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OFAC sanctions Venezuela’s national development bank and subsidiaries connected to Maduro regime

Financial Crimes Of Interest to Non-US Persons Venezuela Sanctions OFAC Department of Treasury

Financial Crimes

On March 22, the U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) announced sanctions against Venezuela’s state-owned national development bank and four subsidiaries located in Venezuela, Uruguay, and Bolivia for allegedly providing financial support to former President Maduro. According to Treasury Secretary Steven T. Mnuchin, “[r]egime insiders have transformed [the bank] and its subsidiaries into vehicles to move funds abroad in an attempt to prop up Maduro.” As a result, all property and interests in property of the sanctioned entities (or of any entities owned 50 percent or more by the bank) that are subject to U.S. jurisdiction are blocked and must be reported to OFAC. U.S. persons are also generally prohibited from entering into transactions with them. 

OFAC concurrently issued five new General Licenses (GL) (see GL 4A, 15, 16, 17, 18), which, among other things, authorize certain transactions involving the sanctioned banks for certain entities, including those necessary to wind down operations or existing contracts. OFAC also published two FAQs to provide additional guidance on the GLs and sanctions.

Furthermore, OFAC also referred financial institutions to Financial Crimes Enforcement Network advisories FIN-2017-A006 and FIN-2017-A003 for further information concerning the efforts of Venezuelan government agencies and individuals to use the U.S. financial system and real estate market to launder corrupt proceeds.

Visit here for continuing InfoBytes coverage of actions related to Venezuela.