The United States has removed Jorge Jesus Rodriguez Gomez, a Venezuelan national listed under the Venezuela sanctions programme, from the Specially Designated Nationals list, according to an Office of Foreign Assets Control notice dated October 14. The notice lists the same individual under several alias orderings and gives no reason for the removal, in line with OFAC’s usual practice.
Designation removals of this kind are administrative on their face but political in context. They typically follow petitions demonstrating changed behaviour or mistaken identity, and they land this week as Venezuelan government and opposition delegations hold a third round of dialogue, covered here on October 14, keeping the question of broader sanctions relief live in Washington.
Nothing in the notice changes the wider Venezuela programme: the oil licences, gold restrictions and the remaining individual listings all stand. The removal frees Rodriguez Gomez’s blocked assets and restores his ability to deal with US persons.