Custodial sentence – Page 3 – European Sanctions Enforcement

November 17, 2022September 10, 2024 by Mark Handley

Germany – conviction for importing timber from Myanmar referred to CJEU

A referral to the Court of Justice of the European Union has revealed a conviction in Germany arising from the importation of timber from Myanmar in breach of the EU’s sanctions.

The defendant was convicted and given a sentence of 19 months in prison and a confiscation order of €3,310,902.98 was imposed as well.

The case has been referred to the CJEU because the defendant argues that the timber in question should properly be seen as having been imported from Taiwan, and not Myanmar, because the timber had been processed in Taiwan.

Update: The CJEU case was registered on 8 February 2023.

August 31, 2022January 11, 2024 by Mark Handley

Netherlands – 30 month custodial sentence for breach of ISIS sanctions

The Rotterdam District Court has imposed a 30-month custodial sentence on an individual relating to a two-year period in which financial transfers of approximately $140,000 were made in breach of EU sanctions against ISIS and Al Qaeda.

The transfers were related to efforts to smuggle Dutch women who had travelled to Syria and Iraq to be part of ISIS out of that region and back to the Netherlands.

June 28, 2022January 11, 2024 by Mark Handley

Netherlands – 18 month sentence for exports to Iran

The Dutch Supreme Court has denied an appeal against an 18-month custodial sentence against an individual for his role in seven exports of goods to the National Iranian Gas Company which is a designated person under the EU’s sanctions.

The shipments were made via Turkey or Dubai and the defence argued in the appeal that this was not “indirectly” making economic resources available to a designated person. The Supreme Court disagreed.

February 4, 2022January 11, 2024 by Mark Handley

Netherlands – 6 month custodial sentence

The Court of Appeal in the Hague has upheld the conviction of an individual on charges of breaching the EU sanctions against terrorist organisations.

Amongst other charges the individual was charged with making a financial transfer through intermediaries in Turkey and/or Syria to ISIS.

The man was sentenced to 9 months, of which 3 was conditional.

December 14, 2021January 11, 2024 by Mark Handley

Denmark – sentences and fines for breach of Syrian sanctions

Two Danish companies have been convicted of exporting 177,000 tonnes of jet fuel to Syria in breach of the EU’s sanctions.

In total some 33 transactions took place between 2015 and 2017, with the exports routed through Russian companies bound for Syria.

The company Dan-Bunkering was fined DKK 30 million ($4.6m), with a further DKK 15 million of unlawful profits confiscated.

The parent company Bunker Holding was fined DKK 4 million.

The Dan Bunkering CEO was also convicted and given a four-month custodial sentence , suspended pending a one year probation period.

March 4, 2021January 11, 2024 by Mark Handley

Germany – convictions and fines for Russian exports

Further to our earlier post, it has been reported today that the Higher Regional Court in Hamburg has sentenced two men to prison for supplying machine tools to a Russian arms company.

The first defendant received a sentence of three years and nine months. In addition, almost €8 million in profits from the sale of the machinery will be confiscated

The second defendant was sentenced to two years’ probation for aiding and abetting with a payment of €150,000 to secure that probation. A further €184,000 are to be confiscated.

January 9, 2020January 11, 2024 by Mark Handley

Germany – seven year sentence for Russian exports

The Higher Regional Court of Hamburg has today sentenced a man to seven years in jail for exports to Russian in breach of EU sanctions.

Our earlier post had outlined that the man was charged with exports of chemicals and machinery to Russia which could be used in the manufacture of military rockets. False documentation had been created in an attempt to mask the exports.

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.

April 3, 2019January 11, 2024 by Mark Handley

Germany – company fined €11 million and three managers sentenced for unlicensed exports

Three managers of Sig Sauer, the arms manufacturer have been convicted (after guilty pleas) of the unlicensed export of small arms to Colombia. See our earlier post.

One manager was fined €600,000 and given an 18-month suspended prison sentence. Another was fined given a 10-month suspended sentence and also fined €600,000. A third was fined €60,000 and given a 10-month suspended sentence.

The company itself was fined €11 million.

February 18, 2019October 31, 2024 by Mark Handley

Netherlands – two companies and three individuals convicted of Iran exports

The Dutch District Court in Limburg has convicted two companies and three individuals of unlicensed exports of gas turbine machinery to Iran.

The companies were Euroturbine BV, and its Bahraini subsidiary, and they were fined €500,000 and €350,000 respectively.

The exports were routed via indirect channels to and mask the destination.

The individuals were respectively sentenced to 12 months in jail, of which 11 months were suspended and 240 hours of community service; 8 months in jail, of which 7 months were suspended and a community service of 200 hours. The third individual , a company employee, was sentenced to 180 hours of community service.

A fourth individual had earlier pled guilty and been sentenced to 120 hours of community service.