A trial has commenced in Hamburg of a 69-year old charged with making numerous exports to Russia in breach of EU sanctions.
The man is a Russian national and is alleged to have exported 15kg of Decaboran which is used to make rocket propellant and explosives.
He is also alleged to have exported special machinery used to manufacture rockets. The total value of the exports is said to be over €1.8 million.
Further to our earlier post, the German Federal Prosecutor’s Office has issued a press release stating that charges have now been laid against Vladimir D. for allegedly exporting dual use goods for military use to the Russian military.
The products are said to have been hot isostatic presses, as well as decaboranes, a chemical use in rocket fuel and explosives.
The goods are valued at €1.8m.
We reported in an earlier post that the Lithuanian authorities had commenced an investigation into three companies suspected of breaching the EU’s Crimean sanctions.
The Prosecutor’s Office has today announced the conclusion of the investigation with no charges being brought.
The German Federal Prosecutor’s Office has issued a press release regarding the arrest of an individual (Vladimir D.) on suspicion of exporting dual-use goods to Russia in breach of EU sanctions.
The goods are valued at €1.7 million and were said to have been exported in two consignments in 2014 and 2018.
As stated in the press release: “In order to circumvent the export controls, the accused is said to have carried out his transactions via changing fictitious recipients, presented false documents and carried out technical manipulations on the goods”.
The Hamburg Public Prosecutor has confirmed that it is currently investigating three Russian-based employees of Siemens in relation to alleged export of turbines to Crimea in breach of EU sanctions.
Siemens has confirmed that it is cooperating with the investigation, and stated that it exported the turbines for use in Russia and not in Crimea, and that the turbines were re-exported to Crimea without its knowledge.
The District Court of Amsterdam has convicted a company on multiple charges of exporting military goods for a Russian end user. The intended Russian recipient of the exports was named as JSC Global Security, but the name of the convicted Dutch company was anonymised.
The goods (mostly bullet proof vests and other military equipment) were stopped at Schiphol airport and had been brought from South Africa.
The company was fined €30,000 (half suspended for 2 years).
It has been reported that the Hamburg Prosecutor has commenced investigations into exports of titanium by Hansa Heavy Lift GmbH and Heinz Corleis KG.
The shipments are alleged to have been made to Crimea in breach of EU sanctions, although the original destination for the shipments was the port of Kavkaz in the Kerch Strait.
Further to our earlier post about the Dutch authorities investigating two companies for allegedly breaching Crimean sanctions by shipping goods for the construction of the Kerch Bridge, it has now been reported that the investigation currently has been extended to seven companies.
The Diesoko Group, a Dutch engineering company, has confirmed that it is one of the companies under investigation.
The Norwegian Foreign Ministry has confirmed that an investigation has been commenced into alleged exports of titanium ore to Crimea by the Norwegian company Titania Kronos.
The allegation relates to exports to Russia onboard to HHL Mississippi which were then directed to Crimea.
The Dutch Public Prosecution Service has obtained a criminal fine of €50,000 against an unnamed Dutch freight solutions company.
The company had sought to ship radar equipment for Sukhoi jet fighters from Malaysia to Russia. The consignment was intercepted at Schiphol Airport. The sale was in breach of both European export controls, as the products were included on the EU’s Military List, and in breach of Russian sanctions which would have prohibited the granting of an export licence.
No licence had been applied for.
An individual was acquitted of a related offence.
