On May 28, 2024, the US Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (“OFAC”) amended the Cuban Assets Control Regulations (“CACR”) and issued new and updated frequently asked questions (“FAQs”) to further implement a policy originally announced by the Biden Administration on May 16, 2022 to increase support for the Cuban people and private sector entrepreneurs. The CACR has been revised as follows: OFAC has also issued six new CACR FAQs (1174–1179) and amended eight…
On April 18, 2024, the US Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (“OFAC”) and the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (“FCDO”) announced a coordinated sanctions package targeting Iran. In the US, OFAC added 16 individuals and 10 entities to the Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List (“SDN List”) and the US Commerce Department’s Bureau of Industry and Security (“BIS”) also expanded the scope of Foreign Direct Product (“FDP”) rules for foreign-produced items…
In an era where regulatory compliance is under intense scrutiny, the importance of a well-orchestrated response to trade and sanctions investigations cannot be overstated. An investigation may involve transactions occurring in multiple jurisdictions, laws of separate jurisdictions, and inquiries from (or disclosures to) multiple governmental authorities. Investigations may begin through an internal whistleblower or other internal discovery, which grants the company more discretion in directing the tempo and scope of the investigation. In other instances,…
On March 7, 2024, the US Department of Justice (“DOJ”) National Security Division (“NSD”) published a revised Enforcement Policy for Business Organizations (“Enforcement Policy”). The Enforcement Policy was first issued by the NSD on December 13, 2019 and subsequently updated March 1, 2023. Our blog post discussing the original policy is here. In these latest updates NSD has not altered the core components of the Enforcement Policy, which provides that when a company (1) voluntary…