The Russia (Sanctions) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019

PART 3 Finance

CHAPTER 1 Finance restrictions in relation to designated persons

Meaning of “designated person”

10.  In this Chapter a “designated person” means a person who is designated under regulation 5 for the purposes of regulations 11 to 15.

Asset-freeze in relation to designated persons

11.—(1) A person (“P”) must not deal with funds or economic resources owned, held or controlled by a designated person if P knows, or has reasonable cause to suspect, that P is dealing with such funds or economic resources.

(2) Paragraph (1) is subject to Part 7 (Exceptions and licences).

(3) A person who contravenes the prohibition in paragraph (1) commits an offence.

(4) For the purposes of paragraph (1) a person “deals with” funds if the person—

(a) uses, alters, moves, transfers or allows access to the funds,

(b) deals with the funds in any other way that would result in any change in volume, amount, location, ownership, possession, character or destination, or

(c) makes any other change, including portfolio management, that would enable use of the funds.

(5) For the purposes of paragraph (1) a person “deals with” economic resources if the person—

(a) exchanges the economic resources for funds, goods or services, or

(b) uses the economic resources in exchange for funds, goods or services (whether by pledging them as security or otherwise).

(6) The reference in paragraph (1) to funds or economic resources that are “owned, held or controlled” by a person includes, in particular, a reference to—

(a) funds or economic resources in which the person has any legal or equitable interest, regardless of whether the interest is held jointly with any other person and regardless of whether any other person holds an interest in the funds or economic resources;

(b) any tangible property (other than real property), or bearer security, that is comprised in funds or economic resources and is in the possession of the person.

(7) For the purposes of paragraph (1) funds or economic resources are to be treated as owned, held or controlled by a designated person if they are owned, held or controlled by a person who is owned or controlled directly or indirectly (within the meaning of regulation 7) by the designated person.

(8) For the avoidance of doubt, the reference in paragraph (1) to a designated person includes P if P is a designated person.

Making funds available to designated person

12.—(1) A person (“P”) must not make funds available directly or indirectly to a designated person if P knows, or has reasonable cause to suspect, that P is making the funds so available.

(2) Paragraph (1) is subject to Part 7 (Exceptions and licences).

(3) A person who contravenes the prohibition in paragraph (1) commits an offence.

(4) The reference in paragraph (1) to making funds available indirectly to a designated person includes, in particular, a reference to making them available to a person who is owned or controlled directly or indirectly (within the meaning of regulation 7) by the designated person.

Making funds available for benefit of designated person

13.—(1) A person (“P”) must not make funds available to any person for the benefit of a designated person if P knows, or has reasonable cause to suspect, that P is making the funds so available.

(2) Paragraph (1) is subject to Part 7 (Exceptions and licences).

(3) A person who contravenes the prohibition in paragraph (1) commits an offence.

(4) For the purposes of this regulation—

(a) funds are made available for the benefit of a designated person only if that person thereby obtains, or is able to obtain, a significant financial benefit, and

(b) “financial benefit” includes the discharge (or partial discharge) of a financial obligation for which the designated person is wholly or partly responsible.

Making economic resources available to designated person

14.—(1) A person (“P”) must not make economic resources available directly or indirectly to a designated person if P knows, or has reasonable cause to suspect—

(a) that P is making the economic resources so available, and

(b) that the designated person would be likely to exchange the economic resources for, or use them in exchange for, funds, goods or services.

(2) Paragraph (1) is subject to Part 7 (Exceptions and licences).

(3) A person who contravenes the prohibition in paragraph (1) commits an offence.

(4) The reference in paragraph (1) to making economic resources available indirectly to a designated person includes, in particular, a reference to making them available to a person who is owned or controlled directly or indirectly (within the meaning of regulation 7) by the designated person.

Making economic resources available for benefit of designated person

15.—(1) A person (“P”) must not make economic resources available to any person for the benefit of a designated person if P knows, or has reasonable cause to suspect, that P is making the economic resources so available.

(2) Paragraph (1) is subject to Part 7 (Exceptions and licences).

(3) A person who contravenes the prohibition in paragraph (1) commits an offence.

(4) For the purposes of paragraph (1)—

(a) economic resources are made available for the benefit of a designated person only if that person thereby obtains, or is able to obtain, a significant financial benefit, and

(b) “financial benefit” includes the discharge (or partial discharge) of a financial obligation for which the designated person is wholly or partly responsible.

CHAPTER 2 Other financial and investment restrictions

Dealing with transferable securities or money-market instruments

16.—(1) A person (“P”) must not, directly or indirectly, deal with a transferable security or money-market instrument falling within paragraph (2) if P knows, or has reasonable cause to suspect, that P is dealing with such a transferable security or money-market instrument.

(2) A transferable security or money-market instrument falls within this paragraph if it has a maturity exceeding 30 days and is issued after 1 August 2014 by—

(a) a person mentioned in any of paragraphs 1 to 5 of Schedule 2;

(b) a person, other than an individual, which is—

(i) incorporated or constituted under the law of a non-UK country, and

(ii) owned by a person within sub-paragraph (a); or

(c) a person, other than an individual, acting on behalf or at the direction of a person within sub-paragraph (a) or sub-paragraph (b).

(3) A person (“P”) must not, directly or indirectly, deal with a transferable security or money-market instrument falling within paragraph (4) if P knows, or has reasonable cause to suspect, that P is dealing with such a transferable security or money-market instrument.

(4) A transferable security or money-market instrument falls within this paragraph if it has a maturity exceeding 30 days and is issued after 12 September 2014 by—

(a) a person mentioned in any of paragraphs 6 to 11 of Schedule 2;

(b) a person, other than an individual, which is—

(i) incorporated or constituted under the law of a non-UK country, and

(ii) owned by a person within sub-paragraph (a); or

(c) a person, other than an individual, acting on behalf or at the direction of a person within sub-paragraph (a) or sub-paragraph (b).

(5) Paragraphs (1) and (3) are subject to regulation 63 (exception for acts done for purposes of national security or prevention of serious crime).

(6) A person who contravenes a prohibition in paragraph (1) or (3) commits an offence.

(7) For the purposes of this regulation, and regulations 17 (loans and credit arrangements) and 59 (exceptions relating to loans and credit arrangements), a person (“C”) is “owned” by another person (“P”) if P—

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

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

(8) Schedule 1 applies for the purpose of interpreting paragraph (7).

(9) For the purposes of this regulation, a reference to “dealing with” a transferable security or money-market instrument includes a reference to purchasing or selling the security or instrument, providing investment services relating to the security or instrument or assisting in the issuance of the security or instrument.

(10) In this regulation—

“investment services” means—

(a)

the reception and transmission of orders in relation to one or more financial instruments,

(b)

the execution of orders on behalf of clients,

(c)

dealing on own account,

(d)

portfolio management,

(e)

the provision of investment advice,

(f)

the underwriting of financial instruments or placing of financial instruments on a firm commitment basis,

(g)

the placing of financial instruments without a firm commitment basis, or

(h)

any service in relation to the admission to trading on a regulated market or trading on a multilateral trading facility;

“money-market instrument” means an instrument of a kind normally dealt in on the money market, such as treasury bills, certificates of deposit and commercial papers, excluding instruments of payment;

“non-UK country” means a country that is not the United Kingdom;

“transferable security” means a security, negotiable on the capital market, of any of the following kinds, but excluding instruments of payment—

(a)

shares in companies and other securities equivalent to shares in companies, partnerships or other entities, and depositary receipts in respect of shares;

(b)

bonds or other forms of securitised debt, including depositary receipts in respect of such securities;

(c)

any other securities giving the right to purchase or sell any security of a kind mentioned in paragraph (a) or (b).

Loans and credit arrangements

17.—(1) A person (“P”) must not directly or indirectly grant a relevant loan if P knows, or has reasonable cause to suspect, that P is granting a relevant loan.

(2) A person must not directly or indirectly enter into any arrangement to grant a relevant loan if the person knows, or has reasonable cause to suspect, that the arrangement relates to a relevant loan.

(3) Paragraphs (1) and (2) are subject to regulations 59 and 63 (exceptions).

(4) A person who contravenes a prohibition in paragraph (1) or (2) commits an offence.

(5) In this regulation—

“non-UK country” means a country that is not the United Kingdom;

“relevant loan” means a loan or credit—

(a)

with a maturity exceeding 30 days,

(b)

made or granted to a relevant person, and

(c)

which is first made or granted at any time after exit day;

“relevant person” means—

(a)

a person falling within Schedule 2;

(b)

a person, other than an individual, which is—

(i)

incorporated or constituted under the law of a non-UK country, and

(ii)

owned (within the meaning of regulation 16(7)) by a person within sub-paragraph (a); or

(c)

a person, other than an individual, acting on behalf or at the direction of a person within sub-paragraph (a) or sub-paragraph (b).

Investments in relation to Crimea

18.—(1) A person (“P”) must not carry on an activity mentioned in paragraph (2) if P knows, or has reasonable cause to suspect, that P is carrying on such an activity.

(2) The activities in this paragraph are—

(a) directly or indirectly acquiring or extending a participation, or acquiring any ownership interest, in land located in Crimea;

(b) directly or indirectly acquiring or extending a participation, or acquiring any ownership interest in or control over, a relevant entity;

(c) directly or indirectly granting any loan or credit, entering into any arrangement to grant any loan or credit, or otherwise providing funds, including for example equity capital—

(i) to a relevant entity, or

(ii) for the documented purpose of financing any such entity;

(d) directly or indirectly establishing any joint venture—

(i) in Crimea, or

(ii) with a relevant entity;

(e) providing investment services directly related to an activity referred to in sub-paragraphs (a) to (d) above.

(3) Paragraph (1) is subject to Part 7 (Exceptions and licences).

(4) A person who contravenes a prohibition in paragraph (1) commits an offence.

(5) In this regulation—

“investment services” has the same meaning as it has in regulation 16;

“relevant entity” means a person, other than an individual, which has a place of business located in Crimea.

CHAPTER 3 Further provision

Circumventing etc. prohibitions

19.—(1) A person must not intentionally participate in activities knowing that the object or effect of them is (whether directly or indirectly)—

(a) to circumvent any of the prohibitions in regulations 11 to 18, or

(b) to enable or facilitate the contravention of any such prohibition.

(2) A person who contravenes the prohibition in paragraph (1) commits an offence.