France – European Sanctions Enforcement

December 23, 2025December 23, 2025 by Mark Handley

France – Lafarge sanctions trial ends with verdict due in April 2026

After a six-week trial, verdict in the Lafarge prosecution is now expected on 13 April 2026.

The Anti-Terrorism Prosecutor’s Office is seeking a fine of €1.125 million, as well as a fine of €4.57 million that is directly related to the alleged breaches of EU sanctions.

The prosecution is also seeking lengthy jail terms for the eight individual defendants of between 18 months and 8 years, including 6 years for the former CEO, as well as a €225,000 fine and a 10-year ban on serving in any management position in a company.

November 10, 2025 by Mark Handley

France – extradition to the US to face Russian export charges

On 4 November, the US Justice Department issued a press release following the extradition from France of Yana Leonova to face charges of exports of aviation equipment to Russia in breach of US sanctions.

The press release gives little information on when she was arrested or whether the extradition was contested.

It is alleged that she falsified the final destinations for exports and used a variety of front companies in Armenia, the Maldives and elsewhere.

October 6, 2025October 6, 2025 by Mark Handley

France – seizure of Russian shadow fleet vessel and arrest of captain

It has been widely reported (e.g. here and here) that the French military boarded and seized control of an oil tanker reputed to to be part of the “shadow fleet”.

The vessel, the “Boracay” has been sanctioned by the EU and the UK. It is alleged that the crew failed to provide information to authorities on the nationality of the vessel or otherwise comply with orders.

It has now also been reported that the vessel has now continued on its voyage and the captain has been released.

July 1, 2025July 1, 2025 by Mark Handley

France – financial services regulator fines bank €600,000 for sanctions compliance failings

France’s ACPR has issued a press release making public a fine of €600,000 imposed on Banque Delubac.

The detailed Décision, make clear that the compliance failings predominantly relate to AML and CTF failings, but Complaint 9 relates to sanctions compliance. The ACPR noted a failure by the bank to collect data on directors and beneficial owners for more than a quarter of its business customers. Further, the bank applied no screening at all on transactions valued at below €1,000 between 2020 and 2022/203.

The size of the fine is said to reflect the €3m spent on improving the bank’s compliance, and the bank’s loss for the financial year 2024.

April 2, 2025 by Mark Handley

France – TV regulator orders satellite provider to stop broadcasting sanctioned Russian channels

The French media regulator , Arcom, has issued an order to Eutelsat ordering it to cease the broadcasting of two channels owned or controlled by JSC National Media Group which is a designated person under the EU’s Russian sanctions.

The channels are STS and Kanal 5.

Earlier reports had suggested that Arcom might impose a fine on Eutelsat, but no fine was imposed.

October 17, 2024October 17, 2024 by Mark Handley

France – prosecution of Lafarge for ISIS sanctions breaches to go to trial

Further to our earlier post from February 2024, it is being reported that the Paris Court has ordered that the prosecution of the French cement maker Lafarge and eight individuals on charges of terrorist financing and breach of EU sanctions against ISIS should proceed to trial.

The case is part of a long running saga arising from allegations that the company paid money to ISIS in order to keep a cement plant open and operating.

October 11, 2024October 11, 2024 by Mark Handley

France – acquittal of ship’s captain charged with sanctions violations

In an earlier post we reported on the ongoing trial of the captain of the ship the “Baltic Leader”, who was being prosecuted in Rouen for alleged breaches of the EU’s Russian sanctions. French prosecutors were seeking a combined fine and confiscation of €16 million.

It is now being reported that yesterday the captain was acquitted of all charges.

Currently no further details are available.

September 10, 2024 by Mark Handley

France – trial underway against the captain of a Russian cargo ship for sanctions breaches

The trial of the captain of a Russian cargo ship is now underway in Rouen.

It is being reported that the Rouen Prosecutor’s Office is seeking a fine of €8m, plus confiscation of the ship (valued at €8m) plus a suspended prison sentence of 10 months.

The case arises from the departure from the port of Rouen on 25 February 2022 of the vessel the “Baltic Leader” which was Russian flagged and carrying wind turbines.

Part of the prosecution’s case is that the vessel was ultimately owned and/or controlled by Promsvyazbank which is a designated person under the EU’s Russian sanctions.

July 11, 2024July 12, 2024 by Mark Handley

France – Russian vessel barred from entering the port of Brest

It is being reported that the French port of Brest has barred the Russian vessel Shtandart from entering thereby enforcing the EU’s prohibition on Russian vessel entering EU ports.

The vessel has been re-flagged to the Cook Islands but remains operated by Russians. It is a modern replica of a frigate of Tsar Peter the Great which was sailing to Brest to take part in the Maritime Festival.

The same report notes that the vessel had previously been in another French port at La Rochelle.

May 28, 2024 by Mark Handley

France – raids on company shut down large scale exports to Russia in breach of sanctions

France’s La Direction Nationale du Renseignement et des Enquêtes Douanières has issued a press release reporting on raids conducted on a company in Ile-de-France on Thursday and Friday of last week.

The raids by 25 customs officers came after a 10-month investigation. The conduct is stated to amount to exports valued at several 10s of millions of Euros, and to have involved 100s of false customs declarations involving several dozen different exporters each using the services of the raided customs agent.

The company had advertised on the darkweb that it could provide a turnkey sanctions evasion service.

The French authorities acknowledged the help from reports from other European countries and noted the investigation highlighted “statistical anomalies, notably an exponential growth of exports of the company in question to third countries bordering Russia”.