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Germany charges 5 with assisting prohibited turbine sales to Crimea

District attorneys in Hamburg charged four Germans and one SwissFrench person with breaching sanctions by helping export Siemens gas turbines to Crimea, the Ukrainian peninsula annexed by Russia, a prosecution representative stated on Wednesday.

According to the charge sheet, first reported by Wirtschaftswoche magazine, the 5 understood when they helped export the turbines, worth 111 million euros ($ 120.11 million), from Hamburg to St. Petersburg that their ultimate location would be 2 power plants in Crimea.

A Siemens spokesperson stated it continued to support authorities with their inquiries, as they had since the they first learned of the case in 2016. One of the suspects was still with the company, the representative added, and all 5 were contesting the charges.

Western business are disallowed from offering to Crimea, whose 2014 annexation is not recognised by any major federal government.

The business system in question is now Siemens Energy , which was taken of Siemens in 2020. Siemens continues to hold a minority stake.

A representative for Siemens Energy stated it was likewise working together with investigators.

(source: Reuters)