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President Trump issues Executive Order delegating sanctions implementation authority; OFAC issues new CAATSA - Russia-related FAQ

Financial Crimes Department of Treasury OFAC CAATSA Russia Executive Order

Financial Crimes

On September 20, President Trump announced the issuance of Executive Order 13849 (E.O. 13849), “Authorizing the Implementation of Certain Sanctions Set Forth in the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA),” pursuant to national emergencies previously declared in Executive Orders 13660, 13694, and 13757. E.O. 13849 grants authority to the Secretary of the Treasury to take certain actions to implement the sanctions against identified persons, including the promulgation of regulations. Among other things, E.O. 13849 prohibits: (i) any U.S. financial institution from making loans or extending credits to sanctioned persons “totaling more than $10,000,000 in any 12-month period, unless the person is engaged in activities to relieve human suffering and the loans or credits are provided for such activities”; (ii) any foreign exchange transactions, subject to U.S. jurisdiction, in which the sanctioned person has any interest; and (iii) transfers of credit or payments between, by, or through financial institutions for the benefit of a sanctioned person subject to U.S. jurisdiction. E.O. 13849 further describes the actions that can be taken to implement the sanctions.

In response to E.O. 13849, the U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control published a new CAATSA - Russia-related FAQ providing additional clarifying information.

Find continuing InfoBytes covered on CAATSA-related sanctions here.