UK/JERSEY sanctions art dealer with suspected ties to Hezbollah

The U.K./JERSEY government sanctioned a diamond and art dealer Tuesday, 18^TH, APRIL 2023, for allegedly funding Lebanon's militant Hezbollah group.

1. The U.K. Treasury said he financed the Iranian-backed Shiite militant organization designated an international terrorist group
2. Ahmad was similarly sanctioned in 2019 by the U.S. Treasury, which alleged he was a "prominent Lebanon-based money launderer and significant Hezbollah financier."
3. It also said he was smuggling "blood diamonds," mined in conflict zones and sold to finance violence.
4. A Beirut art gallery the U.K. government identified as belonging to Ahmad did not immediately reply to an email seeking comment

Jersey Financial Sanctions Notice Counter-Terrorism Domestic 18 April 2023

• https://www.gov.je/gazette/pages/financialsanctionsnoticecounterterrorismdomestic18april2023.aspx

Introduction

1. The Counter-Terrorism (Sanctions) (E.U. Exit) Regulations 2019 (the "U.K. Regulations") were made under the Sanctions and Anti-Money Laundering Act 2018 and provide for the imposition of financial sanctions, namely the freezing of funds and economic resources of persons who are or have been involved in terrorist activity
2. On 18 April 2023 H.M. Treasury designated one individual and added them to the Consolidated List.
3. On 18 April 2023 the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office updated the U.K. Sanctions List to reflect changes to those persons designated under the U.K. Regulations. A link to the

U.K. Sanctions List can be found below.

1. The Sanctions and Asset-Freezing (Implementation of External Sanctions) (Jersey) Order 2021 (the "Order"), made under the Sanctions and Asset-Freezing (Jersey) Law 2019 ("SAFL"), links to the U.K. Regulations.
2. Any changes to asset-freeze designations made under the U.K. Regulations are effective immediately by virtue of the ambulatory provisions in Jersey's sanctions legislation.
3. An asset freeze now applies to the person listed in the Annex to this Notice under Part 3 of SAFL.

Notice summary (Full details are provided in the Annex to this Notice)

1. The following entry has been added to the Consolidated List and is now subject to an asset freeze:

Nazem AHMAD (U.K. Consolidated Group ID: 15887)

What you must do  

1. You must: 

• immediately check whether you maintain any accounts or hold any funds or economic resources for the persons set out in the Annex to this Notice.
• freeze such accounts, and other funds or economic resources without prior notice and without delay.
• refrain from dealing with the funds or assets or making them available (directly or indirectly) to such persons unless licensed by the Minister for External Relations ("MER").
• report any findings to MER, together with any additional information that would facilitate compliance with SAFL.
• provide any information concerning the frozen assets of designated persons that MER may request. Information reported to MER may be passed on to other regulatory authorities or law enforcement.

Failure to comply with sanctions legislation or to seek to circumvent its provisions is a criminal offence.

https://apnews.com/article/hezbollah-sanctions-terrorist-art-diamonds-fa25987e33c91dac573e014c12b24847

https://www.gov.je/gazette/pages/financialsanctionsnoticecounterterrorismdomestic18april2023.aspx