A Finnish court on Thursday gave a businessman a nine-month suspended jail sentence for violating EU sanctions against Russia, the first case of its kind in the Nordic country, the newspaper Helsingin Sanomat reported.
Gabriel Temin, CEO of the Finland-based logistics and warehouse companies Luminor Oy and Siberica Oy, was arrested in September on suspicion of violating EU sanctions.
On Thursday, the Eastern Uusimaa district court found him guilty of facilitating the export of sanctioned industrial tools, valued at around 4,500 euros ($4,902), from Germany to Russia.
Though customs declarations filed by Siberica Oy indicated Kazakhstan as the final destination of these shipments, internal data at the company revealed that the goods went to St. Petersburg.
In addition to the suspended sentence, Temin, a French national, was ordered to pay 11,000 euros ($12,025) in damages to the Finnish state.
The prosecution had requested a jail sentence of up to four years, arguing that the businessman had exported more than 3,500 drones and other dual-use military goods to Russia.
But the court said Thursday that, while the goods had passed through Russia, there was not enough evidence to prove they had remained in the country, the Finnish state broadcaster Yle reported.
Temin denied all charges against him.
In September, the U.S. Treasury placed the French-born businessman, as well as his companies Luminor and Siberica Oy, on its sanctions list due to their involvement in shipping “a wide variety of electronics into Russia, including UAV cameras, high-performance optical filters, and lithium batteries.”
A Message from The Moscow Times:
Dear readers,
We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."
These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.
We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.
Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.
By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.
Remind me later.
