The Cypriot authorities have more than 40 ongoing criminal investigations related to alleged breaches of the EU’s Russian sanctions.
It is being reported that yesterday the current status of “all open cases exceeding 40 were reviewed” by the Law Office and the state’s Attorney General, with the Office for Economic Crime Investigation.
It is also being reported that for the completed investigations “indictments will be prepared to initiate criminal prosecutions in court”.
Following press reporting into allegations that the Viciūnai Group of companies were exporting sanctioned goods to Russia, it is now being reported that the Lithuanian Customs Department has commenced a pre-trial investigation.
The allegations include that dual use and “battlefield” goods were being exported to a factory in Kaliningrad operated by a related company.
It is reported that the company has confirmed the fact of the exports, but claims that it was not aware that the goods in question (which includes ball bearings, semi-conductors, electrical components and other goods) were subject to sanctions.
Further to our earlier post, regarding the UK’s National Crime Agency charging Dmitry Ovsyannikov with multiple counts of breaching the UK’s Russian sanctions, following a hearing in London it is now apparent that the National Crime Agency has also charged Ekaterina Ovsiannikova (the first defendant’s wife) and Alexei Owsjanikow, (the second defendant’s brother).
As per Spotlight on Corruption, a further hearing is listed for 28 June to hear application by the defendants to dismiss the charges.
The hearing, as reported by Global Investigations Review (behind a paywall), on Monday was largely procedural and dealt with issues like bail terms. The defendants have yet to enter a plea.
The German Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Change is being quoted in the press as having called for an investigation by the relevant authorities into allegations that two German companies may be breaching the EU’s sanctions by providing material for the rebuilding of the occupied city of Mariupol.
The companies, Knauf and WKB Systems GmbH have both issued statements saying they comply with relevant sanctions.
The call for an investigation follows reports of the supply of construction material first published in Monitor.
Further to our earlier post there has been an ongoing investigation in Cyprus in relation to the alleged transfer of over $1 billion in shares by Alexey Mordashov in breach of the asset freeze imposed upon him by the European Union.
It is now being reported that the Cypriot investigation has reached its “final stages”.
The report gives no indication of the outcome of the investigation.
The allegations relate to transfers of the shares in the tourism operator Tui.
It is being reported that the Latvian State Security Service (the VDD) has discontinued a criminal investigation started in November 2023 into the sale of a helicopter by a company indirectly co-owned by the designated person Petr Aven .
The sale had been reported to the VDD by a court-appointed bailiff on suspicion that the sale (which took place as part of an insolvency proceeding of the helicopter owning company) may be being used as a tool to circumvent the relevant asset freezes imposed by the EU.
The investigation included the questioning of a number of witnesses, and the freezing of the sale proceeds.
The VDD has concluded that the insolvency was proper, that the loan agreement which funded the helicopter purchase pre-dated the imposition of sanctions, and that the debts of the company could be discharged from the sale proceeds
It is being reported that the UK and the US are undertaking a joint investigation into $20 billion in crypto currency transactions said to be in breach of Russian sanctions.
The payments under scrutiny flowed through the Moscow-based Garantex crypto exchange, utilizing the dollar-pegged stablecoin Tether.
The original story was published by Bloomberg, behind a paywall.
It is also being reported that the National Crime Agency and HM Treasury have provided no comment in relation to the investigation.
It is being reported that the Hamburg Public Prosecutor’s Office (which does not publish press releases online) has charged five individuals on suspicion of exporting gas turbines to Crimea in breach of EU sanctions.
The gas turbines were manufactured by Siemens.
Of the five individuals, who have been under investigation since at least 2021 (see our earlier post), one remains an employee of Siemens. Four are German nationals and one is Swiss.
It is alleged that they were aware that the gas turbines being exported to Russia (then not prohibited) were destined for export and installation in Crimea in breach of the EU’s Crimea-specific sanctions.
The US Department of Justice has issued a press release confirming that the Latvian authorities have arrested a 55-year old, Oleg Chistyakov.
He has been charged with multiple counts of breaching US sanctions and other offences as part of an alleged wider conspiracy with two other also-charged individuals to supply avionics materials to Russia in breach of US sanctions.
The man was arrested near Riga on 19 March pending proceedings for extradition to the United States.
It is being reported today that a further journalist, Svetlana Burtseva, associated with the Russian media group Rossiya Segodnya has been arrested on suspicion of breaching EU sanctions.
The journalist was arrested in early March and is currently in detention.
This is a further Estonian example, see our earlier post, of a charge being brought on the basis that under EU sanctions services amount to an “economic resource” and to provide services to a designated person is to breach the asset freeze.
