Council Regulation (EU) No 267/2012Show full title

CHAPTER IV FREEZING OF FUNDS AND ECONOMIC RESOURCES

Article 23

1. All funds and economic resources belonging to, owned, held or controlled by the persons, entities and bodies listed in Annex VIII shall be frozen. Annex VIII includes the persons, entities and bodies designated by the United Nations Security Council or by the Sanctions Committee in accordance with paragraph 12 of UNSCR 1737 (2006), paragraph 7 of UNSCR 1803 (2008) or paragraph 11, 12 or 19 of UNSCR 1929 (2010).

2. All funds and economic resources belonging to, owned, held or controlled by the persons, entities and bodies listed in Annex IX shall be frozen. Annex IX shall include the natural and legal persons, entities and bodies who, in accordance with Article 20(1)(b) and (c) of Council Decision 2010/413/CFSP, have been identified as:

(a) being engaged in, directly associated with, or providing support for Iran's proliferation-sensitive nuclear activities or the development of nuclear weapon delivery systems by Iran, including through involvement in the procurement of prohibited goods and technology, or being owned or controlled by such a person, entity or body, including through illicit means, or acting on their behalf or at their direction;

(b) being a natural or legal person, entity or body that has assisted a listed person, entity or body to evade or violate the provisions of this Regulation, Council Decision 2010/413/CFSP or UNSCR 1737 (2006), UNSCR 1747 (2007), UNSCR 1803 (2008) and UNSCR 1929 (2010);

(c) being a member of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps or a legal person, entity or body owned or controlled by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps or by one of more of its members, or natural or legal persons acting on their behalf;

(d) being other persons, entities or bodies that provide support, such as material, logistical or financial support, to the Government of Iran, and persons and entities associated with them;

(e) being a legal person, entity or body owned or controlled by the Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines (IRISL), or acting on their behalf.

Pursuant to the obligation to freeze the funds and economic resources of IRISL and of designated entities owned or controlled by IRISL, it shall be prohibited to load and unload cargoes on and from vessels owned or chartered by IRISL or by such entities in ports of Member States.

The obligation to freeze the funds and economic resources of IRISL and of designated entities owned or controlled by IRISL shall not require the impounding or detention of vessels owned by such entities or the cargoes carried by them insofar as such cargoes belong to third parties, nor does it require the detention of the crew contracted by them.

3. No funds or economic resources shall be made available, directly or indirectly, to or for the benefit of the natural or legal persons, entities or bodies listed in Annexes VIII and IX or.

4. Without prejudice to the derogations provided for in Articles 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, or 29, it shall be prohibited to supply specialised financial messaging services, which are used to exchange financial data to the natural or legal persons, entities or bodies listed in Annexes VIII and IX.

5. Annexes VIII and IX shall include the grounds for listing of listed persons, entities and bodies, as provided by the Security Council or by the Sanctions Committee.

6. Annexes VIII and IX shall also include, where available, information necessary to identify the natural or legal persons, entities and bodies concerned, as provided by the Security Council or by the Sanctions Committee. With regard to natural persons, such information may include names including aliases, date and place of birth, nationality, passport and ID card numbers, gender, adress, if known, and function or profession. With regard to legal persons, entities and bodies, such information may include names, place and date of registration, registration number and place of business. With regard to airlines and shipping companies, Annexes VIII and IX shall also include, where available, information necessary to identify each vessel or aircraft belonging to a listed company such as the original registration number or name. Annexes VIII and IX shall also include the date of designation.

Article 24

By way of derogation from Article 23, the competent authorities may authorise the release of certain frozen funds or economic resources, if the following conditions are met:

(a)

the funds or economic resources are the subject of a judicial, administrative or arbitral lien established before the date on which the person, entity or body referred to in Article 23 has been designated by the Sanctions Committee, the Security Council or the Council or of a judicial, administrative or arbitral judgment rendered prior to that date;

(b)

the funds or economic resources will be used exclusively to satisfy claims secured by such a lien or recognised as valid in such a judgment, within the limits set by applicable laws and regulations governing the rights of persons having such claims;

(c)

the lien or judgment is not for the benefit of a person, entity or body listed in Annex VIII or IX;

(d)

recognising the lien or judgment is not contrary to public policy in the Member State concerned; and

(e)

where Article 23(1) applies, the Sanctions Committee has been notified by the Member State of the lien or judgment.

Article 25

By way of derogation from Article 23 and provided that a payment by a person, entity or body listed in Annex VIII or IX is due under a contract or agreement that was concluded by, or an obligation that arose for the person, entity or body concerned, before the date on which that person, entity or body had been designated by the Sanctions Committee, the Security Council or by the Council, the competent authorities may authorise, under such conditions as they deem appropriate, the release of certain frozen funds or economic resources, if the following conditions are met:

(a)

the competent authority concerned has determined that:

(i)

the funds or economic resources shall be used for a payment by a person, entity or body listed in Annex VIII or IX;

(ii)

the payment will not contribute to an activity prohibited under this Regulation; and

(iii)

the payment is not in breach of Article 23(3); and

(b)

where Article 23(1) applies, the Member State concerned has notified the Sanctions Committee of that determination and its intention to grant an authorisation, and the Sanctions Committee has not objected to that course of action within ten working days of notification.

Article 26

1. By way of derogation from Article 23, the competent authorities may authorise, under such conditions as they deem appropriate, the release of certain frozen funds or economic resources, or the making available of certain funds or economic resources, provided that the following conditions are met:

(a) the competent authority concerned has determined that the funds or economic resources are:

(i)

necessary to satisfy the basic needs of persons listed in Annex VIII or IX and their dependent family members, including payments for foodstuffs, rent or mortgage, medicines and medical treatment, taxes, insurance premiums, and public utility charges;

(ii)

intended exclusively for payment of reasonable professional fees and reimbursement of incurred expenses associated with the provision of legal services; or

(iii)

intended exclusively for payment of fees or service charges for routine holding or maintenance of frozen funds or economic resources; and

(b) where the authorisation concerns a person, entity or body listed in Annex VIII, the Member State concerned has notified the Sanctions Committee of the determination referred to in point (a) and its intention to grant an authorisation, and the Sanctions Committee has not objected to that course of action within five working days of notification.

2. By way of derogation from Article 23, the competent authorities may authorise the release of certain frozen funds or economic resources or the making available of certain funds or economic resources, after having determined that the funds or economic resources are necessary for extraordinary expenses or for payment for or transfer of goods when procured for a light water reactor in Iran the construction of which has begun before December 2006, or for any goods for the purposes referred to in Article 6(b) and (c), provided that where the authorisation concerns a person, entity or body listed in Annex VIII, the Sanctions Committee has been notified of that determination by the Member State concerned and the determination has been approved by that Committee.

Article 27

By way of derogation from Article 23(2) and (3), the competent authorities may authorise, under such conditions as they deem appropriate, the release of certain frozen funds or economic resources or the making available of certain funds or economic resources, after having determined that the funds or economic resources are necessary for official purposes of diplomatic or consular missions or international organisations enjoying immunities in accordance with international law.

Article 28

By way of derogation from Articles 23(2) and (3), the competent authorities may also authorise, under such conditions as they deem appropriate:

(a)

the making available of certain funds to the Central Bank of Iran, after having determined that the funds are necessary for the execution, until 1 July 2012, of a contract referred to in Article 12;

(b)

the release of certain frozen funds or economic resources of the Central Bank of Iran or the making available of certain funds or economic resources to the Central Bank of Iran, after having determined that the funds or economic resources are necessary for the purpose of providing credit or financial institutions with liquidity for the financing of trade, or the servicing of trade loans; or

(c)

the release of certain frozen funds or economic resources held by the Central Bank of Iran or the making available of certain funds or economic resources to the Central Bank of Iran, after having determined on a case-by-case basis, that the funds or economic resources are necessary in connection with a specific trade contract other than contracts referred to in paragraph (a), the execution of which may involve the Central Bank of Iran, provided that the payment will not contribute to an activity prohibited under this Regulation,

provided that the Member State concerned has notified the other Member States and the Commission of its intention to grant an authorisation at least ten working days prior to the authorisation.

Article 29

1. Article 23(3) shall not prevent financial or credit institutions from crediting frozen accounts where they receive funds transferred onto the account of a listed natural or legal person, entity or body, provided that any additions to such accounts shall also be frozen. The financial or credit institution shall inform the competent authorities about such transactions without delay.

2. Article 23(3) shall not apply to the addition to frozen accounts of:

(a) interest or other earnings on those accounts; or

(b) payments due under contracts, agreements or obligations that were concluded or arose before the date on which the person, entity or body referred to in Article 23 has been designated by the Sanctions Committee, the Security Council or by the Council;

provided that any such interest or other earnings and payments are frozen in accordance with Article 23(1) or (2).

3. This Article shall not be construed as authorising transfers of funds referred to in Article 30.