The Bureau of Industry and Security, Office of Foreign Assets Control, and Department of Justice issued guidance to highlight common methods bad actors use to evade sanctions and export controls on Russia and how to spot their use.
Sanctions
Posted inRegulatory Enforcement
Godfrey Phillips India to pay $333K in North Korea sanctions case
Tobacco company Godfrey Phillips India agreed to pay $332,500 to the Office of Foreign Assets Control to settle charges it violated U.S. sanctions by involving U.S. banks and bank personnel in payments for shipments to North Korea.
Posted inRegulatory Enforcement
OFAC imposes new sanctions to mark anniversary of Russia’s Ukraine invasion
The Office of Foreign Assets Control unveiled a slew of new sanctions against financial services firms and individuals that either support Russia’s war effort or have been judged to be undermining existing U.S. sanctions.
Posted inRegulatory Enforcement
Treasury No. 2 warns of increased Russian sanctions enforcement
Deputy Secretary of the Treasury Wally Adeyemo said the agency is primed to step up its enforcement efforts regarding sanctions and export controls announced against Russia in the year since the country invaded Ukraine.
Posted inEurope
Raiffeisen confirms OFAC probe into Russia, Ukraine business
Raiffeisen Bank International said it received a request for information from the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control regarding its business activities related to Russia and Ukraine.
Posted inEthics & Culture
Ethical culture strengthened by 2022 challenges, survey finds
LRN’s annual ethics and compliance benchmarking report found most respondents—85 percent—said their company’s ethical culture has been strengthened, not weakened, in facing the Covid-19 pandemic, Russia’s war in Ukraine, supply chain disruptions, and more.
Posted inRegulatory Enforcement
Banks fooled in DOJ Russian yacht sanctions evasion case
The Department of Justice’s charges against a U.K. businessman and his Russian partner for evading U.S. sanctions against a Russian oligarch provide insight into how the use of shell companies, third parties, and other methods can thwart the compliance efforts of financial institutions.
Posted inRegulatory Enforcement
Crypto exchange Bitzlato shut down, labeled ‘money laundering concern’
The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network designated Bitzlato, a Hong Kong-registered cryptocurrency exchange, as a “primary money laundering concern” in the first use of a law that targets entities that facilitate illicit Russian financial transactions.
Posted inEurope
Danfoss to pay $4.4M in OFAC sanctions settlement
Danish manufacturer Danfoss agreed to pay nearly $4.4 million to settle allegations a subsidiary violated U.S. sanctions by running payments from customers based in Iran, Sudan, and Syria through the foreign branch of a U.S. financial institution.
Posted inRisk Management
FinCEN report identifies financial trends of Russian oligarchs
The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network published an analysis of financial trends involving Russian oligarchs and how U.S. financial institutions have aided in the identification of more than $30 billion worth of sanctioned Russians’ assets.
