It was reported today that the Dutch port authorities in Rotterdam have seized 90,000 bottles of vodka allegedly destined for North Korea. The vessel was first to sail to China.
Such an export would be a breach of the EU’s sanctions against North Korea. The Dutch authorities have not commented on the source of the intelligence used to identify the alleged destination of the goods.
It has been reported today that customs officials in the Bavarian city of Augsburg have today arrested Alexander S. on suspicion of exporting machinery to Russia in breach of the EU’s trade sanctions.
Premises have been raided in Bavaria, Saxony and Berlin.
The exports are alleged to have valued over €8m and to have taken place between 2016 and 2018 to military end users.
The allegations include the provision of false information to try and optain export permits.
Further to our earlier post, following the successful prosecution of two companies for exports to Iran in breach of sanctions, the Dutch authorities have secured confiscation orders against the two companies for the gross profits obtained from the unlawful exports.
The confiscations were of €600,000 and €4 million respectively.
The Higher Regional Court of Hamburg has today sentenced a man to seven years in jail for exports to Russian in breach of EU sanctions.
Our earlier post had outlined that the man was charged with exports of chemicals and machinery to Russia which could be used in the manufacture of military rockets. False documentation had been created in an attempt to mask the exports.
The District Court of East Brabant in the Netherlands has convicted an individual for breaches of the EU’s Iran sanctions. The offence consisted of the export of 5 items to an Iranian person in breach of the EU regulation.
The defendant was acquitted of other charges and was fined €5,000.
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.
Prosecutors in Germany have concluded their investigation into allegations that chemicals had been shipped to Syria in breach of EU sanctions.
Prosecutors in Duisburg have confirmed that they do not intend to prosecute Brenntag AG over the allegations.
After press reports alleging that German company Brenntag AG was involved in the indirect export of chemicals to Syria potentially in breach of the EU’s sanctions, prosecutors in Essen, where Brenntag AG is located, have confirmed that they have initiated legal proceedings and are probing whether to open a formal investigation.
Three NGOs have already filed criminal charges over the chemical exports, including the Berlin-based Syrian Archive, the Switzerland-based organization Trial International, and the New York-based Open Society Justice Initiative.
The UK’s Financial Conduct Authority has issued a Decision Notice against Standard Chartered Bank including a fine of £102,163,200.
The fine related to KYC failings in general, with a focus on failure to conduct customer due diligence even in situations where sanctions red flags were evident. The FCA noted a lack of financial crime risk, and concerns as to the quality of the advice being given.
A particular focus were the UAE branches of the bank, and also export financing in relation to the export of military goods.
