Mark Handley – European Sanctions Enforcement

November 14, 2025November 14, 2025 by Mark Handley

United Kingdom – charges brought for making luxury art work available to person connected with Russia

As first reported in Global Investigations Review (here, behind a paywall), the UK’s Crown Prosecution Service has charged Hauser & Wirth (a Swiss company) that operates an art gallery in London, and logistics company Artay Rachweger Solomons each with a count of making a luxury good (i.e. a painting) available to a person connected with Russia in breach of the UK’s sanctions.

The person connected with Russia has not yet been named.

At a court hearing on 12 November, Artay Rauchwerger Solomons indicated that it intended to plead not guilty. Hauser & Wirth gave no indication.

November 14, 2025November 14, 2025 by Mark Handley

Finland – €540,000 fine for sanctions compliance failings by online retailer

The Regional State Administrative Agency for Southern Finland has issued a €540,000 fine to online retailer Verkkokauppa.com for failings under the Anti-Money Laundering Act. As one of the compliance requirements under the act is compliance with EU and UN sanctions, some of the compliance failings identified included a lack of sanctions screening for customers, including high risk customers seeking to pay cash.

The full Decision is here.

My thanks to Aleksi Pursiainen for mentioning this case on the most recent monthly sanctions webinar hosted by the Network for Financial Crime Prevention.

November 10, 2025November 10, 2025 by Mark Handley

Latvia – 247 administrative penalties for Russian trade sanctions breaches since June

At a conference held last week in Riga, the Director of Latvia’s Customs Board, gave figures on the number of penalties imposed under new rules introduced on 10 June 2025 allowing administrative penalties for import/export breaches of Russian sanctions where the value of the goods was less than €10,000.

Under those rules, in addition to confiscation of the goods in question, the minimum fine for a company is €10,000 and a maximum of €30,000. For individuals the maximum fine is €10,000.

At the conference (video is here, with the figure given at 3:15), it was stated that Latvia had imposed 247 such penalties to date, although some of those are the subject of appeals.

November 10, 2025 by Mark Handley

France – extradition to the US to face Russian export charges

On 4 November, the US Justice Department issued a press release following the extradition from France of Yana Leonova to face charges of exports of aviation equipment to Russia in breach of US sanctions.

The press release gives little information on when she was arrested or whether the extradition was contested.

It is alleged that she falsified the final destinations for exports and used a variety of front companies in Armenia, the Maldives and elsewhere.

November 10, 2025November 10, 2025 by Mark Handley

Estonia – arrest and pre-trial detention for sanctioned media offence

A court in Estonia has remanded an individual, Oleg Bessedin, in custody for two months while he awaits trial.

The prosecution is for a number of offences including allegedly breaching prohibitions in relation to the dissemination and broadcast of content from designated Russian media outlets under the EU’s sanctions.

The man denies the charges, but has been remanded due to perceived fight risk.

November 3, 2025 by Mark Handley

Germany – conviction and lengthy jail term for sanctioned exports to Russia

Further to our earlier post, it is being reported (here, here and here) that in September a court in Frankfurt convicted Alexander S. of exports of sanctioned goods to Russia.

He is reported to have been sentenced to 4 years and 11 months in jail. Both the defence and prosecution have appealed.

The conviction relates to exports of dual use maritime technology to Russia via a procurement network said to be run through the Cypriot company Mostrello.

November 3, 2025November 3, 2025 by Mark Handley

Germany – 16 years of jail and €30m confiscated for nearly 500 luxury car exports to Russia

This story is actually from September 2024, and was previously missed by this blog.

Three individuals were convicted of 430 separate violations of the German Foreign Trade Act by way of exports of nearly 500 luxury cars to Russia in breach of sanctions.

The individuals falsely declared the exports were for Belarus.

Two of the individuals were each sentenced to 6 years in jail, and the third to 4 years.

In addition €30m in the gross proceeds of the sales were confiscated.

November 3, 2025 by Mark Handley

Germany – investigation into alleged luxury car exports

German Customs has issued a 16 July Press release relating to raids and an investigation into alleged exports of luxury cars worth €3.4m to Russia.

The investigation was prompted by a suspicious activity report made to Germany’s FIU.

The investigation involves Hamburg Customs Investigation Office and the Hanover Public Prosecutor’s Office.

It is alleged that the exporter made false customs declarations purporting to indicate that the cars were destined for non-sanctioned countries, while the investigators determined that the cars were all subsequently registered in Russia.

November 3, 2025November 3, 2025 by Mark Handley

Norway – investigation into alleged military technology exports to Russia

After press reporting on possible breaches of Norway’s Russian sanctions by companies in the Kongsberg Group, the Public Prosecutor’s Office has confirmed that as of 25 October, it had started an investigation:

“PST has today decided to initiate an investigation of Kongsberg Discovery for violation of export control regulations. The reason for our decision is that through media coverage in recent days, information has emerged that gives PST reason to carry out further investigations“.

Kongsberg is a state-owned arms manufacturer and is reported to have stated to the press that it has followed Norway’s regulations.

The allegations are that equipment used for undersea surveillance have been sold and shipped to Russian military customers.

October 31, 2025 by Mark Handley

Czechia – criminal prosecution for dealing with designated person’s funds

Recent reporting on a Swiss judgment has thrown light on an ongoing criminal prosecution for alleged sanctions breaches being undertaken in Czechia.

The investigation resulted in the commencement of a criminal prosecution in August 2023 against Dmitry Kalantyrsky who is alleged to have dealt with a designated person’s frozen assets in 2015.

In October 2024 it was reported that the Czech Constitutional Court had dismissed a complaint brought against the prosecution, with the report noting that the allegations involve funds valued at approximately €4m, and that the designated person in question is alleged to be Arkady Rotenberg.