -- and which works to “destabilize Moldova’s democratically elected government in favour of Russia.” The designations follow similar sanctions by the EU (see 2305310036).
The EU added seven people to two different sanctions regimes for their role in threatening the sovereignty of Ukraine, the European Council announced.The designated parties are "politicians and businessmen with Moldovan or Russian nationality that have engaged in destabilising activities," the council said. Some are tied to a "Bank Fraud" case that led to "huge losses" for the Moldovan state, while others were listed for their role in the Russian plot to destabilize Moldova through the planning of "violent demonstrations, financial misconduct, unauthorised export of capital and support for the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) projects," the council said.
The EU-U.S. Trade and Technology Council agreed on export control and investment screening concepts, but no specific policies were arrived at during the fourth meeting of the group that ended May 31 in Sweden.
The Office of Foreign Assets Control issued a new Russia-related general license this week that authorizes certain transactions involving Hungary-based International Investment Bank, which was sanctioned in April for being a Russia-controlled financial institution (see 2304120039). New GL 69 authorizes certain transactions “necessary to the processing of interest or principal payments on debt securities issued” by the bank before April 12, 2023. Those transactions are authorized through 12:01 a.m. EDT on June 30 as long as the interest or principal payments are not made to people located in Russia and that any payments to a sanctioned person are made into a blocked account in accordance with the Russian Harmful Foreign Activities Sanctions Regulations. Certain other conditions apply.
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Japan last week announced new sanctions and export controls against Russia for its invasion of Ukraine, designating more than 80 people and entities and introducing new restrictions on certain exports and services to Russia. The financial sanctions apply to parties “directly involved” in Russia’s actions in Crimea, Sevastopol and other regions of Ukraine, Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said, and the export controls apply to 80 sanctioned entities and items that could “contribute to the enhancement of Russian industrial capacities.” Japan also imposed a prohibition on providing architectural and engineering services to Russia.