As first reported in Global Sanctions, and as per a press release by German Customs, the Marburg Regional Court on 8 July has sentenced an individual to 5 years in jail for exporting luxury cars to Russian breach of the EU’s sanctions.
The man was convicted of 71 separate counts.
The court also confiscated approximately €5m as the gross proceeds of the cars sales.
The Dutch courts have published two sanctions judgments.
In the first case, the District court of Rotterdam has sentenced an individual to three years in jail.
The individual was convicted for providing technical assistance to a person in Russia or for use in Russia of different computer files containing information on the manufacture of microchips. The files were shares by Google Drive and Telegram between January 2023 and August 2024.
The defendant was acquitted of charges of physically taking similar files to Russia on USB sticks.
On sentencing the judgment stated:
“Providing advice to and sharing technology with Russia is extremely serious. It can contribute to strengthening military or strategic capabilities of that country, which has an impact on Ukraine and can indirectly affect international security and stability. It is therefore a serious offence. … The nature and seriousness of the facts justify a prison sentence of considerable duration. The fact that the files would contain outdated information is irrelevant because this information can be of great value to a country with a (much) lower level of knowledge. It must be prevented that a country at war can benefit in any way from advanced technological knowledge. After all, for that reason, an extensive package of sanctions has also been agreed against Russia, among others“.
In the second case, the District Court of Amsterdam has issued an order confiscating €1,013,956.00.
The unnamed corporate defendant had been provided goods and services in relation to the construction of the Kirch Bridge, and had been convicted on 28 November 2024 (our previous post here), with a fine of €120,000 imposed.
The court calculated that the gross revenue obtained in breach of sanctions was €2,711,085, but allowed certain costs including internal time incurred and the cost of insurance resulting in a final confiscation of €1,013,956.
The effect of this is that revenue of nearly €1.7m obtained in breach of the EU’s sanctions was retained by the convicted company.
The Austrian TV station TV21 has broadcast a story (on YouTube in English) reporting on raids and searches by the Hannover Customs Office in North Rhine-Westphalia and Lower Saxony on behalf of the Bielefeld Public Prosecutor’s Office.
Three individuals were arrested.
As well as trading in untaxed cigarettes, it is suspected that the group were responsible for the prohibited export of 100 cars to Russia via third countries in breach of the EU’s sanctions.
The Dutch FIOD has issued a press release regarding the arrest of four individuals and the launch of a criminal investigation into those individuals and an unnamed company operating in the Rotterdam area.
The individuals and company are suspected of being “involved in prohibited supplies or support of ships that are part of the so-called Russian shadow fleet” in breach of the EU’s Russian sanctions.
Raids and searches were carried out at four homes and the company’s premises.
It has been reported that the Spanish National Anti-Fraud Investigation Office, and competition authorities, have opened an investigation into the importation of diesel to Spain from Turkey and Morocco.
The suspicion being investigated is whether the diesel actually originates from Syria, Russia and/or Iran.
The investigation is reported to have been commenced in late 2024.
As further reported: “Several of the companies that were accused of bringing oil from Morocco due to their price advantage as they are of Russian origin in 2023 have either been disqualified or are currently involved in legal proceedings for fraud“.
It has been reported (here and here), that in early June the Italian police conducted seizures in Milan against the “Iranian” company Irital Shipping Lines.
The seizures involved assets of over €1m.
The reported reason was “Iran’s military support for Russia’s aggression against Ukraine”.
No public statement has been made by the Italian authorities, and it is unclear what is the precise nature of the allegations.
Poland’s National Tax Administration has issued a press release, announcing the seizure of 5 tons of aviation tyres.
The discovery was made through a routine inspection of a truck by the Lublin Customs and Tax office.
The declared goods were automobile tyres. The sender of the tyres was an unnamed company in Spain, and the declared recipient was said to be in Azerbaijan.
The goods were detained and criminal proceedings have been instituted.
The UK’s OFSI has announced a £5,000 monetary penalty imposed on Svarog Shipping & Trading Company Limited.
The fine was for failing to respond to an information request from OFSI in breach of regulation 74(1)(a) of the UK’s Russian sanctions regulation.
The Penalty Notice states that the request for information was made in the context of a wider “large and complex investigation into suspected breaches” of the UK’s sanctions in relation to Sovcomflot. That investigation is, presumably, ongoing.
The Dutch Public Prosecution Service has announced that it has charged the Dutch shipbuilding company Damen with an offence under the Dutch Sanctiewet. Other (non-sanctions) offences are also alleged.
The alleged breach of sanctions is said to have taken place in 2022 and to have involved exports to Russia of goods and technology.
The company has issued its own release which states in part:
“With regard to the suspicion of violating the Sanctions Act, Damen can report that it has always acted in accordance with the applicable sanctions packages and that full transparency has been exercised about its activities. Damen is therefore surprised that one case from June 2022 is now being submitted to the court. This is a case involving the supply of a very limited number of civilian cranes to Russia. This delivery took place within the sanctions legislation in force at the time”.
Finland’s Customs have issued a press release making public an investigation into the suspected export of technical documents from a nuclear power plant construction project to Russia.
The unnamed manging director of the company responsible for the construction project is identified as the person suspected of the offence.
The press release notes that the investigation is coming to an end and that, as yet, no decision on charging the individual has been made.
