Exportlaw Blog reports that the Office of Antiboycott Compliance of the Bureau of Industry and Security (”BIS”) reached a settlement with an exporter who failed to report that in connection with exports of rice to the United Arab Emirates it had been requested in a letter of credit issued by a UAE bank to supply a “certificate issued by owner/master or agent stating that the ship is allowed by the Arab authorities to call at Arabian ports.”
This failure cost the exporter $ 30,000.
Export Blog nicely details the legal hairsplitting that originally prompted me to headline this blog entry: " Who is going to pay for it all ?" but which I have reserved for another day.
The export control and anti boycott laws cause have good intentions resulting in foggy language. How else to explain that replicas of Conan the Barbarian swords classify as "Weapons of War" since the US Marine Corps still uses swords.
Banks, carriers, freight forwarders, and exporters all can be fined for violation of the above mentioned laws. With the war on terror abating, hopefully, we will see some more common sense in this area.
Comments
The BIS seems to do more harm than use to America's interests
It can only be hoped that Common Sense comes back to BIS' minds as they are damaging the American Interest and distracting investors from America.
There was a report where a logistics company weas fined more than USD 100,000.00 (say US-Dollars one hundred thousand) because their client used a boykott-clause in his invoice. That's insane! What has a logistic company to do with the invoices of theri clients?!
I always thought the Mc Donald coffee trial was a bad joke but with these reportings this is hardly something to mention at all.
American politicians - whether republicans or democrats doesn't matter - should immediately put ties on such authorities like BIS, who violate Common Sense and leave American Laws as ridicoulous nonsense.
-Each long journey starts with a small step-
Best regards
Frammi