The Netherlands Public Prosecution Service is demanding three years in prison and a five-year ban on professional activities against a 58-year-old man for circumventing European Union sanctions against Russia.
According to the prosecutors, the suspect, a Dutch citizen, initially sold souvenirs. However, in 2014 he quickly switched to selling technological goods, such as microchips and semiconductors, to a Russian company headed by his son-in-law. This company had been licensed by the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB), and also worked with clients in the defence industry.
After the imposition of EU sanctions against Russia in 2022, the suspect informed his accountant that trade had come to a halt. However, he began to look for another way to continue exporting electronic goods to Russia on his own.
On February 25, 2023, the suspect sent a message to one of his contacts regarding circumventing sanctions: “this can be done through Kazakhstan.”
“The suspect’s motive was a conscious and deliberate circumvention of the restrictions imposed by the European Union. It was very beneficial for the suspect. At the same time, by doing this, he demonstrated his loyalty and ideological ties with Russia,” the state prosecutor said.
The company of the suspect used fictitious schemes during this period to export products to Russia, generating a turnover of more than 1.4 million euros, according to reports from the Netherlands Public Prosecution Service.
