On Friday, The Public Prosecutor’s Office fined four Dutch companies and eight individuals for violating sanctions related to their participation in the construction of Russia’s Crimean bridge between 2014 and 2017, Euractiv reports.
In 2017, Dutch newspaper De Gelderlander had revealed the companies’ involvement in the construction of the bridge, an investigation began immediately afterwards. The prosecutor’s office wrote in a press release:
“The companies’ actions have undermined the purpose and effectiveness of international sanctions. The Crimean Bridge was built partly through Dutch knowledge and expertise.”
It is noted that these deliveries included technical assistance both in the Netherlands and locally. It added:
“The investigation revealed that Dutch companies and individuals developed and supplied goods such as (parts of) pile drivers, vibratory hammers and power packs for the construction of the Crimean bridge.”
The names of the companies in question are not mentioned. The case was eventually settled out of court. All companies were fined a total of €160,000 and eight people were sentenced to 20 to 60 hours of community service. The prosecutor’s office also confiscated the profits of one of the companies involved in the case, totalling €71,330.
In reaching its decision, the Public Prosecutor’s Office took into account the maximum fines for breaches of the sanctions that existed at the time, the scale of the companies’ activities and the fact that several years had passed since the breach. Isa Yusibov, senior foreign and defence policy officer in the Dutch parliament, wrote on X:
“Dutch companies build Crimean bridge after illegal Russian annexation. First-class sanctions evasion. Their punishment? A fine of €71,000 and 20 to 60 hours of community service. […] For ‘sanctions evasion’. The prosecution has lost its way.”
Russia built the bridge in 2014 to connect the peninsula to the Russian mainland. It has been repeatedly hit by missile attacks since the war in Ukraine began, including a massive explosion in October 2022.
