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OFAC Updates: New Sanction Designations and Additions to Specially Designated Nationals List
Recently, OFAC announced implementation of sanctions against several entities and individuals designated for, among others, materially assisting, sponsoring, or providing financial support to certain foreign entities. In addition, OFAC updated its list of Specially Designed Nations (SDN) and announced a settlement agreement with a Canadian-based motor vehicle finance company.
North Korea Suppliers of Weapons Proliferation Programs. On June 1, OFAC announced it was taking action against six entities and three individuals in response to their involvement in North Korea’s continued efforts to develop weapons of mass destruction (WMD). The announcement targets the country’s military, nuclear, and WMD programs, in addition to its overseas financial operations. The sanctions prohibit any U.S. individual from dealing with the designees, and further states that “any property or interests in property of the designated persons in the possession or control of U.S. persons or within the United States must be blocked.” John E. Smith, the Director of OFAC, stated, “Treasury is working with our allies to counter networks that enable North Korea’s destabilizing activities, and we urge our partners to take parallel steps to cut off their funding sources.” These sanctions are in addition to those imposed earlier in April on eleven North Koreans and one associated entity (see previous InfoBytes coverage here).
Iraq-Based Chemical Weapons Developers. On June 12, OFAC announced, for the first time, designations against individuals involved in the development of ISIS’ chemical weapons. The sanctions were pursuant to Executive Order 13224, which “provides a means by which to disrupt the financial support network for terrorists and terrorist organizations by authorizing the U.S. government to designate and block the assets of foreign individuals and entities that commit, or pose a significant risk of committing, acts of terrorism.” The property and interests in property of the two individuals identified in the designations, subject to U.S. jurisdiction, are blocked, and “U.S. persons are generally prohibited from engaging in transactions with them.”
Settlement Agreement with Motor Vehicle Finance Company. On June 8, OFAC announced it had reached a settlement with a motor vehicle finance company as a result of transactions by its Canadian based subsidiary. The enforcement action claims the majority-owned subsidiary, which “specializes in various forms of financing in the [U.S.] for purchasers, lessees, and authorized independent [auto] dealers,”—between 2011 and 2014—allegedly violated 13 Cuban Assets Control Regulations by leasing vehicles to the Cuban Embassy in violation of OFAC’s Blocked Persons and SDN list, which prohibited transactions with Cuban government entities. The company voluntarily self-disclosed the alleged violations and agreed to remit $87,255 to settle its potential civil liability.
Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Sanctions. On May 24 and 25, OFAC made additions to the SDN list, which designates individuals and companies who are prohibited from dealing with the U.S. and whose assets are blocked. Transactions are prohibited if they involve transferring, paying, exporting, or otherwise dealing in the property or interest in property of an entity or individual on the SDN list. Additions to the list were made under the Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Sanctions Regulations against several Mexican and Colombian individuals and entities.
OFAC Sanctions a Coal Company and 11 “Agents” Linked to North Korea’s WMD Proliferation and Financial Networks
On March 31, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) announced that it was imposing sanctions on eleven North Koreans and one associated entity involved in that country’s efforts to develop weapons of mass destruction. The sanctions prohibit any U.S. individual from dealing with the designated North Koreans, and further states that “any property or interests in property of the designated persons in the possession or control of U.S. persons or within the United States must be blocked.” Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin explained that the “sanctions are aimed at disrupting the networks and methods that the Government of North Korea employs to fund its unlawful nuclear, ballistic missile, and proliferation programs.”
Treasury Sanctions North Korean Officials and Companies from Transportation, Mining, Energy, and Financial Services Industries
On December 2, OFAC announced its decision to designate 16 entities and seven individuals in response to North Korea’s ongoing nuclear weapons development and violations of U.N. security council resolutions. The designations include a number of North Korean banks and other entities in the financial services sector of the North Korean economy. As a result of today’s action, any property or interests in property of the designated persons in the possession or control of U.S. persons or within the United States must be blocked. Additionally, U.S. persons are generally prohibited from engaging in transactions involving the designated persons and listed aircraft. The additions to the Specially Designated Nationals List were made pursuant to Executive Orders 13382, 13687, and 13722, which target proliferators of weapons of mass destruction, the Government of North Korea, and a number of North Korean trade and industry sectors, including transportation, coal and energy, and financial services.
DOJ Teams Up With OFAC to Bring Enforcement against Chinese Front Company
On September 26, the DOJ announced charges against a Chinese trading company and its executives for conspiracy to violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), and to defraud the United States; as well as for conspiracy to launder monetary instruments through U.S. financial institutions. The criminal complaint alleges that the company served as a third-party payer, using an illicit network of front companies, financial facilitators, and trade representatives to purchase sugar and fertilizer for a banking entity based in North Korea that OFAC had designated as a Specially Designated National (SDN) in 2009. The civil forfeiture complaint seeks forfeiture of funds spread out across 25 different bank accounts located in China and connected to the affairs of the company. In addition, OFAC imposed sanctions on the company, which is located near the North Korean border and openly worked with the SDN banking entity after 2009.
FATF Updates List of Jurisdictions with AML/CFT Deficiencies, FinCEN Issues Related Advisory
On September 7, FinCEN issued advisory bulletin FIN-2016-A004 notifying financial institutions of updates to the Financial Action Task Force’s (FATF) list of jurisdictions containing anti-money laundering/combating the financing of terrorism (AML/CFT) deficiencies. The FATF updated two documents categorizing certain jurisdictions: (i) the FATF Public Statement, identifying jurisdictions that are subject to the FATF’s call for countermeasures or are subject to Enhanced Due Diligence (EDD) due to AML/CFT deficiencies; and (ii) the Improving Global AML/CFT Compliance: on-going process, identifying jurisdictions which have developed an action plan with the FATF to address strategic AML/CFT deficiencies. Revisions to the FATF Public Statement include the 12 months suspension of FATF’s call for countermeasures against Iran; in turn, Iran was added to the EDD category based on the continued risk posed by Iran to the international financial system. North Korea remains the sole country subject to countermeasures. Jurisdictions currently on the Improving Global AML/CFT Compliance: on-going process list include Afghanistan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Guyana, Iraq, Lao PDR, Syria, Uganda, Vanuatu, and Yemen. Myanmar (Burma) and Papua New Guinea were removed from the list. FinCEN reminded financial institutions that they are subject to a broad range of restrictions on dealing with North Korea and Iran, in spite of the 12-month suspension of its call for countermeasures against Iran.
FinCEN Determines North Korea is a Jurisdiction of Primary Money Laundering Concern, Issues NPRM to further Restrict Financial Transactions
On June 1, FinCEN announced a Notice of Finding that North Korea is a jurisdiction of “primary money laundering concern” under Section 311 of the USA PATRIOT Act. According to FinCEN, North Korea is a jurisdiction of primary money laundering because it (i) conducts international financial transactions that support the proliferation and development of WMD and ballistic missiles through its use of state-controlled financial institutions and front companies; (ii) lacks basic AML or combating the financing of terrorism (CFT) controls in its financial system; (iii) fails to maintain a diplomatic relationship with the U.S.; and (iv) relies on the alleged illicit and corrupt activity of high-level officials to support its government. In light of its findings, FinCEN further issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking seeking to implement “a special measure to further isolate North Korea from the international financial system by prohibiting covered U.S. financial institutions from opening or maintaining correspondent accounts with North Korea financial institutions, and prohibiting the use of U.S. correspondent accounts to process transactions for North Korea financial institutions.”
The Panama Papers: Implications for Financial Crimes Compliance Professionals
A group of international news outlets published a series of articles this week regarding the so-called “Panama Papers;” 11.5 million documents leaked from a Panamanian law firm specializing in creating offshore companies. Offshore companies form a well-recognized component of tax planning, but have come under increased scrutiny recently. According to the reporting, the Panama Papers reveal that a large number of foreign politicians, celebrities and other high net worth individuals used opaque structures, such as limited liability companies (LLCs), personal investment companies (PICs) and trusts, to hold (and as implied in the reporting, hide) wealth offshore. Other reporting depicts the use of the offshore PICs, trusts and/or LLCs to conduct business with sanctions targets in Iran, North Korea, and Syria. A number of international foreign financial institutions providing trust administration and wealth management services held thousands of accounts for offshore companies identified in the Panama Papers, according to the reporting.
The information in the Panama Papers has a number of immediate implications for U.S. and foreign financial institutions:
- First, financial institutions should anticipate that any dealings with the Panamanian law firm at issue will be the subject of regulatory scrutiny. Indeed, it has already been reported that the U.S. Department of Justice is reviewing the documents for evidence of corruption that can be prosecuted in the United States, and the United Kingdom’s Financial Conduct Authority has directed as many as 20 banks to provide details of accounts handled by the firm by April 15, 2016. It would not be unexpected if FinCEN and/or US regulatory authorities followed suit. Therefore, those dealings, including whether they are a customer or involved in transactions with customers, should be identified and reviewed.
- Second, banks would be well served to review press reporting for information regarding clients involved in transactions with the Panamanian law firm, and reassess risks posed by those clients based on the information. As the press reporting is evolving daily, banks should establish a process for monitoring new information and incorporating that new information into their reviews. Additionally, in early May, the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists, which investigated the Panama Papers, plans to publish the names of the more than 214,000 offshore entities incorporated by the Panamanian law firm and the people connected to them as beneficiaries, shareholders, or directors. Once published, this information should be included in banks’ reviews.
- Third, the reporting calls public attention to a number of important financial crime risk issues. These include the importance of understanding beneficial ownership, especially when dealing with LLCs, trusts, and/or PICs or other potentially opaque structures, understanding the sources of a customer’s wealth (and the source of wealth of any beneficial owner(s)), conducting thorough due diligence and, in high risk areas such as high net worth individuals and politically exposed persons (PEPs), enhanced due diligence. As reported by a New York-based newspaper company on April 6, 2016, FinCEN’s Proposed Rule regarding Customer Due Diligence (see our prior analysis of this) is expected to be published within a few months.
- Fourth, Delaware, Wyoming and Nevada provide a means to establish structures comparable to those established in Panama. Banks should evaluate whether a review of account relationships with LLCs, PICs, trusts, and other structures created in these jurisdictions may be warranted.
- Fifth, the Panama Papers highlight the reputational risk to banks of engaging with secrecy havens (domestic and international). While the reporting thus far does not appear to allege illegality on the part of the banks, they have been put on notice that their due diligence regimes will be scrutinized in light of the Panama Papers’ revelations.
In sum, the reporting once again highlights the potential legal and reputational risks of offering banking services (including depository and lending services, such as mortgages) to entities such as LLCs, trusts, PICs, PEPs and their close associates, and high net worth customers in the private banking context and the importance of monitoring their transactions and accounts for money laundering, tax reporting (FATCA), and corruption-related purposes.
FATF Updates List of Jurisdictions with AML Deficiencies, FinCEN Issues Related Advisory
On March 21, FinCEN issued advisory bulletin FIN-2016-A002 notifying financial institutions of updates to the Financial Action Task Force’s (FATF) list of jurisdictions containing AML/CFT deficiencies. The FATF updated two documents categorizing certain jurisdictions: (i) the FATF Public Statement, identifying jurisdictions that are subject to the FATF’s call for countermeasures or are subject to Enhanced Due Diligence due to AML/CFT deficiencies; and (ii) the Improving Global AML/CFT Compliance: on-going process, identifying jurisdictions which have developed an action plan with the FATF to address strategic AML/CML deficiencies. Revisions to the FATF Public Statement include the removal of Myanmar (Burma); in turn, Myanmar was added to the Improving Global AML/CFT Compliance: on-going process list. Iran and North Korea remain listed as subject to countermeasures on the FATF Public Statement. Additional jurisdictions currently on the Improving Global AML/CFT Compliance: on-going process list include Afghanistan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Guyana, Iraq, Lao PDR, Papua New Guinea, Syria, Uganda, Vanuatu, and Yemen. Algeria, Angola, and Panama were removed from the list. FinCEN reminded U.S. financial institutions that they are subject to a broad range of restrictions on dealing with Iran and North Korea. FinCEN also advised U.S. financial institutions to consider the risks associated with countries on the Improving Global AML/CFT Compliance: on-going process list, and reminded them of their general due diligence obligations, including for foreign correspondent accounts.
President Expands North Korean Sanctions
On March 16, the President issued an Executive Order broadening sanctions in response to North Korea’s continuing pursuit of its nuclear and ballistic missile programs. The order blocks the Government of North Korea and the Workers’ Party of Korea; prohibits the exportation of goods, technology and services (including financial services) to North Korea from the United States; prohibits new investment in North Korea by U.S. persons; and establishes nine new criteria for designation as a blocked person. One provision authorizes the Secretary of the Treasury to identify sectors of the North Korean economy to target for asset blocking sanctions. Under this authority, Treasury Secretary Jacob J. Lew determined that persons in the transportation, mining, energy, or financial services sectors of North Korea can be targeted.
Simultaneously, OFAC designated 17 officials or organizations of the Government of North Korea as SDNs, meaning that all of these persons’ property or interests in property in the United States or the possession or control of a U.S. person are blocked. OFAC also identified 20 vessels as blocked.
Finally, OFAC issued nine general licenses permitting certain activities involving North Korea that would otherwise be prohibited by the new Executive Order. These general licenses authorize, among other activities, noncommercial, personal remittances on behalf of individuals normally resident in North Korea; third-country consular funds transfers and transactions related to intellectual property; and support of non-governmental organizations and telecommunications and mail.
OFAC Announces Settlement Agreement with Insurance Company
On August 6, OFAC announced a $271,815 settlement with a New York-based insurance company with an overall focus on marine insurance and related lines of business, professional liability insurance, and commercial umbrella and primary and excess casualty businesses. According to OFAC, from May 8, 2008 to April 1, 2011, the company and its London branch office, “issued global protection and indemnity (“P&I”) insurance policies that provided coverage to North Korean-flagged vessels and covered incidents that occurred in or involved Iran, Sudan, or Cuba—some of which led to the payment of claims.” The company’s willingness to engage with OFAC-sanctioned countries resulted in 48 alleged violations of Foreign Assets Control Regulations, Executive Order 13466 of June 26, 2008, North Korea Sanctions Regulations, Iranian Transactions and Sanctions Regulations, Sudanese Sanctions Regulations, and Cuban Asset Control Regulations. OFAC stated that (i) the company did not maintain a formal compliance program at the time it issued the P&I insurance policies; and (ii) the company’s London office personnel “misinterpreted the applicability of OFAC sanctions regulations.” The final settlement amount reflects the fact that managers and supervisors knew or had reason to know that the majority of the insurance policies and claims payments at issue involved OFAC-sanctioned countries; the company is a commercially sophisticated financial institution; and it did not have a formal OFAC compliance program in place at the time the apparent violations occurred. Mitigating factors included the company’s cooperation with OFAC’s investigation; lack of prior enforcement action; and its remedial action plan to implement a sufficient OFAC compliance program.