UK retiree violates Iran sanctions

Following an investigation by HM Revenue and Customs, Alexander George, a UK citizen, was sentenced to two-and-a-half years’ imprisonment for shipping military items to Iran in violation of international and UK sanctions.  George used companies he owned in Malaysia and Dubai as transfer stations to ship aircraft parts purchased in the US to Iran.  With the help of two other UK nationals, George eventually began shipping items first to the Netherlands, then to Malaysia and from there to Iran.  George’s co-defendants received six month suspended sentences on October 26.  An action to recover the approximately £5.5 million gained from the illegal shipments is expected to be brought under the Proceeds of Crime Act.

HMRC press release