Japan has expanded its sanctions list, adding 31 organisations from six countries, including the Kazakhstani company «Da Group 22». The restrictions, which come into force on 23 January, apply to goods related to the development of chemical weapons and components for special-purpose vehicles.
As reported by Bes.media citing the Japanese publication Nikkei, the limited liability partnership «Da Group 22» had previously been sanctioned by the United States and the European Union for allegedly assisting Russia in evading restrictions.
It is noted that «Da Group 22» was registered in Astana on 14 March 2022 as a small enterprise in the wholesale food trade sector. The company's first director and founder is Lilya Nosayeva. Since May 2023, the organisation has ceased its export-import activities.
It has also come to light that the company previously took legal action against its accountant. The former chief accountant, R. Seit, was found guilty of embezzling more than 385 million tenge through a scheme involving fictitious real estate transactions in Northern Cyprus.
The court sentenced her to 5 years in prison, along with compensation for damages to the limited liability partnership, payment of court fees, reimbursement of procedural costs, and mandatory payments to the victims' fund.
For context, in February 2024, the European Union published another package of sanctions against Russia and related companies from Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, China, Iran, Turkey and other countries.
The sanctions lists also included the Kazakhstani limited liability partnership «Elem Group». It was suspected of "supporting the Russian military-industrial complex" and "participating in the circumvention of trade restrictions."
Shortly before this, the Ministry of Trade reported, that the company has not been engaged in import or export activities since 2023 and is in the process of being liquidated. In June, Japan also imposed sanctions against «Elem Group».