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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
It was reported today that the Penal Court of Antwerp has convicted three Belgian companies and associated individuals of breaching the EU’s Syrian sanctions by exporting 168 tons of isopropranol which is a dual-use product.
AAE Chemie Trading was conditionally fined €346,443 with €50,000 effective. Anex Customs was fined €500,000 of which €100,000 is effective and Danmar Logistics were fined between €75,000 of which €50,000 is effective
Rolf Rippen, the manager of AAE Chemie Trading was sentenced to four months in jail suspended, while Herman Van Landeghem, a manager of Anex Customs and Danmar Logistics, received a 12-month custodial sentence.
The Dutch Supreme Court has dismissed the appeal against the 19-year sentence for (amongst other crimes) breach of the EU’s Liberian sanctions.
The appeal was largely on the grounds that the Liberian government had granted an amnesty which was said to apply. The Supreme Court disagreed, and in any event held that such an amnesty is incompatible with Dutch obligations under the European Convention of Human Rights.
