Germany arrests businessman over dual-use exports to Russia
BERLIN— A businessman suspected of helping Russia purchase sophisticated machinery in breach of arms export rules has been detained in Germany, prosecutors said Tuesday.
The man, identified only as Alexander S. because of privacy
rules, was detained by German customs officials in the eastern city of Leipzig.
Officers also searched premises in Leipzig and Berlin in connection with the
case, the federal prosecutors office said.
The suspect is accused of running a trading company that had
ties to a business in Russia controlled by a Russian intelligence agency.
“This company acted as an intermediary, by purchasing
high-quality machine tools and having them shipped to arms companies in
Russia," German prosecutors said in a statement.
The suspect is alleged to have shipped several pieces of
machinery to Russia in 2019 without obtaining the necessary export licenses,
each time declaring a false recipient for the dual-use goods. He is also
suspected of having signed purchase agreements for further devices to be
shipped to companies involved in Russia's missile program, though prosecutors
said it was unclear whether those goods were delivered.
The suspect now faces charges of failing to obtain export
permits, breaching export bans and acting on behalf of a foreign intelligence
agency.
Prosecutors said the suspect isn't the same Alexander S. who
was charged last year over the delivery of 8 million euros worth of machinery
to a company linked to the Russian military between January 2016 and January
2018.
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