The Syria (Sanctions) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019

PART 2 U.K. Designation of persons

Power to designate persons U.K.

5.—(1) The Secretary of State may designate persons by name for the purposes of any of the following—

(a) regulations 11 to 15 (asset-freeze etc);

(b) regulation 24 (immigration).

(2) The Secretary of State may designate different persons for the purposes of [F1 different provisions mentioned in] paragraph (1).

Textual Amendments

F1 Words in reg. 5(2) substituted (31.12.2020 immediately after IP completion day) by The Sanctions (EU Exit) (Miscellaneous Amendments) (No. 2) Regulations 2020 (S.I. 2020/590), regs. 1(2), 9(3); S.I. 2020/1514, reg. 4

Commencement Information

I1 Reg. 5 in force at 6.4.2019, see reg. 1(2)(d)

Designation criteria U.K.

6.—(1) The Secretary of State may not designate a person under regulation 5 unless the Secretary of State—

(a) has reasonable grounds to suspect that that person is an involved person, and

(b) considers that the designation of that person is appropriate, having regard to—

(i) the purposes stated in regulation 4, and

(ii) the likely significant effects of the designation on that person (as they appear to the Secretary of State to be on the basis of the information that the Secretary of State has).

(2) In this regulation an “involved person” means a person who—

(a) is or has been involved in—

(i) repressing the civilian population in Syria;

(ii) supporting or benefitting from the Syrian regime,

(b) is owned or controlled directly or indirectly (within the meaning of regulation 7) by a person who is or has been so involved,

(c) is acting on behalf of or at the direction of a person who is or has been so involved, or

(d) is a member of, or associated with, a person who is or has been so involved.

(3) Any reference in this regulation to being involved in one or more of the activities mentioned in paragraph (2)(a) includes being so involved in whatever way and wherever any actions constituting the involvement take place, and in particular includes—

(a) a prominent person operating or controlling a business in Syria;

(b) working for, or being affiliated to, the Syrian regime as—

(i) a Minister,

(ii) a member of the Syrian Armed Forces of the rank of colonel or the equivalent or higher,

(iii) a member of the Syrian security and intelligence services, or

(iv) a member of a militia;

(c) carrying on prohibited activities related to chemical weapons in Syria;

(d) being responsible for, engaging in or promoting an activity set out in paragraph (2)(a)(i);

(e) providing financial services M1 , or making available funds or economic resources M2 , that could contribute to an activity set out in paragraph (2)(a);

(f) being involved in the supply to Syria of restricted goods or restricted technology, or in providing financial services relating to such supply;

(g) being involved in the supply to Syria of goods or technology which could contribute to an activity set out in paragraph (2)(a), or in providing financial services relating to such supply;

(h) assisting the contravention or circumvention of any relevant provision.

(4) In this regulation “relevant provision” means—

(a) any provision of Part 3, 5 or 6;

(b) any provision of the law of a country other than the United Kingdom made for purposes corresponding to a purpose of any provision of Part 3, 5 or 6.

(5) Nothing in any sub-paragraph of paragraph (3) is to be taken to limit the meaning of any of the other sub-paragraphs of that paragraph.

(6) In this regulation, “restricted goods” and “restricted technology” mean any goods or any technology subject to a prohibition under Part 5 (Trade).

Commencement Information

I2 Reg. 6 in force at 6.4.2019, see reg. 1(2)(e)

Marginal Citations

M1 “Financial services” is defined in section 61 of the Act.

M2 “Funds” and “economic resources” are defined in section 60 of the Act.

Interpretation of regulation 6 U.K.

7.—(1) For the purposes of regulation 6, a person who is not an individual (“C”) is “owned or controlled directly or indirectly” by another person (“P”) if either of the following two conditions is met (or both are met).

(2) The first condition is that P—

(a) holds directly or indirectly more than 50% of the shares in C,

(b) holds directly or indirectly more than 50% of the voting rights in C, or

(c) holds the right directly or indirectly to appoint or remove a majority of the board of directors of C.

(3) Schedule 1 contains provision applying for the purpose of interpreting paragraph (2).

(4) The second condition is that it is reasonable, having regard to all the circumstances, to expect that P would (if P chose to) be able, in most cases or in significant respects, by whatever means and F2 ... whether directly or indirectly, to achieve the result that affairs of C are conducted in accordance with P's wishes.

(5) For the purposes of regulation 6(2)(d), the reference to a person who is “associated” with another person includes, in particular, a person who is a family member of Bashar al-Assad or Rami Makhlouf.

(6) The following definitions apply for the purposes of this regulation and regulation 6—

“family member” has the same meaning as it has in paragraph 2(4) in Part 2 of Schedule 6 (Treasury licences: purposes);

“militia” means a foreign, national or local armed group that is not part of the Syrian Armed Forces or the Syrian security and intelligence services;

“prohibited activities related to chemical weapons” means—

(a)

developing, producing, acquiring, stockpiling or retaining chemical weapons,

(b)

transferring, directly or indirectly, chemical weapons to any person,

(c)

using chemical weapons,

(d)

engaging in any military preparations to use chemical weapons, and

(e)

providing assistance to, encouraging or inducing any person to engage in any activity falling within sub-paragraphs (a) to (d).

Textual Amendments

F2 Comma in reg. 7(4) omitted (31.12.2020 immediately after IP completion day) by virtue of The Sanctions (EU Exit) (Miscellaneous Amendments) (No. 2) Regulations 2020 (S.I. 2020/590), regs. 1(2), 9(4); S.I. 2020/1514, reg. 4

Commencement Information

I3 Reg. 7 in force at 6.4.2019, see reg. 1(2)(f)

Notification and publicity where designation power used U.K.

8.—(1) Paragraph (2) applies where the Secretary of State—

(a) has made a designation under regulation 5, or

(b) has by virtue of section 22 of the Act varied or revoked a designation made under that regulation.

(2) The Secretary of State—

(a) must without delay take such steps as are reasonably practicable to inform the designated person of the designation, variation or revocation, and

(b) must take steps to publicise the designation, variation or revocation.

(3) The information given under paragraph (2)(a) where a designation is made must include a statement of reasons.

(4) In this regulation a “statement of reasons”, in relation to a designation, means a brief statement of the matters that the Secretary of State knows, or has reasonable grounds to suspect, in relation to the designated person which have led the Secretary of State to make the designation.

(5) Matters that would otherwise be required by paragraph (4) to be included in a statement of reasons may be excluded from it where the Secretary of State considers that they should be excluded—

(a) in the interests of national security or international relations,

(b) for reasons connected with the prevention or detection of serious crime in the United Kingdom or elsewhere, or

(c) in the interests of justice.

(6) The steps taken under paragraph (2)(b) must—

(a) unless one or more of the restricted publicity conditions is met, be steps to publicise generally—

(i) the designation, variation or revocation, and

(ii) in the case of a designation, the statement of reasons;

(b) if one or more of those conditions is met, be steps to inform only such persons as the Secretary of State considers appropriate of the designation, variation or revocation and (in the case of a designation) of the contents of the statement of reasons.

(7) The “restricted publicity conditions” are as follows—

(a) the designation is of a person believed by the Secretary of State to be an individual under the age of 18;

(b) the Secretary of State considers that disclosure of the designation, variation or revocation should be restricted—

(i) in the interests of national security or international relations,

(ii) for reasons connected with the prevention or detection of serious crime in the United Kingdom or elsewhere, or

(iii) in the interests of justice.

(8) Paragraph (9) applies if—

(a) when a designation is made, one or more of the restricted publicity conditions is met, but

(b) at any time when the designation has effect, it becomes the case that none of the restricted publicity conditions is met.

(9) The Secretary of State must—

(a) take such steps as are reasonably practicable to inform the designated person that none of the restricted publicity conditions is now met, and

(b) take steps to publicise generally the designation and the statement of reasons relating to it.

Commencement Information

I4 Reg. 8 in force at 6.4.2019, see reg. 1(2)(g)

Confidential information in certain cases where designation power used U.K.

9.—(1) Where the Secretary of State in accordance with regulation 8(6)(b) informs only certain persons of a designation, variation or revocation and (in the case of a designation) of the contents of the statement of reasons, the Secretary of State may specify that any of that information is to be treated as confidential.

(2) A person (“P”) who—

(a) is provided with information that is to be treated as confidential in accordance with paragraph (1), or

(b) otherwise obtains such information,

must not, subject to paragraph (3), disclose it if P knows, or has reasonable cause to suspect, that the information is to be treated as confidential.

(3) The prohibition in paragraph (2) does not apply to any disclosure made by P with lawful authority.

(4) For this purpose information is disclosed with lawful authority only if and to the extent that—

(a) the disclosure is by, or is authorised by, the Secretary of State,

(b) the disclosure is by or with the consent of the person who is or was the subject of the designation,

(c) the disclosure is necessary to give effect to a requirement imposed under or by virtue of these Regulations or any other enactment, or

(d) the disclosure is required, under rules of court, tribunal rules or a court or tribunal order, for the purposes of legal proceedings of any description.

(5) This regulation does not prevent the disclosure of information that is already, or has previously been, available to the public from other sources.

(6) A person who contravenes the prohibition in paragraph (2) commits an offence.

(7) The High Court (in Scotland, the Court of Session) may, on the application of—

(a) the person who is the subject of the information, or

(b) the Secretary of State,

grant an injunction (in Scotland, an interdict) to prevent a breach of the prohibition in paragraph (2).

(8) In paragraph (4)(c), “enactment” has the meaning given by section 54(6) of the Act.

Commencement Information

I5 Reg. 9 in force at 31.12.2020 on IP completion day (in accordance with 2020 c. 1, Sch. 5 para. 1(1)), see reg. 1(3)