UK Arms Broker Sentenced to 16 Years for Illicit Arms Deals with Libya and Sudan
Details of the Conviction and Sentencing
LONDON, Sept 23 (Reuters) - A British arms broker who arranged illegal deals to supply ex-Soviet surface-to-air missile systems to South Sudan and fighter jets to Libya during its civil war was on Wednesday jailed in a London court for 16 years.
Key Individuals Involved
David Greenhalgh, 68, was convicted in June of 10 counts of involvement in the unlicensed supply of arms, also including AK-47 rifles, battle tanks and hundreds of thousands of rounds of ammunition, between 2009 and 2016.
Co-Conspirator: Christos Farmakis
Greek national Christos Farmakis, 48, was convicted of nine offences, though he was tried in his absence and his current whereabouts is unknown.
Sentencing and Judicial Remarks
Judge Sally-Ann Hales sentenced both men to 16 years' imprisonment, saying they repeatedly sought to breach arms export bans to sell weaponry for significant profits.
Details of the Arms Deals
Supplying South Sudan
Prosecutors said only one charge involved the actual supply of weaponry, with the pair selling a former Ukrainian S-125 Pechora missile system to South Sudan, where Greenhalgh and Farmakis had "very close connections to senior figures".
Context: South Sudan's Status
South Sudan was still formally part of Sudan until it achieved independence in 2011, prosecutor Edmund Burge told jurors at Southwark Crown Court, meaning the semi-autonomous region was subject to a British arms embargo.
Other Illicit Deals
Greenhalgh and Farmakis also arranged to supply weapons to Iran, Iraq and Syria in breach of arms embargoes, before Farmakis was arrested in 2016.
Discovery and Investigation
Farmakis was caught after using his email address for his job at the government-funded Greater London Enterprise to privately arrange arms deals.
Uncovering the Evidence
Burge said Farmakis' email account forwarded an email to his boss, which led to the authorities discovering documents relating to plans to sell fighter jets and other arms to Libya in the wake of the 2011 Arab Spring.
(Reporting by Sam Tobin; editing by William James)