Middle East

101 briefs

OFAC settles with FTI Consulting for $1.05 million over indirect SSI debt dealings with VTB Bank

Professional services and consulting firms routing engagements for SSI-listed entities through law firm intermediaries must treat the arrangement as indirect prohibited debt — the intermediary structure does not create compliance insulation.

EU Council sanctions four Israeli settler organisations and three individuals under Global Human Rights regime

EU sanctions-screening teams must add four settler organisations and three named individuals to asset-freeze filters before the next payment cycle — director-level linkage checks required for each individual-entity pair.

OFAC adds PERSIAN GULF STRAIT AUTHORITY to SDN List under EO 13224 (IRGC-linked)

US persons must block PERSIAN GULF STRAIT AUTHORITY and any entity 50%+ owned by it; non-US financial institutions and maritime operators face secondary-sanctions exposure under EO 13224 §1(b)

OFAC designates Hizballah-linked individuals under counter-terrorism sanctions

Sanctions teams must load new Hizballah-linked SDNs and secondary-sanctions indicators

Dubai Financial Services Authority prohibits and fines reinsurance broker for misleading conduct

DIFC reinsurance brokers must evidence premium and brokerage accuracy