In Paris on March 14, a German court announced the initiation of a criminal trial against two former Siemens executives. They stand accused of breaching sanctions by facilitating the export of gas turbines to Russian-occupied Crimea. Prosecutors in Hamburg implicated four Germans and one Swiss-French individual in the alleged sanctions violations.
The Hamburg regional court opted to proceed with a trial for two individuals, while charges against the remaining three were dismissed due to insufficient evidence, as confirmed in a statement to Reuters.
Despite an appeal by the prosecutor's office concerning the dropped charges, Hamburg prosecutors could not be reached for further comment. The identities of those involved have not been disclosed by German judicial authorities.
Siemens' spokesperson refrained from commenting on the ongoing legal proceedings but clarified that the case does not target Siemens as a company, as the accused are no longer affiliated with the organization. Siemens Energy, which emerged as a separate entity from Siemens post the events under trial, declined to comment since the accused are not current employees.
According to European Union and U.S. sanctions following the 2014 annexation of Crimea by Russia, Western companies are prohibited from supplying energy equipment to the region. Notwithstanding these sanctions, Siemens turbines were delivered in 2017 to power stations in Crimea being constructed by Moscow.
At the time of the turbine delivery, Siemens reported that it had sold the turbines to a Russian entity, assuming they would be deployed in Russian power plants and denied knowledge of any intent to transfer them to Crimea.