Russian violated sanctions. The court in Teplice fined him 300,000 and banned him from working

According to the court’s verdict, in addition, 3.3 million crowns will be forfeited to the Czech Republic from the defendant’s account. Lichutin, who pleaded guilty, was also banned by the court from selling motor vehicles for 20 months.

In response to Russia’s military aggression against Ukraine, the European Union imposed extensive and unprecedented sanctions on Russia in 2022. Since then, banks and financial institutions have been monitoring money flows from the territory of the Russian Federation.

They also drew attention to a suspicious transfer to Lichutin’s account. In May 2022, he tried to sell three luxury cars from BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Audi brands to customers in Russia, who sent money to his account.

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He wanted to cover up the business by temporarily registering the vehicles in Belarus. The money for the cars was sent to him directly by the buyers.

The defense proposed a conditional suspension of the criminal case, but the court did not find it appropriate. Single judge Dana Kolářová stated that the court took into account the defendant’s declaration of guilt when imposing the sentence, she emphasized that there was also sufficient evidence of criminal activity.

The fine is 60,000 crowns lower than the one previously imposed on Lichutin by a criminal order by a civil court. “I am not very satisfied with the verdict. We will consider with the client whether it makes sense to file an appeal or not,” lawyer Leonid Kushnarenko told journalists.

Prosecutor Jan Scholle waived his right to appeal on the spot. “The verdict essentially granted the prosecution’s proposals,” the prosecutor told reporters, adding that the vehicles in question remained on German territory.

“The deal was already arranged, the money partly went to Germany, the rest was secured in Czech accounts. The German bazaar was notified by the police and canceled the transaction,” explained Scholle. The money was forfeited to the state because the clients provided it for an illegal purpose.

The judge stated that another possible penalty would be the cancellation of permanent residence, but she did not find a reason for this, Lichutin has lived in the Czech Republic for many years, raising children who were born in the Czech Republic. “There were no negative findings on his person,” said Kolářová.

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