Dual-Use Goods – European Sanctions Enforcement

December 20, 2024December 20, 2024 by Mark Handley

United Kingdom – three penalties imposed by HMRC for breaches of Russian trade sanctions

On 4 November 2024, HMRC published a Notice to Exporters regarding a compound penalty of £58,426.45 imposed for breaches of Russian trade sanctions.

The Notice included the line:

“Since February 2022, HMRC has issued six compound settlements against UK companies that have breached the Russia sanctions regulations for a total of £1,363,129, including one in August 2023 for £1 million“.

This struck a chord because, as captured in this blog, only three compound penalties had been publicly imposed by HMRC for breaching Russian sanctions. So a Freedom of Information request was made about the other three.

The response is here.

FOI2024_232370 Download

The response discloses details of three compound penalties (totalling c. £237,000) from August and September 2022 and April 2023. These had each been previously published, but had not previously been described as relating to Russian sanctions.

August 2022 – £1,000.00 was paid relating to the export of goods in breach of The Russia (Sanctions) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019.
- This penalty was previously described as relating to “unlicensed exports of dual-use goods”.
September 2022 – £19,689.20 was paid relating to the export of goods in breach of The Russia (Sanctions) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019.
- This penalty was previously described as relating to “unlicensed exports of dual-use goods”.
April 2023 – £217,012.50 was paid relating to the export of goods in breach of The Russia (Sanctions) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019.
- This penalty was previously described as relating to “unlicensed exports of dual use goods”.

It is unclear why these penalties were not previously described as relating to breaches of Russian sanctions.

The FOIA request also asked for the names of the individuals or companies which were the subject of the penalties; whether any had self-reported; and what (if any) confiscation of the proceeds of crime was applied. These questions were not answered.

December 9, 2024December 10, 2024 by Mark Handley

Denmark – sanctions enforcement activity 2022-2024

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.

conclusion of a Danish FSA investigation into a payment services provider in January 2024: https://blogs.duanemorris.com/europeansanctionsenforcement/2024/01/19/denmark-danish-fsa-concludes-investigation-into-payment-services-provider/
a company and two individuals charged with sanctions offences relating to alleged arms exports to Russia in January 2024: https://blogs.duanemorris.com/europeansanctionsenforcement/2024/01/12/denmark-three-charged-in-relation-to-alleged-arms-exports-to-russia/
45 investigations opened between January and August 2023, of which 23 remained open and 2 had been referred to the Police: https://blogs.duanemorris.com/europeansanctionsenforcement/2023/08/16/denmark-45-sanctions-investigations-opened-so-far-in-2023/
two Russian designated persons referred to the Police by the Danish Business Authority in January 2023: https://blogs.duanemorris.com/europeansanctionsenforcement/2023/01/25/denmark-two-further-sanctions-investigations-referred-to-the-police/
12 criminal cases opened by the police and 34 investigations commenced by the Danish Business Authority between February 2022 and October 2022: https://blogs.duanemorris.com/europeansanctionsenforcement/2022/10/26/denmark-12-criminal-investigations-for-sanctions-breaches-opened/

November 27, 2024November 28, 2024 by Mark Handley

Poland – German national charged with exporting dual-use goods to Russia

It is being reported that Polish authorities have arrested and charged a German national with exporting dual-use technology to Russia in breach of EU sanctions.

The arrest was in the Lubusz province and relates to the export of machinery which can be used in weapons manufacture. It is also said that the exports were directed at “Russian military plants involved in weapons production”.

The individual is reported to have admitted his guilt.

The press release is here.

November 11, 2024November 11, 2024 by Mark Handley

Netherlands – conviction and confiscation for exporting sanctioned goods to Russian companies

The Rotterdam District Court has issued two judgments relating to the conviction and sentencing of an individual for exporting computer goods and software destined for Russian companies via intermediaries in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan.

According to the judgment convicting the individual, the man had been selling computer equipment to two Russian companies prior to 2022. After the goods in questions became sanctioned, a fact he was made aware of by his customs agent, the man directed the exports to affiliates of his Russian customers in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan. All the communications, however, remained with the Russian companies.

In an attempt to cover his tracks the man forged a contract between his company and the central Asian entities and provided this in response to questions from his bank.

The court convicted him of the charges, including forgery, holding that the EU Regulations did not require proof that the goods were actually delivered to Russia.

The exports in question were of thousands of items which were either dual-use or luxury goods and were predominantly computer equipment and software.

At sentencing the court made a number of comments:

firstly that “the court looked at penalties imposed in comparable cases, although there is not much comparative material”; and
the court’s aim in sentencing was to “give the suspect a good rap on the knuckles”, but not to hinder the man’s ability to continue operating his business.

The man was given a custodial sentence equivalent to the length of his time served in pre-trial detention (450 days), a suspended sentence of just over 11 months, suspended for two years, and a community service order of 240 hours.

Goods which had been seized during the investigation were returned to him.

The second judgment related to confiscation of the proceeds of crime from the man.

The court calculated that the gross proceeds of the crimes were €1,924,579, from which the court deducted €1,626,269 in what it described as “deductible costs”, leaving a final figure for confiscation of €298,310 which the court considered to be the company’s “profit”. This was the amount the man was ordered to pay by way of confiscation order.

The judgment does not record the Court (or the prosecution) giving consideration to the recent CJEU judgment which upheld a confiscation of the gross proceeds of crime.

November 8, 2024November 8, 2024 by Mark Handley

Germany – seven year sentence for exports of military and dual-use goods to Russia and confiscation of profits

It is being reported that the Higher Regional Court in Stuttgart has convicted Ulli S, a 56 year old man, of breaches of the EU sanctions against Russia and the German foreign trade law.

As per our earlier posts, the man was arrested in August 2023, and had been charged in November 2023.

The exports were of machinery which can be used for the manufacture of sniper rifles and other weapons. Some of the exports were sent to Russia via Switzerland and others via Lithuania, while the customs data was falsified.

The contracts for the supply of the goods had been entered into in 2015.

The individual is said to have profited by 2.1 million euros, while a Swiss holding company benefitted by roughly 3 million euros. According to Der Spiegel these sums have been confiscated.

The trial lasted several months and is subject to a possible appeal.

November 4, 2024November 4, 2024 by Mark Handley

United Kingdom – HMRC compound penalties for Russian sanctions and export control violations totaling £1.9m

The UK’s HMRC has issued several “Notices to Exporters” with updates as to recent enforcement activity.

In one Notice, HMRC states that is has agreed three compound penalties with different entities:

“August 2024 – £402,417.75 was paid relating to the unlicensed exports of military goods controlled by The Export Control Order 2008
August 2024 – £37,743.34 was paid relating to the unlicensed exports of dual-use goods controlled by Retained Regulation 428/2009
September 2024 – £1,480,785.44 was paid relating to the unlicensed exports of military goods controlled by The Export Control Order 2008″

As ever with such penalties the nature of the offending is not given, the identity of the offender is not given, and no indication is given as to whether or not the fine includes a confiscation element for the proceeds of the crimes.

In a second Notice, HMRC describes the compound penalty:

“August 2024 – £58,426.45 was paid relating to the export of goods in breach of The Russia (Sanctions) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019”.

Again, no other details or information is provided, although HMRC notes that this is its 6th compound penalty in relation to Russian sanctions totaling £1,363,129.

October 15, 2024October 15, 2024 by Mark Handley

Cyprus – extradition of individual to face US sanctions charges

The US Attorney for the Southern District of New York has issued a press release, providing details of the arrest in Cyprus of Arthur Petrov a Russian-German national in August 2023 for the purposes of extradition to face charges in the US of breaching US sanctions against Russia.

Petrov only arrived in New York in August 2024 suggesting prolonged extradition proceedings in Cyprus.

Petrov operated the Cypriot company Astrafteros Technokosmos LTD, via which he procured US-origin microelectronics for onward sale, ultimately, to the Russian military through the company LLC Electrocom VPK.

Two other co-defendants remain at large.

October 15, 2024 by Mark Handley

Finland – three Russian nationals under investigation for dual-use exports

Further to our earlier post from May when three Russian national university students were arrested in Finland, an update on the case has now been reported.

The investigation of all three individuals continues, with two having been released from custody over the summer and the third recently released.

The conditions of bail include a travel ban, and it is said that the three are being investigated in relation to the “gross regulatory crime” of exporting dual use goods from Finland to Russia in breach of EU sanctions.

It is unclear whether this case is related to Tampere University recently reporting itself to the Finnish police.

October 10, 2024October 10, 2024 by Mark Handley

Finland – university calls in police to investigate suspected breach of sanctions

It is being reported that the University of Tampere in Finland has asked the police to investigate a suspected breach of sanctions “at the institution”.

The suspicions relates to potential breach of sanctions as well as export controls on dual-use goods. The particular sanctions regime involved is not specified in the material that is public.

Little other information is available including whether the suspicions relate to staff or students.

October 4, 2024October 4, 2024 by Mark Handley

Netherlands – Prosecution Service seeks 2-year sentence and confiscation for dual-use and other exports to Russia

The Dutch Prosecution Service has issued a press release stating that they are seeking a sentence for a 42-year old individual consisting of:

i) a 24 month custodial sentence of which 10 months is suspended;

ii) confiscation of all the proceeds of crime obtained from the breaches of sanctions; and

iii) forfeiture of the company’s stock.

As per our earlier posts the man was arrested in July 2023, for exports of electronic components and other dual use goods to Russia via Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan. The man is also alleged to have falsified records to mask the true destination of the exports.

In May this year the man had won a court hearing allowing his company to keep trading pending trial.