The trial starting Monday should shed light on possible violations of European sanctions. According to the prosecution, the suspect is accused of stealing intellectual property and selling it to Russian buyers.
The court appearance follows an investigation by Dutch Nieuwsuur. The news program noted that a lawsuit is pending against a Russian engineer based on sanctions legislation. According to Nieuwsuur, the former employee stole documents from ASML for years, including manuals for microchips. The suspect also allegedly stole information from Mapper Lithography, a Delft-based company that develops lithography machines and was acquired by ASML in 2019. He is suspected of trading this information to support Russian chip production, in exchange for tens of thousands of euros.
In court, the suspect was identified as 43-year-old German A. At the initial hearing, little additional clarity was gained. The defendant did not comment and it is unknown which attorney is representing him. The prosecution also did not provide an explanation. ASML informed Nieuwsuur prior to the trial, “In accordance with our policy, we have also filed a complaint ourselves.”
The suspect is now in detention. In addition, the Minister of Asylum and Migration has imposed a 20-year re-entry ban, which is only taken in case of danger to national security.