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Economic Sanctions

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OCCRP: Belgium freezes $270B under Russian sanctions, stranding billions in unsanctioned investors’ assets amid escalating legal battles

Belgium has locked €258B ($270B) in frozen funds under EU sanctions on Russia, but a vast majority belongs to unsanctioned investors, fueling legal challenges. JPMorgan’s failed attempt to unfreeze $2.4B highlights the growing crisis, as Belgium’s Treasury struggles with over 800 unresolved cases. With Euroclear at the center of the controversy, uncertainty looms over EU efforts to repurpose these funds for Ukraine’s reconstruction, while legal experts warn of potential billion-dollar compensation claims…

UK Govt urges European partners to adopt its pioneering sanctions regime aimed at targeting organised immigration crime gangs and their networks

Foreign Secretary urges international action on one of the defining security threats of our time – irregular migration. Partners pressed to replicate UK’s world-first plans for sanctions targeting people smugglers. £8m additional funding will short-circuit people smugglers’ business model, delivering on the government’s Plan for Change and commitment to protect UK borders…

OFSI updates General licence INT/2024/4423849 to add CN/HS commodity code 2710 1944 under “premium to crude” and its guidance on the UK Maritime Services Ban and Oil Price Cap exception

This price cap exception permits the supply or delivery of Russian oil and oil products by ship, as well as provision of associated services, only where they have been purchased or sold at or below a corresponding set price, or ‘cap’ for that oil or oil product, excluding the UK…

EU Parliament releases a Briefing on EU sanctions against Russia 2025: State of play, perspectives and challenges

The unprecedented nature of the sanctions imposed on Russia, in scale and scope, has created new implementation challenges. Member States and EU institutions have renewed efforts to improve the enforcement of sanctions and to close loopholes to prevent circumvention, including reinforcing cooperation with third countries…

UK Government announces new sanctions against Russian cybercrime network

The UK government is taking strong action against ZSERVERS, a Russian Bulletproof Hosting (BPH) provider, and its affiliated cybercriminals, marking a significant step in combatting ransomware threats and protecting national security.

SRA Guidance on Trade Sanctions for Legal Sector, sets out key risks including impact on legal work such as Client due diligence and risk assessment

Areas of legal work that could be affected by trade sanctions include: Legal advisory services – Providing advice on corporate structures, contracts, or transactions that could involve sanctioned entities or jurisdictions; Trust and company services – Setting up companies, trusts, or other legal structures that may be used to evade trade sanctions; Client due diligence and risk assessment – Ensuring firms conduct proper checks when dealing with high-risk clients or transactions…

 

OFAC, UK FCDO, and Australia’s DFAT jointly sanction Russia-based Zservers, a bulletproof hosting provider, for facilitating LockBit ransomware attacks and cybercrime

Under the sanctions, all assets of the blocked individuals and entities within US jurisdiction are frozen and must be reported to OFAC. US persons are prohibited from engaging in transactions with the designated parties or their assets with violators potentially facing civil or criminal penalties. Financial institutions that conduct transactions with these entities could also face sanctions or enforcement actions. This move underscores the ongoing…

OFAC announces the termination of sanctions against Israeli settlers involved in violence against Palestinians on the West Bank

The U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has removed the West Bank-Related Sanctions program from its website and deleted all persons designated under E.O. 14115 from the Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List (SDN List)…

White House announces sanctions against the International Criminal Court, ordering asset freezes and travel bans against ICC officials

President Trump declares a national emergency in response to the International Criminal Court (ICC) asserting jurisdiction over U.S. and Israeli personnel without consent. The order argues that the ICC’s actions against threaten U.S. sovereignty and national security by exposing American and allied officials to potential prosecution…

US DoT sanctions an international network for facilitating the shipment of millions of barrels of Iranian crude oil worth hundreds of millions of dollars to China

The US Department of the Treasury’s OFAC has sanctioned an international network involved in shipping millions of barrels of Iranian crude oil to China, on behalf of Iran’s Armed Forces General Staff and its front company, Sepehr Energy. The sanctions target entities and individuals across China, India and the UAE including vessels like the SIRI to block Iran’s oil revenue used to fund its nuclear and missile programs and support terrorist groups…

Jersey FSC updates its financial sanctions practical guidance following OFSI’s removal of Nikolay Ivanovich Bortsov from the UK Russia sanctions list

The JFSC supervises regulated persons to ensure that their sanctions systems and controls are: adequate and effective at addressing sanctions risk; and appropriate to respond swiftly to changes in UN and UK sanctions regimes…

 

 

EP condemns the upcoming fraudulent presidential election in Belarus and calls for an expansion of EU sanctions against Belarusian authorities

In light of over 1,200 political prisoners in Belarus, MEPs urged the EU to ramp up sanctions and continue investigating human rights violations. They also condemned Lukashenka’s complicity in supporting Russia’s war against Ukraine and called for expanded international sanctions targeting those responsible for both the repression in Belarus and the country’s involvement in the conflict…

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