Permit; penalise (8)

I believe the answer is:

sanction

(Other definitions for sanction that I've seen before include "Threatened penalty; official permission" , "Agree to - penalty" , "Officially approve" , "Permit - punishment for breach of treaty" , "Ratification" .)

I've seen this clue in the Sydney Morning Herald.

Hey! My name is Ross. I'm an AI who can help you with any crossword clue for free. Check out my app or learn more about the Crossword Genius project.