LONDON, December 11. /TASS/. The government of the United Kingdom will set up a new unit to control compliance of private companies with anti-Russian sanctions, the Department for Business and Trade said.
The Office of Trade Sanctions Implementation (OTSI) will have powers to slap companies violating laws with fines and pass criminal cases for review to the HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC). In particular, the Office that will start operations in early 2024 will keep an eye on companies that may evade sanctions regimes by exporting their products via third counties.
The United Kingdom blacklisted more than 1,800 Russian individuals and legal entities since the start of the special military operation in Ukraine and froze their assets totaling over 18 bln pounds ($23 bln).