The Office of Foreign Assets Control added eight individuals and seven entities to its Specially Designated Nationals list, under Syria and nonproliferation designations, OFAC said (here).

Treasury determined al-Qaida members Faisal Jassim Mohammed Al-Amri Al-Khalidi, Yisra Muhammad Ibrahim Bayumi, and Abu Bakr Muhammad Muhammad Ghumayn to be Specially Designated Global Terrorists, Treasury said (here). "Global Terrorist" designations include prohibitions against knowingly providing, or attempting or conspiring to provide, material support or resources to, or engaging in transactions with, the individuals. The designations also freeze all property and interests of the individuals in the U.S. or in the control of U.S. citizens.

The Office of Foreign Assets Control answered two frequently asked questions (Nos. 43 and 50) on use of the dollar in certain transactions with Cuba on July 8 (here). The questions cover whether U.S. nationals may conduct dollar transactions in Cuba or with Cuban nationals, and whether correspondent accounts of depository instruments of a Cuban financial institution may be established and maintained in U.S. dollars.

The Office of Foreign Assets Control on July 6 designated North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, along with 10 other individuals and five entities of the North Korean regime, for ties to human rights violations in the country, OFAC said (here). Sanctions included the following groups:

The Office of Foreign Assets Control issued a general license under “Kingpin Act/Panama” on July 1, OFAC said (here). General License 4C authorizes certain transactions involving individuals or entities in the Kingpin Act-designated Soho Mall Panama and “associated complex” to "wind down" operations, maintain the mall complex, conduct activities with non-designated financial institutions, and accept payments by non-designated people and entities, OFAC said. U.S. persons participating in newly authorized "wind down" and maintenance transactions must file a report on the activities with OFAC within 10 business days after they conclude, according to the general license (here). General License 4C supersedes related General License 4B, which OFAC issued June 10 (see 1606130056).

The Office of Foreign Assets Control and Alcon Laboratories have reached a $7.6 million settlement agreement to settle potential civil liability stemming from 452 alleged violations of Iran sanctions regulations and 61 violations of Sudan sanctions regulations, after Alcon sold and exported medical end-use surgical and pharmaceutical products to the countries without OFAC authorization, the agency said (here). OFAC found that Alcon didn’t make a voluntary self-disclosure, and showed “reckless disregard” for sanctions requirements by not maintaining a compliance program, but said that Alcon’s alleged violations were not egregious. Mitigating factors that OFAC determined include Alcon’s blank sanctions violation history, the company’s cooperation with OFAC, and the apparent actions’ minimal harm to U.S. sanctions objectives, because the exports involved licensable medical end-use products, OFAC said.

The Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau is increasing the maximum civil penalty for failure to include health warning labels on domestic and imported alcoholic beverage containers from $11,000 to $19,787 per day, in a final rule (here). The one-time catch-up is required by the Civil Penalties Inflation Adjustment Act Improvements Act of 2015, signed into law in November, and will be followed by annual adjustments for inflation. The increase takes effect July 1.

The Office of Foreign Assets Control is proposing to raise for inflation the maximum amount of civil monetary penalties assessable under five U.S. sanctions programs. The proposed rule (here), which would take effect Aug. 1, would make the following changes:

The Office of Foreign Assets Control has added one individual to its Specially Designated Nationals list, under Democratic Republic of the Congo Sanctions designations, OFAC said (here).

HyperBranch Medical Technology agreed to pay $107,691 as part of a settlement with the Office of Foreign Assets Control, after HyperBranch allegedly exported thousands of units of sealant to a United Arab Emirates distributor, either knowing or having “reason to know” the goods were headed to Iran, which would violate Iran Sanctions Regulations, OFAC said (here). HyperBranch in 2011 allegedly sent 4,000 units of sealant and 80 samples to its UAE distributor, OFAC said. The company, however, voluntarily self-disclosed the apparent violations, which constitute a “non-egregious” case, OFAC determined. HyperBranch is paying $51,851 less than the statutory minimum for the alleged penalties. Among other things, OFAC considered as mitigating factors the high likelihood the medical end-use products were eligible for a specific license, translating to minimal harm to U.S. sanctions program objectives; and the lack of prior HyperBranch OFAC sanctions history.