LONDON (Reuters) – A Russian politician appointed by President Vladimir Putin as governor of Russia-annexed Crimea’s largest city was jailed for 40 months on Friday after being found guilty of breaching British sanctions, the first such conviction in Britain.
Dmitrii Ovsiannikov, 48, – who was appointed governor of Sevastopol in July 2016, two years after Russia annexed the Crimean Peninsula from Ukraine – was found guilty earlier this week of six counts of circumventing sanctions and two counts of possessing or using criminal property.
The jury was unable to reach a verdict on a seventh charge of circumventing sanctions.
After losing his job as the Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade in Russia, Ovsiannikov applied to have his EU sanctions lifted and moved to London.
He was accused of getting his wife Ekaterina Ovsiannikova, 47, to pay 76,000 pounds ($97,000) into his account, some of which was so that he could buy a Mercedes-Benz SUV.
Prosecutors said Ovsiannikov then got his 47-year-old brother Alexei Owsjanikow to buy the car and insurance for it, before Owsjanikow later paid just over 41,000 pounds ($53,554) for his brother’s children’s private school fees.
Owsjanikow was convicted of two counts of circumventing sanctions, in relation to the school fees, but was acquitted in relation to the car and insurance. Ovsiannikov’s wife was cleared of all charges.
Dmitrii Ovsiannikov was jailed for 40 months at London’s Southwark Crown Court. His brother was given a 15-month prison term but suspended for 15 months.
“Dmitrii Ovsiannikov and his family clearly knew that he was subject to these sanctions and deliberately took steps to circumvent the controls,” said Graeme Biggar, Director General of Britain’s National Crime Agency.
“These convictions demonstrate not only that designated individuals are on our radar, but so are those who enable breaches of the regulations.”
When Ovsiannikov was charged last year, the National Crime Agency said he was the first person to be charged in Britain with breaching sanctions relating to Russia.
($1 = 0.7656 pounds)
(Reporting by Michael Holden; Editing by Gareth Jones)
