The Southwark Crown Court in London sentenced David Greenhage, a 68-year-old British arms dealer, to 16 years in prison. He was convicted of charges related to involvement in unauthorized arms deals with countries under an arms export ban, including Libya, Sudan, and South Sudan. Greenhage was found guilty of 10 charges related to his involvement in supplying arms and military equipment without the required licenses between 2009 and 2016.
The court also sentenced Greenhage's Greek partner, Christos Farmakis, to 16 years in prison. Farmakis was convicted of nine similar charges, although he was tried in absentia and did not attend the sentencing hearing. According to the UK's Revenue and Customs, the two men brokered arms deals worth tens of millions of pounds. These deals included Soviet-era military equipment such as fighter jets, surface-to-air missile systems, and anti-tank missiles.
The British authorities stated that the deals were conducted without the necessary licenses from the relevant authorities. Greenhage operated through a group of companies called Airservices, registered in several countries, including Britain, Greece, North Macedonia, and South Sudan. An investigation revealed that Greenhage attempted to use external companies to facilitate deals and evade British scrutiny.
Libya featured in the case through documents discovered by British authorities during the investigation. These documents related to plans to arrange deals to sell fighter jets and arms to Libya in the aftermath of the 2011 events. The prosecution stated that the discovery of these documents was triggered by an email mistakenly forwarded to Farmakis' business associate.
The case revealed that Libya was one of the destinations considered in the arms deals that the two men sought to arrange, alongside Sudan, South Sudan, Iraq, Iran, and Syria. One of the charges involved the supply of an actual weapon, a Soviet-era S-125 Pechora missile system, previously owned by Ukraine, to South Sudan.
The judge, Sally Ann Hails, stated that Greenhage and Farmakis repeatedly sought to circumvent the arms export ban to achieve significant profits from military equipment deals. The court found that neither of the defendants obtained the required licenses for the deals from British authorities. The case highlights the activities of arms dealers who operate between companies and countries to arrange military deals without directly transferring arms.
The verdict and sentencing conclude a lengthy investigation and trial that spanned several years. The case demonstrates the complexity of international arms trafficking and the efforts of law enforcement agencies to prosecute those involved in illicit arms deals.
Key points
- The British court sentenced David Greenhage to 16 years in prison for his involvement in unauthorized arms deals with countries including Libya.
- The arms deals worth tens of millions of pounds included Soviet-era military equipment such as fighter jets and missile systems.
- The case highlights the activities of arms dealers who operate between companies and countries to arrange military deals without directly transferring arms.
