Council Decision (CFSP) 2015/1333Show full title

CHAPTER IV U.K. FREEZING OF FUNDS AND ECONOMIC RESOURCES

Article 9 U.K.

[F1 1. All funds, other financial assets and economic resources, owned or controlled, directly or indirectly, by persons and entities designated and subjected to an asset freeze by the Security Council or by the Committee in accordance with paragraph 22 of UNSCR 1970 (2011), paragraphs 19 and 23 of UNSCR 1973 (2011), paragraph 4 of UNSCR 2174 (2014), paragraph 11 of UNSCR 2213 (2015), paragraph 11 of UNSCR 2362 (2017) and paragraph 11 of UNSCR 2441 (2018), as listed in Annex III, shall be frozen.]

2. All funds, other financial assets and economic resources, owned or controlled, directly or indirectly, by persons and entities:

(a) involved in or complicit in ordering, controlling, or otherwise directing, the commission of serious human rights abuses against persons in Libya, including by being involved in or complicit in planning, commanding, ordering or conducting attacks, in violation of international law, including aerial bombardments, on civilian populations and facilities, or by the Libyan authorities, or by persons and entities that have violated or have assisted in violating the provisions of UNSCR 1970 (2011) or of this Decision, or by persons or entities acting for or on their behalf or at their direction, or by entities owned or controlled by them or by persons and entities listed in Annex III to this Decision;

(b) identified as having been involved in the repressive policies of the former regime of Muammar Qadhafi in Libya, or otherwise formerly associated with that regime, and who pose a continued risk to the peace, stability or security of Libya, or the successful completion of its political transition;

(c) engaged in or providing support for acts that threaten the peace, stability or security of Libya, or obstructing or undermining the successful completion of its political transition, including by:

(i)

planning, directing, or committing acts that violate applicable international human rights law or international humanitarian law, or acts that constitute human rights abuses, in Libya;

(ii)

attacks against any air, land, or sea port in Libya, or against a Libyan State institution or installation, or against any foreign mission in Libya;

(iii)

providing support for armed groups or criminal networks through the illicit exploitation of crude oil or any other natural resources in Libya;

(iv)

threatening or coercing Libyan State financial institutions and the Libyan National Oil Company, or engaging in any action that may lead to or result in the misappropriation of Libyan State funds;

(v)

violating, or assisting in the evasion of, the provisions of the arms embargo in Libya established in UNSCR 1970 (2011) and Article 1 of this Decision;

(vi)

acting for or on behalf of or at the direction of listed persons or entities;

(d) that own or control Libyan State funds misappropriated during the former regime of Muammar Qadhafi in Libya which could be used to threaten the peace, stability or security of Libya, or to obstruct or undermine the successful completion of its political transition,

as listed in Annex IV, shall be frozen.

3. All funds, other financial assets and economic resources, owned or controlled, directly or indirectly, by the entities listed in Annex VI that are frozen as of 16 September 2011, shall remain frozen.

4. No funds, other financial assets or economic resources shall be made available, directly or indirectly, to or for the benefit of natural or legal persons or entities referred to in paragraphs 1 and 2.

5. The prohibition on making funds, financial assets or economic resources available to persons or entities referred to in paragraph 2, in so far as it applies to port authorities, shall not prevent the execution, until 15 July 2011, of contracts concluded before 7 June 2011, with the exception of contracts relating to oil, gas and refined products.

6. Exemptions may be made for funds, financial assets and economic resources which are:

(a) necessary for basic expenses, including payment for foodstuffs, rent or mortgage, medicines and medical treatment, taxes, insurance premiums, and public utility charges;

(b) intended exclusively for payment for reasonable professional fees and reimbursement of incurred expenses associated with the provision of legal services in accordance with national laws; or

(c) intended exclusively for payment for fees or service charges, in accordance with national laws, for routine holding or maintenance of frozen funds, other financial assistance and economic resources,

after notification by the Member State concerned to the Committee, where appropriate, of the intention to authorise access to such funds, other financial assets or economic resources and in the absence of a negative decision by the Committee within five working days of such notification.

7. Exemptions may also be made for funds and economic resources which are:

(a) necessary for extraordinary expenses, after notification by the Member State concerned to the Committee, where appropriate, and approval by the Committee; or

(b) the subject of a judicial, administrative or arbitral lien or judgement, in which case the funds, other financial assets and economic resources may be used to satisfy that lien or judgement provided that the lien or judgement was entered before the date of adoption of UNSCR 1970 (2011), and is not for the benefit of a person or entity referred to in paragraph 1 or 2 of this Article, after notification by the Member State concerned to the Committee, where appropriate.

8. With regard to persons and entities listed in Annex IV, exemptions may also be made for funds and economic resources which are necessary for humanitarian purposes, such as delivering or facilitating the delivery of assistance, including medical supplies, food, the provision of electricity, humanitarian workers and related assistance, or evacuating foreign nationals from Libya.

9. With regard to entities referred to in paragraph 3, exemptions may also be made for funds, financial assets and economic resources provided that:

(a) the Member State concerned has provided notice to the Committee of its intent to authorise access to funds, other financial assets, or economic resources, for one or more of the following purposes and in the absence of a negative decision by the Committee within five working days of such a notification:

(i)

humanitarian needs;

(ii)

fuel, electricity and water for strictly civilian uses;

(iii)

resuming Libyan production and sale of hydrocarbons;

(iv)

establishing, operating, or strengthening institutions of civilian government and civilian public infrastructure; or

(v)

facilitating the resumption of banking sector operations, including to support or facilitate international trade with Libya;

(b) the Member State concerned has notified the Committee that those funds, other financial assets or economic resources are not to be made available to or for the benefit of the persons referred to in paragraphs 1, 2 and 3;

(c) the Member State concerned has consulted in advance the Libyan authorities about the use of such funds, other financial assets, or economic resources; and

(d) the Member State concerned has shared with the Libyan authorities the notification submitted pursuant to this paragraph and the Libyan authorities have not objected within five working days to the release of such funds, other financial assets, or economic resources.

10. Paragraphs 1 and 2 shall not prevent a designated person or entity from making payment due under a contract entered into before the listing of such a person or entity, provided that the relevant Member State has determined that the payment is not directly or indirectly received by a person or entity referred to in paragraph 1 or 2 and after notification by the relevant Member State to the Committee, where appropriate, of the intention to make or receive such payments or to authorise the unfreezing of funds, other financial assets or economic resources for this purpose, 10 working days prior to such authorisation.

11. Paragraph 3 shall not prevent an entity referred to therein from making payment due under a contract entered into before the listing of such an entity under this Decision, provided that the relevant Member State has determined that the payment is not directly or indirectly received by a person or entity referred to in paragraphs 1, 2 and 3, and after notification by the relevant Member State to the Committee of the intention to make or receive such payments or to authorise the unfreezing of funds or other financial assets or economic resources for this purpose, 10 working days prior to such authorisation.

12. With regard to persons and entities listed in Annex IV, and by way of derogation from paragraph 2, the competent authorities of a Member State may authorise the release of certain frozen funds or economic resources provided the following conditions are met:

(a) the funds or economic resources are the subject of an arbitral decision rendered prior to the date on which the natural or legal person, entity or body referred to in paragraph 2 was listed in Annex IV or of a judicial or administrative decision rendered in the Union, or a judicial decision enforceable in the Member State concerned, prior to or after that date;

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

(c) the decision is not for the benefit of a natural or legal person, entity or body listed in Annex III, IV or VI; and

(d) recognising the decision is not contrary to public policy in the Member State concerned.

A Member State shall inform the other Member States and the Commission of any authorisation granted under this paragraph.

13. Paragraph 4 shall not apply to the addition to frozen accounts of:

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

(b) payments due under contracts, agreements or obligations that arose before the date on which those accounts became subject to restrictive measures; or

(c) payments due under judicial, administrative or arbitral decisions rendered in the Union or enforceable in the Member State concerned, with regard to persons and entities listed in Annex IV;

provided that any such interest, other earnings and payments continue to be subject to paragraph 1 or 2.

Textual Amendments

F1 Substituted by Council Decision (CFSP) 2018/2012 of 17 December 2018 amending Decision (CFSP) 2015/1333 concerning restrictive measures in view of the situation in Libya.