Washington Lifts Sanctions on Venezuela's Assembly Chief Jorge Rodríguez as London Recasts a Russian Banker's Listing
On 14 October 2026 OFAC removed Jorge Jesus Rodriguez Gomez, President of Venezuela's National Assembly, from the SDN List, in a Venezuela-related designation removal that gave no reason. He had been designated under Executive Order 13692 in September 2018 in the same round as Cilia Flores and his sister Delcy Rodríguez, the interim president, whom OFAC removed on 1 April 2026. The removal ends the US block, but Canada still lists him under its Venezuela regulations, press reports say a separate US visa restriction remains, and as head of a national legislature he stays a senior politically exposed person. On 15 October the UK varied the listing of Nadia Narimanovna Cherkasova, a Bank Otkritie board member designated under the Russia regime in 2022: the statement of reasons is reworded and recast in the past tense, while her asset freeze, travel ban, trust services sanctions and director disqualification continue. She should not be confused with Irina Cherkasova, a different Russian official listed by five other authorities.
This issue
- New designations
- 0
- Removals
- 1
- Entries amended
- 1
- Sources monitored
- 97
The Second Rodríguez Comes Off the SDN List
On 14 October 2026 OFAC published a Venezuela-related designation removal: Jorge Jesus Rodriguez Gomez, born 9 November 1965 and holder of Venezuelan cédula 6823952, was deleted from the SDN List with all four of his recorded aliases. He had been designated under E.O. 13692 in September 2018, in the round that also named Cilia Flores and Delcy Rodríguez. OFAC gave no reason for the removal. He now presides over the National Assembly, and his sister Delcy, the interim president and Caracas's main interlocutor with Washington, was removed on 1 April 2026, after the capture of Nicolás Maduro and Cilia Flores, who await trial in New York (AFP).
The removal restores his access to the US financial system, but it is not a clearance everywhere. Canada still lists Jorge Jesús Rodríguez Gómez under its Special Economic Measures (Venezuela) Regulations, item 16, listed 22 September 2017, and AFP notes that a separate US visa revocation is not lifted by an SDN delisting. He was not found by name on the UK, EU, Swiss or Australian lists. As the head of a national legislature he remains a politically exposed person by any standard.
Party detail
Every row below was read against the issuing authority's own notice, not against a press report. Aliases are reproduced in full, including non Latin script forms, because the alias field is where a screening run usually fails. Identifiers are published sanctions data.
| Party | Action and instrument | Identifiers | Grounds |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jorge Jesus Rodriguez Gomez | RemovalExecutive Order 13692 (Venezuela); SDN tag [VENEZUELA] | Date of birth: 9 Nov 1965Nationality: VenezuelanIdentifier: Cedula No. 6823952 (Venezuela)Address: El Valle, Libertador, Capital District, Venezuela | Removed from the SDN List on 14 October 2026 in a Venezuela-related designation removal; OFAC gave no reason. Designated under E.O. 13692 in September 2018, alongside other members of Nicolás Maduro's inner circle. He is President of Venezuela's National Assembly and the brother of interim president Delcy Rodríguez, whom OFAC removed on 1 April 2026 (AFP). Canada still lists him under its Venezuela regulations |
| Nadia Narimanovna Cherkasova | AmendmentThe Russia (Sanctions) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019 | Date of birth: 11 Dec 1971Place of birth: Vladimir, RussiaIdentifier: OFSI group ID 15580 | Member of the management board of Bank Otkritie, designated by the UK on 26 September 2022 as an involved person under the Russia regime. On 15 October 2026 the FCDO varied the entry: the statement of reasons now opens with the Secretary of State's reasonable-grounds-to-suspect test and is recast in the past tense, and the date the trust services sanctions were imposed moves from the reasons to Other information. The sanctions imposed do not change |
What this means for your organisation
- 01
Close the US match for Jorge Rodríguez, and only that one: Remove SDN 25078 (born 9 November 1965, cédula 6823952) from US screening from 14 October and keep the OFAC notice on the case file.
- 02
Keep the Canadian listing and the PEP flag live: Canada still lists him under its Venezuela regulations, and as President of the National Assembly he stays a senior foreign PEP; maintain enhanced due diligence.
- 03
Update the UK record for Nadia Cherkasova: Replace the statement of reasons and other information for RUS1636 with the 15 October text; the asset freeze, travel ban, trust services sanctions and director disqualification continue.
- 04
Separate the two Cherkasovas: Irina Aleksandrovna (born 30 May 1963, Rostov) is listed by five authorities; Nadia Narimanovna (born 11 December 1971, Vladimir) only by the UK. Check the date of birth before escalating.
Where this issue came from
The map plots the sources Youverify monitors. The pulsing markers are the two authorities cited in this issue: US-OFAC and FCDO. Hover any marker to name the sources read there.
Method statement
The OFAC removal is read from the Recent Actions notice of 14 October and confirmed by comparing the SDN data files of 14 and 15 October record by record: one entry removed, none added or changed. The UK variation is read from the UK Sanctions List file and checked word for word against the red and yellow markup in the FCDO's Russia sanctions notice of 15 October. Both parties were checked by name against the OFAC, UK, EU, Swiss, Canadian and Australian lists. Context on the Venezuelan removal is attributed to AFP.
Corrections
No corrections issued for this issue. Corrections are published on the issue they affect, dated, with the original text retained.Cite this issue
Vyra from Youverify. "Washington Lifts Sanctions on Venezuela's Assembly Chief Jorge Rodríguez as London Recasts a Russian Banker's Listing." Youverify Sanctions Monitor, issue 147, 15 October 2026. https://youverify.co/en/sanctions/2026-10-15. Accessed 15 October 2026.