Netherlands fines company for assisting Russia in construction of Crimean Bridge

According to the agency, the company is accused of violating international trade sanctions.

The company paid the state a total of 1,780,000 euros as part of an out-of-court settlement. This amount consists of a fine of 180,000 euros and the forfeiture of illegal profits amounting to 1,600,000 euros.

According to the investigation, in 2015 and 2016, Dieseko Group sold equipment and components to Russia for the construction of the Crimean Bridge. The company also sent specialists to the site to provide technical assistance.

This occurred after the EU imposed sanctions against Russia in June 2014 for the occupation of Crimea, which included a ban on the sale of goods and the provision of services to companies, individuals, and legal entities in Crimea.

The source also notes that in early September 2017, an article was published in the daily newspaper De Gelderlander about the participation of Dutch companies in the construction of the Crimean Bridge.

According to the Public Prosecution Service, this report prompted the POSS team (Precursor, Origin, Strategic Goods, Sanctions Legislation team) of customs and the Public Prosecution Service to launch a criminal investigation into the companies mentioned in the article.

Not the first case

In October of last year, the Dutch prosecution fined four Dutch companies and eight individuals for violating EU sanctions against Russia from 2014 to 2017. They assisted the aggressor country in the construction of the Crimean Bridge.

Additionally, a German company was previously fined 1.3 million euros for violating EU sanctions. It delivered a machine to Russia that was used in the construction of the Crimean Bridge.