[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 214 (Friday, November 4, 2016)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 76861-76863]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-26717]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY

Office of Foreign Assets Control

31 CFR Parts 501 and 593 and Appendix A to Chapter V


Amendments to OFAC Regulations To Remove the Former Liberian 
Regime of Charles Taylor Sanctions Regulations and References to Fax-
on-Demand Service

AGENCY: Office of Foreign Assets Control, Treasury

ACTION: Final rule.

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SUMMARY: The Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets 
Control (OFAC) is removing from the Code of Federal Regulations the 
Former Liberian Regime of Charles Taylor Sanctions Regulations as a 
result of the termination of the national emergency on which the 
regulations were based. OFAC also is amending the Reporting, Procedures 
and Penalties Regulations and Appendix A to chapter V by making 
technical changes including to remove references to OFAC's fax-on-
demand service in order to reflect the discontinuation of that service.

DATES: Effective: November 4, 2016.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: The Department of the Treasury's 
Office of Foreign Assets Control: Assistant Director for Licensing, 
tel.: 202-622-2480, Assistant Director for Regulatory Affairs, tel.: 
202-622-4855, Assistant Director for Sanctions Compliance & Evaluation, 
tel.: 202-622-2490, or the Department of the Treasury's Office of the 
Chief Counsel (Foreign Assets Control), Office of the General Counsel, 
tel.: 202-622-2410.

[[Page 76862]]


SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Electronic Availability

    This document and additional information concerning OFAC are 
available from OFAC's Web site (www.treasury.gov/ofac).

Background

Removal of the Former Liberian Regime of Charles Taylor Sanctions 
Regulations

    On July 22, 2004, the President signed Executive Order 13348, 
``Blocking Property of Certain Persons and Prohibiting the Importation 
of Certain Goods from Liberia'' (E.O. 13348), in which he declared a 
national emergency to deal with the unusual and extraordinary threat 
posed to United States foreign policy by the actions and policies of 
former Liberian President Charles Taylor and other persons, in 
particular their unlawful depletion of Liberian resources and their 
removal from Liberia and secreting of Liberian funds and property, 
which undermined Liberia's transition to democracy and the orderly 
development of its political, administrative, and economic institutions 
and resources. The President further noted that the Comprehensive Peace 
Agreement signed on August 18, 2003, and the related ceasefire had not 
yet been universally implemented throughout Liberia, and that the 
illicit trade in round logs and timber products was linked to the 
proliferation of and trafficking in illegal arms, which perpetuated the 
Liberian conflict and fueled and exacerbated other conflicts throughout 
West Africa.
    E.O. 13348 blocked all property and interests in property of the 
persons listed in the Annex to E.O. 13348 and any person determined: 
(1) To be or have been an immediate family member of Charles Taylor; 
(2) to have been a senior official of the former Liberian regime headed 
by Charles Taylor or otherwise to have been or be a close ally or 
associate of Charles Taylor or the former Liberian regime; (3) to have 
materially assisted, sponsored, or provided financial, material, or 
technological support for, or goods or services in support of, the 
unlawful depletion of Liberian resources, the removal of Liberian 
resources from that country, and the secreting of Liberian funds and 
property by any person whose property or interests in property are 
blocked pursuant to E.O. 13348; or (4) to be owned or controlled by, or 
acting or purporting to act for or on behalf of, directly or 
indirectly, any person whose property or interests in property are 
blocked pursuant to E.O. 13348. E.O. 13348 also prohibited the direct 
or indirect importation into the United States of any round log or 
timber product originating in Liberia.
    On May 23, 2007, OFAC issued the Former Liberian Regime of Charles 
Taylor Sanctions Regulations, 31 CFR part 593, as a final rule to 
implement E.O. 13348 (72 FR 28855, May 23, 2007).
    On November 12, 2015, the President issued Executive Order 13710, 
``Termination of Emergency With Respect to the Actions and Policies of 
Former Liberian President Charles Taylor'' (E.O. 13710). In E.O. 13710, 
the President found that the situation that gave rise to the 
declaration of a national emergency in E.O. 13348 had been 
significantly altered by Liberia's significant advances to promote 
democracy and the orderly development of its political, administrative, 
and economic institutions, including presidential elections in 2005 and 
2011, which were internationally recognized as freely held; the 2012 
conviction of, and 50-year prison sentence for, former Liberian 
President Charles Taylor and the affirmation on appeal of that 
conviction and sentence; and the diminished ability of those connected 
to former Liberian President Charles Taylor to undermine Liberia's 
progress. As a result, he terminated the national emergency declared in 
E.O. 13348 and revoked that order.
    Accordingly, OFAC is removing the Former Liberian Regime of Charles 
Taylor Sanctions Regulations from the Code of Federal Regulations. 
Pursuant to section 202 of the National Emergencies Act (50 U.S.C. 
1622) and section 1 of E.O. 13710, termination of the national 
emergency declared in E.O. 13348 shall not affect any action taken or 
proceeding pending that was not fully concluded or determined as of 
2:00 p.m. eastern standard time on November 12, 2015 (the effective 
date of E.O. 13710), any action or proceeding based on any act 
committed prior to the effective date, or any rights or duties that 
matured or penalties that were incurred prior to the effective date.

Technical Changes

    On June 10, 2016, OFAC announced on its Web site that it was 
terminating its fax-on-demand service due to a lack of user demand. 
OFAC is making technical changes to its regulations including to 
reflect the discontinuation of the fax-on-demand service.
    The Reporting, Procedures and Penalties Regulations, 31 CFR part 
501 (RPPR), set forth standard reporting and recordkeeping requirements 
and license application and other procedures relevant to the economic 
sanctions programs administered by OFAC. OFAC is revising section 
501.603 of the RPPR, which covers reports on blocked property, and 
section 501.801 of the RPPR, which covers licensing, in each case to 
remove references to OFAC's fax-on-demand service and to make certain 
other technical changes.
    Appendix A to chapter V (Appendix A) sets forth information 
pertaining to OFAC's Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons 
List. OFAC is making two revisions to Appendix A, in each case to 
remove references to OFAC's fax-on-demand service.

Public Participation

    Because parts 501 and 593 and Appendix A to 31 CFR chapter V 
involve a foreign affairs function, the provisions of Executive Order 
12866 and the Administrative Procedure Act (5 U.S.C. 553) requiring 
notice of proposed rulemaking, opportunity for public participation, 
and delay in effective date are inapplicable. Because no notice of 
proposed rulemaking is required for this rule, the Regulatory 
Flexibility Act (5 U.S.C. 601-612) does not apply.

Paperwork Reduction Act

    Pursuant to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3507), 
the collections of information contained in the RPPR have been approved 
by the Office of Management and Budget under control number 1505-0164. 
An agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to 
respond to, a collection of information unless the collection of 
information displays a valid control number.

List of Subjects in 31 CFR Parts 501 and 593 and Appendix A to 
Chapter V

    Administrative practice and procedure, Banks, Banking, Blocking of 
assets, Credit, Foreign trade, Imports, Liberia, Penalties, Reporting 
and recordkeeping requirements, Sanctions, Securities.

    For the reasons set forth in the preamble, and under the authority 
of 3 U.S.C. 301; 50 U.S.C. 1601-1651; E.O. 13348, 69 FR 44885, 3 CFR, 
2004 Comp., p. 189; E.O. 13710, 80 FR 71679, OFAC amends 31 CFR chapter 
V as follows:

PART 501--REPORTING, PROCEDURES AND PENALTIES REGULATIONS

0
1. The authority citation for part 501 continues to read as follows:

    Authority: 8 U.S.C. 1189; 18 U.S.C. 2332d, 2339B; 19 U.S.C. 
3901-3913; 21 U.S.C. 1901-1908; 22 U.S.C. 287c; 22 U.S.C. 2370(a), 
6009, 6032, 7205; 28 U.S.C. 2461 note; 31 U.S.C. 321(b); 50 U.S.C. 
1701-1706; 50 U.S.C. App. 1-44.

[[Page 76863]]

Subpart C--Reports

0
2. Amend Sec.  501.603 to revise the second sentence of paragraph 
(b)(2)(ii) to read as follows:


Sec.  501.603  Reports on blocked property.

* * * * *
    (b) * * *
    (2) * * *
    (ii) * * * Copies of Form TDF 90-22.50 may be obtained directly 
from the Office of Foreign Assets Control by downloading the form from 
the OFAC Reporting and License Application Forms page on OFAC's Web 
site (https://www.treasury.gov/resource-center/sanctions/Pages/forms-index.aspx). * * *
* * * * *

Subpart E--Procedures

0
3. Amend Sec.  501.801 to revise the penultimate sentence of paragraph 
(b)(2) to read as follows:


Sec.  501.801  Licensing.

* * * * *
    (b) * * *
    (2) * * * The form, which requires information regarding the date 
of the blocking, the financial institutions involved in the transfer, 
and the beneficiary and amount of the transfer, may be obtained from 
the OFAC Reporting and License Application Forms page on OFAC's Web 
site (https://www.treasury.gov/resource-center/sanctions/Pages/forms-index.aspx) or the Office of Foreign Assets Control, Licensing 
Division, U.S. Department of the Treasury, 1500 Pennsylvania Avenue 
NW., Freedman's Bank Building, Washington, DC 20220. * * *
* * * * *

PART 593--[REMOVED]

0
4. Remove part 593.

Appendix A to Chapter V--[AMENDED]

0
5. The authority citation for appendix A to chapter V continues to read 
as follows:

    Authority: 3 U.S.C. 301; 8 U.S.C. 1182, 1189; 18 U.S.C. 2339 B; 
21 U.S.C. 1901-1908; 22 U.S.C. 287 c; 31 U.S.C. 321(b); 50 U.S.C. 
App. 1-44; Public Law 110-286, 122 Stat. 2632 (50 U.S.C. 1701 note); 
Public Law 111-195, 124 Stat. 1312 (22 U.S.C. 8501-8551); Public Law 
112-81, 125 Stat. 1298 (22 U.S.C. 8513a); Public Law 112-158, 126 
Stat. 1214 (22 U.S.C. 8701-8795); Public Law 112-208, 126 Stat. 
1502; Public Law 113-278, 128 Stat. 3011 (50 U.S.C. 1701 note).


0
6. Amend appendix A to chapter V as follows:
0
a. Remove the third introductory paragraph, which states: ``Finally, 
the public may obtain information on blocking, designation, 
identification, and delisting actions through OFAC's fax-on-demand 
service, at 202/622-0077.''
0
b. Remove the fifth sentence of note 5, which states: ``Information 
also is available by fax through OFAC's fax-on-demand service, at 202/
622-0077.''

John E. Smith,
Acting Director, Office of Foreign Assets Control.
[FR Doc. 2016-26717 Filed 11-3-16; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4810-AL-P