6 hrs ago
UK Arms Brokers Jailed 16 Years Over Libya, Sudan Deals
Two men who helped arrange weapons sales were sentenced to 16 years in prison each.
The weapons were meant for places including South Sudan and Libya.
Some of the sales were forbidden by British rules called arms embargoes.
The deals included missiles, fighter jets, rifles, tanks and ammunition.
Prosecutors said the men wanted to make large profits.
Only one charge involved weapons actually being supplied.
That deal involved an old Ukrainian missile system sold to South Sudan.
Christos Farmakis was discovered after using his work email to arrange private arms deals.
He was tried without being present, and his current location is unknown.
David Greenhalgh and Christos Farmakis were each sentenced to 16 years in prison in London.
The pair arranged illegal arms deals involving missiles for South Sudan and fighter jets for Libya.
Prosecutors said the deals breached British arms embargoes and other export restrictions between 2009 and 2016.
Greenhalgh was convicted of 10 counts, while Farmakis was convicted of nine after being tried in his absence.
The weapons involved also included AK-47 rifles, battle tanks and hundreds of thousands of rounds of ammunition.
- Who
- British arms broker David Greenhalgh and Greek national Christos Farmakis.
- What
- They were convicted over arranging unlicensed arms deals and each sentenced to 16 years in prison.
- Where
- Southwark Crown Court in London.
- When
- The deals took place between 2009 and 2016; the sentences were reported on Wednesday, Sept. 23.
- Why
- Prosecutors said they repeatedly sought to breach arms embargoes and export restrictions to make significant profits.
Key facts
- Sentences
- 16 years in prison for each defendant
- Defendants
- David Greenhalgh, 68, and Christos Farmakis, 48
- Convictions
- Greenhalgh was convicted of 10 counts; Farmakis was convicted of nine
- Arms involved
- S-125 Pechora missile systems, fighter jets, AK-47 rifles, battle tanks and ammunition
- Deal period
- 2009-2016
- Destinations mentioned
- South Sudan, Libya, Iran, Iraq and Syria
- Farmakis trial
- He was tried in his absence, and his current whereabouts are unknown
Sources
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