Trade Sanctions – Page 2 – European Sanctions Enforcement

July 2, 2025July 2, 2025 by Mark Handley

Spain – sanctions-related investigation into origins of imported diesel

It has been reported that the Spanish National Anti-Fraud Investigation Office, and competition authorities, have opened an investigation into the importation of diesel to Spain from Turkey and Morocco.

The suspicion being investigated is whether the diesel actually originates from Syria, Russia and/or Iran.

The investigation is reported to have been commenced in late 2024.

As further reported: “Several of the companies that were accused of bringing oil from Morocco due to their price advantage as they are of Russian origin in 2023 have either been disqualified or are currently involved in legal proceedings for fraud“.

June 30, 2025June 30, 2025 by Mark Handley

Italy – seizures against Iranian company associated with Russia

It has been reported (here and here), that in early June the Italian police conducted seizures in Milan against the “Iranian” company Irital Shipping Lines.

The seizures involved assets of over €1m.

The reported reason was “Iran’s military support for Russia’s aggression against Ukraine”.

No public statement has been made by the Italian authorities, and it is unclear what is the precise nature of the allegations.

June 30, 2025June 30, 2025 by Mark Handley

Czechia – investigations announced into 12 companies suspected of sanctioned exports to Russia

After press reporting by The Insider, into the acitivties of Czech companies allegedly exporting to Russia, it has now been reported that the Czech authorities are undertaking investigations into the companies.

The exports of machinery and duel-use goods (valued at more than €10m) are said to have largely gone through a range of third countries such as Estonia, Serbia, Turkey, and Latvia.

Confirmation of the investigations came from Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavský and Minister of Industry and Trade Lukáš Vlček.

The companies under investigation are:

Šmeral Brno
Varnsdorf
TAJMAC-ZPS
Pilous-Pásové Pily
Jihostroj a.s.
N.Ko
Prestar
Tachtech s.r.o.
Stroje Zeman Trade
Permico s.r.o.

June 30, 2025 by Mark Handley

Finland – Customs investigation into suspected electronics exports to Russia

On Thursday Finland’s Customs announced details of an ongoing investigation into a suspected aggravated offence of breaching the EU’s sanctions. This is the most serious category of offence under Finnish law.

Customs are investigating a company from eastern Finland alleged to have sold electronic parts and components (semiconductors, microchips, processors and connectors) to Russia valued at approximately €2.7m.

The two main suspects are a father and son, with the son currently serving in the Russian army.

The products are alleged to have been shipped via several different routes including via other EU countries, Hong Kong, direct to Russia, and others seemingly collected in Finland.

A tax investigation is also under way.

Prior to 2022 the company’s business is said to have been dedicated to tourism and the sale of art.

June 18, 2025 by Mark Handley

Portugal – court judgments reveal ongoing Russian sanctions investigations for breaches of bank deposit cap

In a first for this blog, we can report on sanctions enforcement activity in Portugal.

Three judgments from the Lisbon Court of Appeal reveal ongoing investigations into alleged breaches of the EU’s regulation 833/2014.

The judgments are each the dismissal of appeals by anonymised persons who have had bank accounts frozen pending the outcome of the the criminal investigations in question. In each case the investigation appears to be focussed on alleged breaches of regulation 5b of 833/2014 and the €100,000 deposit cap first introduced in February 2022.

The judgments are from:

a) 24 May 2023: in this case it is alleged that a Russian national (named only as YS) transferred over €1.8m for the purchase of real estate in Portugal in February and June 2022. The judgment mentions that YS had been a senior manager within Gazprombank.

b) 6 February 2025: in this case it is alleged that two Russian nationals (named only as AA and BB) transferred $6m from accounts in Russia and Austria in February and October 2022, and another €4.7m in February and March 2022 There is also an allegation that the transfers related to Tatyana Golikova, who is a designated person under the EU’s sanctions.

c) 11 March 2025: in this case it is alleged that two Russian nationals residing in Russia (named only as AA and BB) transferred several hundred thousand euros to bank accounts in Portugal.

June 18, 2025June 18, 2025 by Mark Handley

Spain – arrests and detentions for the export of prohibited machinery to Russia

It is being reported that as part of a joint investigation by the General Information Commissariat, the Customs Surveillance Directorate of the Tax Agency, and the National Intelligence Centre that a raid was conducted in 10 June in the town of San Vicente del Raspeig in Alicante and three individuals have been arrested.

Following a hearing on Friday two of the arrested were imprisoned pending investigations and the third individual has been released.

It is alleged that an unnamed company exported machinery “mainly used in mass production industries, such as the automotive metallurgical industry, the aerospace industry, or also in the military industry“. It is alleged that the exports to Russia were conducted through third countries, that customs data was falsified, and that the end customer was a designated person under the EU’s sanctions.

The machinery is reported to have been valued at hundreds of thousands of euros.

June 3, 2025June 3, 2025 by Mark Handley

Latvia – 61 new criminal prosecutions for sanctions breaches commenced in 2025

In a previous post from April we reported on the 2024 annual report for Latvia’s FIU.

This included the statistic that 392 criminal proceedings had been commenced between 2022 and the end of 2024.

In an interview recently published with Global Investigations Review (behind a paywall), the head of Latvia’s National Customs Board has stated that Latvia has now brought a total of 453 criminal prosecutions.

This indicates that 61 new prosecutions have been brought so far in 2025.

June 3, 2025June 3, 2025 by Mark Handley

Germany – 41 criminal prosecutions for luxury car exports to Russia

The publication Business Insider has conducted a survey of the enforcement activity conducted by Prosecutors’ Offices across Germany in relation to the export of German cars, and published the results (behind a paywall).

A total of 14 different Prosecutors’ Offices confirmed that they have brought, or are bringing, criminal prosecutions in relation to the alleged export of luxury cars from Germany to Russia in breach of the EU’s sanctions.

The total number of prosecutions reported to date was 41.

May 27, 2025May 27, 2025 by Mark Handley

Latvia – investigation launched into Russian industrial exports

It is being reported that Latvia’s State Security Service (the VDD) has launched a criminal investigation into alleged exports of sanctioned machinery and equipment from the KLC Group to buyers in Russia via Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan.

The investigation follows the publication of a media investigation by The Insider.

The exports, said to be equipment used for military manufacturing, are said to be valued at $1.3m and to have included products from a number of western manufacturers.

May 27, 2025May 27, 2025 by Mark Handley

Netherlands – prison sentence for breaching Russian sanctions nearly doubled on appeal

Further to our earlier post that the Dutch Public Prosecution Service had brought an appeal seeking to extend an 18-month prison sentence for exporting sanctioned goods to Russia, the Court of Appeal in The Hague has now issued its judgment.

While most of the judgment relates to the issue of the amount of the “proceeds of crime” to be confiscated from the convicted defendant (reducing the level of confiscation from €72,697.71 to €71,582.95), the custodial sentence was also increased to detention for 1080 days, which is just under the 3 years sought by the Prosecution.