European Sanctions Enforcement

November 15, 2019March 19, 2024 by Mark Handley

Latvia – raids and arrests for arms sales in breach of UN sanctions

The Latvian Intelligence Services have announced a series of five raids in Riga and elsewhere relating to “illegal arms trade, violation of sanctions determined by international organisations” and money laundering.

As stated: “The information acquired during the investigation indicates that the group of persons has illicitly supplied a large number of arms to African countries that are subject to the sanctions determined by the UN and the EU. The accomplishment of illicit contracts was followed by laundering of criminally acquired financial resources”.

The release does not specify the African country.

November 12, 2019March 15, 2024 by Mark Handley

UK – 9 companies issued compound penalties for unlicensed exports

The UK’s HMRC has today announced that it has imposed compound penalties on nine separate exporters for the unlicensed exports of dual use goods, military goods and related activity controlled by Export Control Order.

The fines were between £5,000 and £90,000 in value.

November 5, 2019January 10, 2024 by Mark Handley

Netherlands – conviction for breach of ISIS sanctions

The Rotterdam District Court has convicted an individual for the financial transfer of €471 in breach of the EU’s sanctions against ISIS.

In light of other offences, the man was sentenced to 18 months in jail, with 6 months conditional and a probation period of 3 years.

November 5, 2019January 11, 2024 by Mark Handley

Netherlands – two month suspended sentence for €200 transfer

The District Court of Rotterdam has imposed a two-month suspended sentence on an individual for the transfer of €200 to his brother.

The brother was fighting for ISIS in Syria and so the transfer was in breach of EU sanctions.

November 1, 2019January 11, 2024 by Mark Handley

Germany – trial commences of individual charged with Russian exports

A trial has commenced in Hamburg of a 69-year old charged with making numerous exports to Russia in breach of EU sanctions.

The man is a Russian national and is alleged to have exported 15kg of Decaboran which is used to make rocket propellant and explosives.

He is also alleged to have exported special machinery used to manufacture rockets. The total value of the exports is said to be over €1.8 million.

November 1, 2019January 11, 2024 by Mark Handley

Netherlands – Dutch National Bank fines trust office for KYC failings

The Rotterdam District Court has heard an appeal against fines imposed by the Dutch National Bank on a trust office.

The fines were of €593,750 and €10,000.

Some aspects of the appeal were upheld and the fines were reduced, but the court agreed with the KYC failings (including related to sanctions screening) and imposed revised fines of €534,375 and €9,000.

October 15, 2019March 15, 2024 by Mark Handley

UK – OFSI Annual Report: enforcement statistics

OFSI has released its Annual Report for 2018-2019.

In it OFSI reports that it received 99 reports of suspected sanctions breaches with a value of £262 million.

October 3, 2019January 11, 2024 by Mark Handley

Netherlands – conviction for breaching Iran sanctions

The District Court of East Brabant in the Netherlands has convicted an individual for breaches of the EU’s Iran sanctions. The offence consisted of the export of 5 items to an Iranian person in breach of the EU regulation.

The defendant was acquitted of other charges and was fined €5,000.

September 9, 2019March 15, 2024 by Mark Handley

UK – OFSI’s third monetary penalty

OFSI has today imposed a fine of £146,341 against Telia Carrier UK Limited for breaches of the EU’s Syrian sanctions.

The breaches arose out of Telia facilitating telephone calls for SyriaTel which is a designated person under the EU sanctions. The phone connections were treated as “economic resources” for the purposes of the sanctions.

The fine in this instance was reduced from £300,000 after Telia opted to seek a ministerial review of OFSI’s penalty.

August 21, 2019March 6, 2024 by Mark Handley

Germany – charges for exporting dual use goods to Russia

Further to our earlier post, the German Federal Prosecutor’s Office has issued a press release stating that charges have now been laid against Vladimir D. for allegedly exporting dual use goods for military use to the Russian military.

The products are said to have been hot isostatic presses, as well as decaboranes, a chemical use in rocket fuel and explosives.

The goods are valued at €1.8m.