OFAC Denies Import Permits For Hunting Trophies From Sudan

If you are an American citizen looking at a hunt in Sudan, be aware that the Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has denied import permits for trophies from there to one hunter and will probably deny a second hunter's request. OFAC is the government agency that enforces economic sanctions implemented by the US State Department. You may remember that two years ago the officials at OFAC told The Hunting Report that despite Sudanese Sanctions Regulations, Americans could legally travel to Sudan, purchase a hunting license and go hunting with an operator there. The only question was whether or not he would be granted an import license for his trophy. We got that directly from the attorney who oversaw the Sudanese economic sanctions program. He advised Hunting Report subscribers to request a special license to import their trophies and even made specific suggestions about what information to include in the request. He could not say whether the request would be granted, and in fact, warned that a review of any request always begins with a presumption of denial. Now the assistant director for licensing at OFAC has officially denied that import license, citing that authorization of the proposed transaction would be contrary to current US government policy. A second hunter who called to follow up on his request was told not to hold his breath.

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