内容摘要：But in the face of Friday’s reprimand, the State Department indicated it was undeterred and would continue to support dissidents against Cuba’s “malign influence”.

But in the face of Friday’s reprimand, the State Department indicated it was undeterred and would continue to support dissidents against Cuba’s “malign influence”.

Luxury goods are defined broadly, including cars with a market value of more than 50,000 euros, home appliance hairdryers, washing machines and refrigerators worth more than $750, and smartphones worth more than $300, among other items.While violating sanctions is a criminal offence in many countries, enforcement is generally country-specific. Any company registered in a jurisdiction that did not impose sanctions, such as the UAE or China, is not legally bound to comply with another country's restrictions.

The US, owing to its outsize influence over the global economy, offers an exception with its practice of imposing secondary sanctions.Under Washington’s sanctions regime, companies registered anywhere in the world are at risk of being blacklisted if they are deemed to be helping Russia evade sanctions.Some human rights advocates argue that manufacturers are responsible for the sale of their products, whether sold with their approval or not, under the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights.

"Companies are responsible for how their products are being used. It’s crucial for companies to make sure that they are not causing or contributing to adverse human rights impacts related to their operations. They should seek to prevent or mitigate the adverse human rights effects," Ella Skybenko, a researcher at the London-based Business & Human Rights Resource Centre, told Al Jazeera.Skybenko said that companies should carry out enhanced due diligence and put in place mechanisms to identify suspicious orders from third parties.

“For instance, if the order is unusually large, a producer can start asking questions,” she said. “I know some companies require their customers to testify that their goods would not be shipped to Russia.”

Mechanisms for holding companies accountable, however, are limited, apart from The International Criminal Court, and only address the most direct examples of harm, such as where their components are used in weapons used to target civilians.According to Mathias, he “moves” gold valued at between $70mn and $80mn around every month. Apart from Zimbabwe, he listed Ghana, South Africa and Zambia among the countries that Macmillan and he can “export” gold from. Macmillan told Al Jazeera reporters that Mathias also works with “the Russians”.

Mathias, initially uncomfortable about Macmillan’s boastful attitude in front of our reporters, then explained what they needed to do in order for him to help launder their cash — set up a company in Dubai that they could claim was involved in the gold trade.When asked for a formal comment about the findings of Al Jazeera’s investigation, Mathias denied that he designed mechanisms to launder money and said that he had not laundered money or traded illegal gold for Russian clients or anyone else. He told us he had never had any working relationship with Macmillan.

Next week, Al Jazeera will introduce more key characters involved in the gold mafia.Decision to disband follows decades of attacks punctuated by failed peace talks and a changing political landscape.