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Designations Follow Continuing Violent Attacks on Syrian Citizens by the Syrian Government
WASHINGTON – Today, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) designated eighteen individuals and five entities in response to the continued acts of violence committed by the Government of Syria, led by Bashar al-Assad, against its own citizens. The designated individuals and entities have provided support or services to the Government of Syria, acted as senior officials of the Government of Syria, supported designated individuals and entities, or aided Syria’s weapons of mass destruction program. 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, transactions by U.S. persons involving the designated persons are generally prohibited.
“The daily attacks on civilian centers by the Government of Syria led by Bashar al-Assad are reprehensible, and both the Government and its enablers must be isolated and held accountable for their barbarism,” said Adam J. Szubin, Acting Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence. “Treasury will continue to intensify the pressure on the Assad regime in support of the diplomatic efforts of the U.S. and our allies to resolve the conflict in Syria.”
Today’s action was taken pursuant to three Executive Orders (E.O.s) related to Syria: E.O. 13582, which targets the Government of Syria and its supporters; E.O. 13573, which targets senior officials of the Government of Syria; and E.O. 13572, which targets persons responsible for human rights abuses in Syria. In addition, today’s action includes designations pursuant to E.O. 13382, which targets proliferators of weapons of mass destruction and their supporters.
Individuals and Entities Supporting Syrian Government and Military
Cham Wings Airlines
OFAC designated Syria-based Cham Wings Airlines (Cham Wings) pursuant to E.O. 13582 for having materially assisted, sponsored, or provided financial, material, or technological support for, or goods or services in support of, the Government of Syria and Syrian Arab Airlines. Syrian Arab Airlines was identified as a blocked instrumentality or controlled entity of the Government of Syria in 2013 and was concurrently designated pursuant to E.O. 13224 for acting for or on behalf of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Qods Force.
Cham Wings was established in 2008 and recognized by the Government of Syria as a national airline operator in 2014. Cham Wings has cooperated with Government of Syria officials to transport militants to Syria to fight on behalf of the Syrian regime and assisted the previously-designated Syrian Military Intelligence (SMI) in moving weapons and equipment for the Syrian regime, including by utilizing a relationship with another Syria-based airline, Fly Damas. Cham Wings’s Damascus-to-Dubai flight was one of the main routes SMI used to launder money throughout the region, with SMI paying all parties involved to ensure they would continue to do business with the Assad regime.
Syriss Logistics and Services
OFAC also designated Syriss Logistics and Services (Syriss) pursuant to E.O. 13582 for having materially assisted, sponsored, or provided financial, material, or technological support for, or goods or services in support of, and having acted or purported to act for or on behalf of, directly or indirectly, the previously-designated entity Yona Star.
Yona Star has long acted as a shipping agent for designated Government of Syria entities, including the Syrian Air Force Intelligence, the Syrian Army Supply Bureau, and the Scientific Studies and Research Center (SSRC), the Syrian government agency responsible for developing and producing non-conventional weapons and the missiles needed to deliver them. As of 2016, previously-designated Salah Habib of Yona Star used Syriss to ship goods on behalf of Yona Star, and Syriss was involved in the shipment of Chinese-made merchandise to the SSRC.
Tempbank Officials
Additionally, OFAC designated nine officials of Moscow-based Tempbank pursuant to E.O. 13582. OFAC designated Tempbank, along with Tempbank senior executive Mikhail Gagloev, in May 2014 pursuant to E.O. 13582 for providing material support and services to the Government of Syria, including the Central Bank of Syria and SYTROL, Syria’s state oil marketing firm. The following nine officials were designated for having materially assisted, sponsored, or provided financial, material, or technological support for, or goods or services in support of, Tempbank, and for having acted or purported to act for or on behalf of, directly or indirectly, Tempbank:
· Elena Apanasenko, Deputy Chairman, Executive Board
· Nikolay Akhlomov, Deputy Chairman, Executive Board
· Irina Kozhenkova, Deputy Chairman, Executive Board
· Andrey Dubinyak, Chairman, Supervisory Board
· Arkadiy Vainshtein, Member, Supervisory Board
· Vladimir Gagloev, Member, Supervisory Board
· Elena Zhirova, Member, Supervisory Board
· Dmitriy Mityaev, Member, Supervisory Board
· Leonid Reshetnikov, Member, Supervisory Board
Government of Syria Senior Officials
OFAC today designated the following seven officials of the Government of Syria pursuant to E.O. 13573:
· Dureid Durgham, Governor of the Central Bank of Syria
· Mamun Hamdan, Syrian Minister of Finance
· Ali Ghanem, Syrian Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources
· Ali Al-Zafir, Syrian Minister of Telecommunication and Technology
· Muhammad Ramiz Turjuman, Syrian Minister of Information
· Ahmad Al-Hamo, Syrian Minister of Industry
· Ali Hammud, Syrian Minister of Transport
Entities Owned or Controlled by Government of Syria Regime Insider Rami Makhluf
Today, OFAC designated al-Hisn Firm for Security Protection and Guard Services (Al-Hisn) and Al-Qasiun Security Services LLC (Al-Qasiun) pursuant to E.O. 13572 for being owned or controlled by, or having acted or purported to act for or on behalf of, directly or indirectly, Rami Makhluf. In 2008, OFAC designated Syrian businessman and regime supporter Rami Makhluf pursuant to Executive Order 13460, which targets persons determined to be responsible for or who have benefited from the public corruption of senior officials of the Syrian regime.
OFAC also designated Syrian national Adib Muhanna pursuant to E.O. 13572 for having materially assisted, sponsored, or provided financial, material, or technological support for, or goods or services in support of, Rami Makhluf.
As of 2016, Al-Hisn and Al-Qasiun were used to handle oil business in areas controlled by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), and Rami Makhluf also used these security companies for vehicle and compound security. Also, as of 2016, to avoid international sanctions, Rami Makhluf conducted real estate transactions through Adib Muhanna, who worked for Rami Makhluf’s previously-designated Ramak company. Adib Muhanna was also the unofficial manager of previously-designated Al-Sham Holding Company.
Entity and Related Individual Providing Support for Syria’s Scientific Studies and Research Center (SSRC)
Pursuant to E.O. 13382, OFAC designated Technolab, a Lebanon-based supplier of science and technology materials that has been a supplier for the SSRC since at least 2012, and its Director-General, Aziz Allouch. Aziz Allouch functions as a supplier of technical equipment and components, including International Traffic in Arms Regulation (ITAR) export-controlled materials, for the SSRC. These acquisitions are in the interest of various SSRC departments, including the previously-designated National Standards and Calibration Laboratory (NSCL) and Higher Institute of Applied Science and Technology (HIAST). OFAC designated both NSCL and HIAST, SSRC subordinates, in 2007 pursuant to E.O. 13382.
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