The Office of Foreign Assets Control designated five current or former Bulgarian government officials for "extensive involvement in corruption" in Bulgaria, according to a Feb. 10 press release. OFAC also sanctioned five entities controlled by two of the targeted officials in an action that OFAC said builds on the office's 2021 designations of six Bulgarians and 64 entities (see 2106020026).

The Office of Foreign Assets Control last week issued Syria-related General License 23, which authorizes through 12:01 p.m. EDT Aug. 8 all transactions related to earthquake relief efforts in Syria that would otherwise be prohibited by the Syrian Sanctions Regulations, 31 CFR part 542 (SySR). The license does not authorize importation of petroleum or petroleum products of Syrian origin into the U.S. or any transactions involving any person blocked pursuant to the SySR, other than the Syrian government. U.S. sanctions programs do not target legitimate humanitarian assistance, OFAC said.

Despite reports Russia has found ways to evade sanctions and export controls, those trade restrictions are working, experts said during a Feb. 8 panel discussion hosted by the Atlantic Council. At least one official said the sanctions will need continual tuning to remain effective.

The Office of Foreign Assets Control designated nine entities related to the production, sale and shipment of Iranian petrochemicals and petroleum to Asian buyers, including in China, according to a Feb. 9 news release.

The Office of Foreign Assets Control designated two MS-13 leaders in Central America for actions related to drug trafficking and contract killing, according to a Feb. 8 news release.

The Office of Foreign Assets Control this week published a new Russia-related frequently asked question providing guidance on Russian securities transferring through inheritance. FAQ 1113 explains that investment prohibitions under executive orders 14066, 14068 and 14071 don't prevent securities issued by non-blocked Russian entities from transferring to their beneficiaries as long as those transfers are "part of the ordinary course administration of the decedent’s estate," don't "involve an exchange for value," and "have no other sanctions nexus." Blocked securities in an estate, however, remain blocked and require a specific license from OFAC to transfer.

Vladimir Voronchenko, a Russian citizen and legal permanent resident of the U.S., was charged with participating in a scheme to net over $4 million to maintain four properties in the U.S. owned by sanctioned oligarch Viktor Vekselberg, DOJ announced. Voronchenko also tried to sell two of the properties.

The Office of Foreign Assets Control updated its Russian price cap guidance last week to include information on the recently imposed cap on Russian petroleum products. The measure -- which took effect 12:01 a.m. EST on Feb. 5 -- sets a $45 per barrel cap for petroleum products that trade at a discount to crude, such as naphtha and waste oils, and a $100 per barrel cap on products that trade at a premium to crude, such as motor fuel.

DOJ’s new corporate enforcement policies substantially increase compliance incentives and may lead to more voluntary self-disclosures, law firms said. But they also said much of the new policy will depend on how DOJ implements the changes, and it remains unclear how much of a downstream impact the revisions will have on export control and sanctions cases handled by other agencies.

The Office of Foreign Assets Control last week revised the entry for one person on its Specially Designated Nationals List who was sanctioned for counter-terrorism reasons. The change updates identifying information for Ali Reza Tangsiri, an Iranian national linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and subject to secondary sanctions (see 1906240046).