The Office of Foreign Assets Control is seeking comments on the agency’s information collection requirements in its Reporting, Procedures and Penalties Regulations, OFAC said in a notice released April 7. The information collection covers reports required by OFAC that are reviewed by the Department of the Treasury and may be used for compliance, civil penalty and enforcement purposes by the agency. Comments are due June 7.

The Office of Foreign Assets Control on April 7 added four people and two entities to its Specially Designated Nationals List. The designated entries have addresses in Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates, including the Abid Ali Khan Transnational Criminal Organization. OFAC didn’t provide more information on the designations, and an agency spokesperson didn’t comment.

The Office of Foreign Assets Control on April 6 sanctioned three people and two entities for their association with the sanctioned Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generacion (CJNG). The designations target Carlos Andres Rivera Varela and Francisco Javier Gudino Haro, two CJNG members who have helped carry out assassinations for the Mexican drug cartel. OFAC also sanctioned travel agent Alejandro Chacon Miranda, who helps book travel for senior CJNG members, and his company Dale Tours. Also sanctioned was Gudio Haro’s company Agricola Costa Alegre S.P.R. de R.L., an agricultural company.

The Office of Foreign Assets Control mistakenly sanctioned a restaurant owner in Italy, his company and an Italian graphic design company before deleting the designations last week (see 2103310018), Reuters reported April 1. The designations, issued during the final days of the Trump administration (see 2101190017), targeted Alessandro Bazzoni, the owner of a pizzeria in Italy, according to the report. The sanctions were intended to target a different Alessandro Bazzoni, whom the administration said was involved in a sanctions evasions network operating in Venezuela. The Italy-based Bazzoni told Reuters the designations were a “mistake.” OFAC didn’t comment.

The Office of Foreign Assets Control issued guidance April 5 clarifying that it generally won’t pursue sanctions against humanitarian-related transactions or exports to Syria as long as the items wouldn’t normally require an OFAC license. The guidance was issued about a week after the U.S. committed to providing more humanitarian aid to respond to the Syria crisis.

The Office of Foreign Assets Control on April 5 removed three entries from its Specially Designated Nationals List following the U.S.’s decision to rescind its sanctions regime targeting the International Criminal Court. President Joe Biden revoked a Trump-era executive order last week that had authorized the sanctions, which the State Department called “inappropriate and ineffective” (see 2104020046).

The Office of Foreign Assets Control issued a cautionary letter but did not fine Asana, the U.S. company behind a team-management and organization app, Asana said in its March 30 Securities and Exchange Commission filing. Asana said it submitted a voluntary self-disclosure to OFAC after possibly providing services to sanctioned parties and illegally exporting controlled software. OFAC told Asana in February that it wouldn't pursue a civil monetary penalty against the company or “take other enforcement action,” according to the filing. The company also disclosed export violations to the Bureau of Industry and Security, which also issued a warning letter with no fine (see 2012300067).

Venezuela was denied a stay of a more than $234 million arbitration award payment to Luxembourg-based steel pipe and tube supplier Tenaris S.A. since the stay would be redundant due to current restrictions on the payment, a judge for the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia ruled in a March 29 decision. Due to current Office of Foreign Assets Control sanctions on Venezuela, enforcement of the award cannot be completed until Tenaris receives a license from OFAC or until U.S. sanctions on Venezuela are lifted entirely. Judge Carl Nichols found that with the OFAC restrictions, Venezuela is not required to pay until Tenaris receives the agency's permission, so a stay “does nothing to alter the status quo.” The arbitration payment was awarded to Tenaris by the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes for Venezuela's expropriation of Tenaris assets without compensation.

The Office of Foreign Assets Control removed four Venezuela-related entries from its Specially Designated Nationals List, according to a March 31 notice. The agency deleted AMG S.A.S. di Alessandro Bazzoni & C., AMG S.A.S. di Alessandro Bazzoni and C., AMG S.A.S. di Alessandro Bazzoni E C. and Serigraphiclab di Bazzoni Alessandro. OFAC sanctioned the entities in January because they are owned by Alessandro Bazzoni, whom the agency said was involved in a Venezuelan sanctions evasion network (see 2101190017). OFAC didn’t comment.

The State Department will urge the Treasury Department to not renew a Belarus-related general license following the country’s disputed presidential elections last year and its violent crackdown on peaceful protester (see 2012230030), an agency spokesperson said. The general license, which has been renewed by the Office of Foreign Assets Control every year since 2015, authorizes certain transactions with nine Belarusian entities and is scheduled to expire April 26.