Former Putin-appointed governor on trial for breaching UK sanctions

A person who President Vladimir Putin appointed because the Governor of Sevastopol after Crimea used to be illegally annexed by means of Russia has long gone on trial accused of breaching UK monetary sanctions towards him.

Dmitrii Ovsiannikov is accused of receiving greater than £75,000 from his spouse Ekaterina Ovsiannikova and a brand new Mercedes Benz SUV from his brother Alexei Owsjanikow.

Between them, the 3 defendants at Southwark Crown Court docket face 10 fees of breaching the sanctions, and two fees of cash laundering. They deny the entire fees.

Dmitrii held a senior place in Crimea for 3 years and the courtroom heard he used to be additionally Russia’s Deputy Minister for Trade and Industry.

Two years after Russia annexed Crimea in 2014, President Vladimir Putin appointed Dmitrii Ovsiannikov as performing governor of the “strategically important” town of Sevastopol in Crimea, the jury have been advised.

In 2017, elections have been held there for the location of governor and Mr Ovsiannikov received.

Paul Jarvis, for the prosecution, stated he “used to be the most important political determine throughout the Russian Federation” regardless that Dmitrii Ovsiannikov later resigned from the location in July 2019.

Because of his senior task in illegally-annexed Crimea, the EU imposed monetary sanctions on Mr Ovsiannikov announcing that amongst different issues he had “known as for Sevastopol to turn into the southern capital of the Russian Federation.”

When the United Kingdom left the EU, the United Kingdom imposed monetary sanctions on him too. He later challenged the EU sanctions and had them lifted, however the United Kingdom sanctions nonetheless practice.

They’re known as the Russia (Sanctions) (EU Go out) Rules 2019. The laws make it a legal offence to take a look at to get around the sanctions.

The trial is the primary legal case involving the breach of the Russia Rules.

In August 2022, Dmitrii Ovsiannikov travelled to Turkey from Russia and carried out for a British passport.

Even if the United Kingdom sanctions nonetheless carried out, the jury heard that he used to be granted a passport in January 2023, which he used to be entitled to as a result of his father used to be born in the United Kingdom.

Mr Jarvis stated: “The daddy of Dmitrii and Alexei were born in Bradford, United Kingdom, in 1950. Their mom used to be Russian. Dmitrii and Alexei hang British passports by means of distinctive feature in their father being a British citizen.”

Dmitrii Ovsiannikov then arrived in Britain on 1 February 2023, shifting into his brother’s area in Clapham, the place his spouse and two more youthful youngsters have been already residing and attending non-public college.

On 6 February, Dmitrii Ovsiannikov carried out for a Halifax checking account, announcing at the shape that he used to be unmarried, but additionally announcing that he used to be residing in Clapham along with his spouse.

Over the following two and a part weeks Ekaterina Ovsiannikova transferred £76,000 into her husband’s account permitting him to position down a deposit on a Mercedes Benz GLC 300 SUV.

On the other hand, the financial institution later realised he used to be on the United Kingdom sanctions checklist and iced up the account.

After this, he went again to the dealership and recovered his deposit. His brother Alexei Owsjanikow purchased the auto as a substitute, paying greater than £54,000 the prosecution stated.

The prosecution say that after Mr Ovsiannikov’s spouse despatched him the £76,000 and his brother purchased the auto they have been in breach of the Russia Rules.

Mr Jarvis advised the jury that “they care for that they both didn’t know that Dmitrii used to be a delegated particular person or they didn’t realise that as a delegated particular person he used to be now not accredited to obtain that form of assist”.

He additionally added that Dmitrii Ovsiannikov will have to have recognized he used to be topic to UK sanctions, as a result of on 7 February 2023 he used to be making use of for them to be lifted and had integrated his distinctive ID quantity and staff ID quantity from his sanctions record at the shape.

Chatting with the jury, Mr Jarvis stated that this confirmed that Mr Ovsiannikov used to be acutely aware of the sanctions “and he will have to have made his nearest and dearest acutely aware of that too”.

In January 2024 all 3 defendants have been arrested and interviewed by means of police.

4 months later, Alexei Owsjanikow paid greater than £40,000 at school charges for his brother’s two youngest youngsters who have been on the Royal Russell College in Croydon – additionally a breach of the sanctions.

Paul Jarvis advised the jury that during a police interview Alexei authorised that he had paid the varsity charges, however he maintained that the bills didn’t quantity to a breach of the Russian Rules as a result of he believed that Ekaterina used to be only answerable for the ones charges and now not Dmitrii.

The trial is anticipated to proceed at Southwark Crown Court docket for 3 weeks.