EU Sanctions Violations In Finland: Navigating Corporate Criminal Liability

In 2023, Finnish courts saw a significant increase in regulation offence cases, particularly related to violations of EU sanctions against Russia. This increase marks a departure from the limited Finnish case law on such matters until now.

It is evident that violations of EU sanctions will continue to be brought before courts also in 2024, as Finnish Customs announced already in October 2023 that it had opened more than 660 preliminary investigations into violations of EU sanctions against Russia since the beginning of Russia's war of aggression in Ukraine. Approximately 10% of these cases are being investigated as aggravated regulation offences. The expected judgments will provide further clarity on criminal liability associated with violations of EU sanctions.