The Latvian authorities have announced the conviction of a man on charges of importing goods from Belarus in breach of the EU’s sanctions.
The goods in question were railway sleepers and 8kg of nails.
The fine imposed was €5,000. No custodial sentence was imposed, but the man was banned from conducting any import business from Belarus for a year.
The US Department of Justice has announced the multiple charges against individuals and companies relating to an attempt to export US-origin industrial equipment (a jig grinder) with military application to Russia.
The companies charged are CNC Weld (incorporated in Latvia) and BY Trade OU (incorporated in Estonia).
Janis Uzbalis, Vadims Ananics, Eriks Mamonovs are three of the individuals. They were arrested in Latvia on 18 October 2022 for extradition to the US.
As part of the same investigation others were arrested in Estonia – see here.
Further to our earlier post, the Latvian VDD is investigating arms sales to an unnamed African country allegedly in breach of UN sanctions.
As part of that investigation the VDD has today announced the confiscation of $4m uncovered in an offshore account.
The Latvian Intelligence Services (VDD) has announced the arrest and charge of an individual on suspicion of breaching the EU’s sanctions against Russia.
As well as other offences, the sanctions breach is said to relate to cooperation “with a person included in the EU sanctions list”
Following raids in Riga and Tallinn by the Latvian Security Police, in close cooperation with the Estonian Internal Security Service (ISS), it was reported today that two individuals have been fined by the Latvian courts for breaching the EU’s Russian sanctions.
The breaches involved making funds available, through contracts involving broadcasting, to a designated person. The individuals (Oleg Solodov and Margus Merima) were each fined €25,000, and a further €3 million was confiscated.
It has been reported today that the Latvian authorities have conducted court-ordered raids on premises in Riga and elsewhere as part of the ongoing criminal investigation of seven individuals suspected of breaching the EU’s Russian sanctions.
The Latvian security service, the VDD, and the Estonian Internal Security Service, have conducted joint raids in the two countries as part of ongoing criminal investigations.
The raids were on the premises of companies in Riga and Tallinn owned or controlled by designated persons under the EU sanctions.
It is reported that one of the companies raided was Baltic Media Alliance.
The Latvian financial services regulator (the FKTK) has fined SEB Bank €1.8 million, of which €1,121,140 related to shortcomings in the banks sanctions compliance.
The inspections leading to the fine had taken place in 2017 and 2018.
The failings are said to have been specific to the EU’s Russian sanctions in regulation 269/2014 (as amended).
The fine was stated to be for not screening for companies and other assets owned by designated persons.
It has been reported today that the Latvian authorities have placed a block on the broadcasts of nine Russian television stations owned by a designated person under the EU’s sanctions.
The stations are owned by Yury Kovalchuk.
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.
