R&L pays $108,000 to settle alleged antiboycott violations

R&L pays $108,000 to settle alleged antiboycott violations The U.S. Commerce Department's Bureau of Industry and Security said Rohde & Liesenfeld, a freight forwarder located in Houston, agreed to pay a $108,000 civil penalty to settle allegations that it violated the antiboycott provisions of the Export Administration Regulations.
   The BIS Office of Antiboycott Compliance alleged that on 36 occasions during 2002 and 2003, R&L, in connection with transactions involving the sale and transfer of goods from the United States to Syria, provided prohibited information about its or another company's business relationships with or in a boycotted country.
   The EAR's antiboycott provisions prohibit U.S. persons from complying with certain requirements of unsanctioned overseas boycotts, including providing information about business relationships with or in a boycotted country. In addition, the EAR requires that persons report their receipt of certain boycott requests to the Commerce Department.
   'The Department of Commerce will continue to enforce its regulations prohibiting U.S. companies from taking action in support of restrictive trade practices or unsanctioned boycotts,' said Darryl Jackson, the Commerce Department's assistant secretary for export enforcement, in an Oct. 6 statement.
   'Companies likely to confront boycott issues should design and implement compliance plans that include appropriate employee training, senior management involvement, and internal systems and safeguards for reporting and responding to them,' he said.