All Syria articles
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In-depth reportInside a Dark Pact: A timeline of events
Amid Syria’s descent into civil war, Lafarge’s quest to keep its $680 million cement plant running led to secret deals with terrorists—and ultimately, a historic U.S. Department of Justice prosecution for aiding ISIS.
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In-depth reportInside a Dark Pact: Danger of their own making and a critical series of missteps
Paris-based cement maker Lafarge thought it was saving a plant—instead, it built a pipeline to the Islamic State of Syria.
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In-depth reportInside a Dark Pact: Background and evolution of a scheme
Middlemen were used and invoices were falsified, but the trail remained. French cement maker Lafarge’s Syrian cement plant began as a business in a war zone, but it soon spiraled into a revenue-sharing agreement with ISIS that led to historic charges of financing terrorism.
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In-depth reportInside a Dark Pact: Lafarge’s terrorist funding and compliance fallout in Syria
Compliance Week’s latest case study investigates French cement maker Lafargeʼs collapse into criminal conduct detailing how sidelining ethics and compliance can lead companies into dangerous territory. What began as “local concessions” ended in funding terrorism—and a historic legal and reputational disaster.
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WebcastNov 4 | Corporate Compliance in Conflict Zones
What happens when business survival and corporate ambition collide with conflict and compliance obligations? This webcast takes a closer look at Compliance Week’s new case study, Inside a Dark Pact: A Case Study of Lafarge’s Terrorist Funding and Compliance Fallout in Syria.
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News BriefVenture capital firm self-reports sanctions violations of M&A target to DOJ, receives declination
After self-reporting that a recently purchased subsidiary broke U.S. sanctions and export control laws, a Texas-based venture capital fund will receive no penalty from the U.S. Department of Justice.
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News BriefDaVinci Payments to pay $206K over OFAC sanctions lapses
DaVinci Payments, a financial services firm which manages prepaid reward card programs, agreed to pay approximately $206,000 as part of a settlement with the Office of Foreign Assets Control addressing alleged sanctions violations across four countries.
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News BriefCrypto exchange Poloniex to pay $7.6M in OFAC sanctions case
Cryptocurrency exchange Poloniex agreed to pay nearly $7.6 million as part of a settlement with the Office of Foreign Assets Control for engaging with more than 200 customers across a handful of sanctioned regions.
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News BriefMicrosoft to pay $3.3M to settle sanctions, export control violations
Microsoft will pay more than $3.3 million to settle charges from the Office of Foreign Assets Control and Bureau of Industry and Security its subsidiaries violated sanctions laws and export controls across their dealings in four sanctioned countries and Ukraine’s Crimea region.
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News BriefWells Fargo fined $98M for facilitating sanctions violations in Iran, Syria, Sudan
Wells Fargo will pay nearly $98 million to settle charges a subsidiary facilitated more than $532 million worth of prohibited transactions in violation of sanctions against Iran, Syria, and Sudan.
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News BriefDanfoss 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.
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ArticleLafarge to pay $778M for supporting terrorist groups ISIS, ANF in Syria
French multinational building products company Lafarge pleaded guilty to providing material support and resources to two U.S.-designated foreign terrorist groups in Syria, representing the Department of Justice’s first corporate material support for terrorism prosecution.
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ArticleBittrex to pay $29M for BSA violations in landmark FinCEN, OFAC case
Virtual currency trading platform Bittrex agreed to pay more than $29 million for violations of the Bank Secrecy Act and other foreign asset restrictions by regularly allowing transactions with customers in Iran, Syria, and other U.S.-sanctioned nations.
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ArticleTango Card to pay $116K for e-gift card sanction violations
Tango Card, a supplier and distributor of electronic rewards, agreed to pay approximately $116,000 as part of a settlement with the Office of Foreign Assets Control for apparent sanctions violations related to its issuance of e-gift cards.
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ArticleCredit Agricole to pay $1.1M to settle sanctions violations by 2 subsidiaries
Paris-based Crédit Agricole Corporate and Investment Bank will pay a total of approximately $1.1 million to settle charges its subsidiaries violated U.S. sanctions in five sanctioned countries.
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ArticleCourt rules Lafarge to face crimes against humanity charges
A French court ruled Lafarge should face charges of complicity in crimes against humanity after its subsidiary allegedly paid up to €13 million (U.S. $14 million) to armed groups—including the Islamic State—to keep its Syrian cement factory running between 2012-14.
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ArticleToll Holdings to pay $6.1M for widespread sanctions violations
Toll Holdings, an international freight forwarding and logistics company, has agreed to remit more than $6.1 million as part of a settlement with the Office of Foreign Assets Control resolving nearly 3,000 apparent violations of Iran, North Korea, and Syria sanctions.
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ArticleOFAC fines Payoneer $1.4M for sanctions violations
Money transfer services company Payoneer will pay $1.4 million to resolve 2,260 apparent violations of U.S. sanctions in a settlement with the Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control.
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ArticleMoneyGram plagued by tech, human error in OFAC sanctions settlement
The Office of Foreign Assets Control announced a $34,329 settlement with MoneyGram Payment Systems for apparent violations of multiple sanctions programs, including the processing of transactions involving Syria.
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ArticleOFAC Director Andrea Gacki dishes advice on mitigating sanctions risk
OFAC Director Andrea Gacki shares insights about her organization’s latest sanctions enforcement priorities, its expectations of sanctions compliance programs, and how to mitigate sanctions risk.