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Challenged in Court, OFAC Defends its Sanctions Appeals Process
By Kieran Beer
printAt least two cases making their way through U.S. federal courts are challenging the U.S. Treasury Department's power to sanction individuals and organizations. The first, in U.S. District Court in Oregon, has already resulted in a November 6 ruling that the department's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) violated al-Haramain Islamic Foundation's constitutional rights when it froze its assets without a warrant or due process. "Due process generally requires the government to provide notice and an opportunity to be heard before depriving a person of property interests," the judge in the case concluded. And a case brought November 21 by...
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