It has been reported that Estonia’s police and border guards have between them conducted over 240 inspections of vessels in waters of Estonia’s economic zone in the last 6 months. Estonia adopted the policy of conducting inspections in June of this year.
The vessels are said to belong to Russia’s so-called “shadow fleet” and the inspections relate to verifying compliance with requirements such as valid insurance.
His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) has announced the conviction of the company EDM Limited on three counts of exporting controlled military goods without the appropriate licence.
The good in question were military flight simulators valued at £38,967.68.
The company was fined £89,359.80, including costs, but HMRC’s Notice does not mention whether a confiscation order was also made.
EDM Limited had been offered a civil compound penalty to resolve the matter but had not accepted the offer in time and so the case went to trial.
Further to our earlier posts from 8 October and 7 October relating to the conviction of a company and individual for exporting aircraft parts to Russia in breach of EU sanctions, the Rotterdam District Court ruled on 22 November that the third co-defendant is also guilty.
The judgment is here.
The individual was an employee of the Ministry of Defence and was first arrested in September 2023 (see our earlier post).
The conviction was based on the export of parts via Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkey the UAE and Serbia. The Defendant was also convicted of falsifying documents and of a minor fire arms charge.
The court accepted findings of PTSD by court psychologists and the probation service.
At sentencing the court stated: “In view of the seriousness of the proven facts, from the point of view of general prevention, a prison sentence of considerable duration is in principle appropriate“.
In the circumstances of the defendant, however, the custodial sentence was limited to the period of pre-trial detention with a further period of 195 days suspended for two years. In addition 240 hours of community service was imposed.
The individual was also disqualified from acting as a company director for three years.
Presenting a webinar this morning made me aware that this blog had missed a number of stories relating to Danish sanctions enforcement.
I have endeavoured to rectify that gap with a number of posts filling gaps from 2022 through to early 2024. Because I have back-dated the posts so that they appear in the correct sequence it made sense to collect them into a properly new post to highlight the additions.
Importantly, between February 2022 and August 2023 a total of 98 investigations were opened, with 16 referred to the police. In addition the police have charged a company and two individuals in relation to one particular case.
It is being reported that the Czech authorities have an unspecified number of ongoing investigations into Czech companies suspected of circumventing the EU’s Russian sanctions.
As per our earlier post from June 2023, it was then reported that Czechia had 40 ongoing investigations.
It is being reported that a Russian national, who was formerly an employee of chip manufacturer ASML, and of Mapper Lithography, is being prosecuted for both breach of EU sanctions and for theft of trade secrets.
The man is currently in custody. As part of the prosecution the individual has been banned from travel to the Netherlands for 20 years.
The man is alleged to have stolen documents, such as microchip manuals and passed those to Russian recipients to aid microchip production.
It is being reported that the Kurzeme District Court has sentenced the Latvian citizen Valentins Rozencovs, to 2 years in jail.
The sentence was that sought by the prosecution, although the case is subject to appeal.
Rozencovs was the editor-in-chief of Sputnik Latvija which is the Latvian branch of Sputnik which operates under the umbrella of a Russian state-owned media company Rossiya Segodnya.
The Director General of Rossiya Segodnya is a designated person (Dmitry Kiselyov), and the prosecution was based on the premise that the provision of services by Valentins Rozencovs was making economic resources available to a designated person, and that Sputnik Latvija was “owned or controlled” by Kiselyov.
This is the latest in a series of prosecutions relating to Rossiya Segodnya – see our earlier posts, here and here.
It is being reported that Hungarian authorities have reached a settlement to resolve the prosecution of an individual identified as M.M.
The prosecution was based on importing car parts from Russia, via Belarus, in breach of the EU’s sanctions.
The imports are said to have been valued at HUF 35 million (€84,500), and the agreed settlement was for a fine HUF 1 million (€2,400), the confiscation of the imported parts and the payment of legal costs.
This is the first known example of an enforcement action in Hungary.
It is being reported that a German customs investigation has been commenced into the business affairs Jörg Dornau who is an MP in the Saxon state parliament.
It is alleged that he arranged for the export of machinery to Belarus in breach of EU trade sanctions.
It is alleged that the goods were first sent to Kazakhstan before then being on-shipped to a company in which the politician has interests in Belarus called Zybulka-Bel.
The press article mentions that before any prosecution could be brought the MP’s immunity would need to first be lifted.
It is being reported that a Belarusian businessman resident in Latvia is being prosecuted for alleged exports to Belarus in breach of the EU’s sanctions.
The businessman, Igor Medved, is also reported to be preparing a guilty plea.
It is alleged that through his company, Nordwoc Limited, exports of sanctioned machinery have been made to Belarus. The precise type of machinery is not specified in the reports.
The investigation by the State Security Service was first made public in October 2023, at which time a freeze was also imposed on the shares of Nordwoc.
The prosecution is reported to be seeking a two-year custodial sentence, a fine of €225,000 and confiscation of €30,000 as well as confiscation of the shares of Nordwoc.
