Firm 'helped breach sanctions'
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.A GERMAN court was told yesterday that documents exist showing that Royal Ordnance, when a state-run company, co-operated with a German firm to breach arms sanctions. Royal Ordnance is alleged to have assisted in the shipment of arms made by the company, Heckler & Koch, to East Germany, Nicaragua, and to the Middle East.
The Independent reported last month that Heckler & Koch weapons have been found in use in the former Yugoslavia. The United Nations imposed an arms embargo in 1991. There is, however, no evidence that the company shipped the guns direct to the war zone. Heckler & Koch, purchased by Royal Ordnance in 1991, this week accused the Independent of making 'degrading accusations'. It said it 'never sold military weapons to the area of the former Yugoslavia, neither before or after the UN embargo'.
This, according to the German state prosecutors, is not borne out by documents lodged with the court in January 1993 which disclose that the firm supplied machine-guns to Yugoslavia in 1977. This deal was legal.
In 1985, some of these guns were found in Costa Rica, on their way to the Contra guerrillas in Nicaragua.
The trial of Walter Lamp, a joint managing director of Heckler & Koch charged with breaching German export laws, has focused on allegations that in 1987, before the acquisition, H & K used Royal Ordnance to help route illegal arms shipments out of Germany. The court yesterday heard from two senior H & K executives, both of whom had worked in the UK. Judge Siegfried Haage asked one, Manfred Lorenz, a sales executive, whether the British firm had acted as an 'intermediary' in illegal shipments. Mr Lorenz denied that this was the case. He also denied conspiring to ship more than 1,000 machine-guns illegally to the Middle East or that there was a deal to do so with Royal Ordnance.
The prosecution produced a letter it said proved the existence of a deal. It will reveal the contents later in the trial. Mr Lorenz said he could not remember reading the letter.
The case resumes later this month.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments