December 9, 2019

OFAC sanctions 15 individuals and 29 entities in at least 5 countries pursuant to Global Magnitsky Act

The US Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control has designated fifteen individuals for their responsibility for or complicity in corruption, pursuant to Executive Order 13818, which implements the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act.  In addition, OFAC designated two Venezuelan officials pursuant to Executive Order 13692 for their roles in the regime of Nicolas Maduro.  The individuals designated hail from Europe, Asia, Europe and South America. They include:

  • Aivars Lembergs, a Latvian oligarch and public official accused of money laundering, bribery and abuse of office.  Four business entities controlled by Lembergs were also designated.  Global Magnitsky General License No. 1 was issued in order to permit activities necessary to the wind-down of transactions involving these four entities.
  • Try Pheap, a Cambodian businessman who pursues illegal logging activities with the collusion of corrupt Cambodian officials.  Eleven Cambodia-based entities controlled by Pheap were also designated.
  • Kun Kim, a former senior general in the KangYuthipol Khemarak Phumin, the Cambodian military.  According to OFAC, Kim used the military to intimidate, demolish and clear land sought by his a state-owned Chinese entity, for his and the entity’s profit.  Three members of Kim’s family were designated for acting on behalf of Kim, along with five entities controlled by them.
  • Nine individuals who have acted on behalf of Slobodan Tesic, a Serbian national who was designated in December 2017 pursuant to Executive Order 13818 for human rights abuses and for using corruption to disseminate arms in the Balkans and elsewhere for profit.

The Venezuelans designated pursuant to Executive Order 13692, as amended, are the current and former directors general of the Servicio Administrativo de Identificación, Migración y Extranjería (the Administrative Service of Identification, Migration and Immigration) of Venezuela.

Following these sanctions, US property controlled by the designated persons and entities is blocked, and unless authorized by a general or specific license issued by OFAC, transactions involving US persons and the designated individuals or entities are generally prohibited.