CEO sentenced to near-maximum term for sanctions violations

A district court in South Karelia has sentenced the CEO of Idän liikenteenvälitys IL Oy to three years and eight months in prison for aggravated sanctions violations.

The company exported a total of 164 trucks or trailers to Russia between 2022 and 2023, according to the ruling.

Matti Tolvanen, a professor of criminal law, described the sentence as rare. He noted that most sanctions violations are minor and resolved through summary fines without reaching court.

The maximum penalty for aggravated sanctions violations is four years in prison. The CEO’s sentence falls just four months short of this.

Tolvanen said it is uncommon for courts to impose sentences so close to the maximum. He added that the court justified its decision by emphasizing the serious threat the offence posed to the enforcement of EU sanctions.

The court also ordered the CEO to forfeit nearly seven million euros, which Tolvanen called highly unusual in Finland. The court considered it particularly aggravating that the financial gain from the crime targeted value-added tax, effectively harming the Finnish state.

Tolvanen expects similar rulings to emerge across Europe in the future, given the significant financial incentives behind such crimes.