A Hamburg court sentenced two German businessmen to prison for violating EU sanctions against Russia. This is reported by the Süddeutsche Zeitung newspaper.
The main defendant, a 41-year-old businessman from Augsburg, received three years and nine months in prison for selling metal-working machines to Russian clients. The court ruled that by doing so he violated the arms embargo against Russia. In addition, almost 8 million euros, which he received from equipment sales, will be withdrawn from the man.
The second defendant, a 40-year-old sales representative for a German company in Russia, was sentenced to two years probation for aiding. He was also charged with two counts of money laundering as he received commissions from sales. 184 thousand euros were confiscated from the man. He must pay another 150 thousand as bail for his release.
In 2014, the European Union imposed sanctions against Russia over the annexation of Crimea. The list of restrictive measures included a ban on the conclusion of new contracts for the supply of weapons, machinery and equipment, electronics and other dual-use goods. In response, Russia imposed restrictions on the import of agricultural products from Europe.
