London. Two men have been convicted in the United Kingdom for attempting to broker the illegal supply of military weapons to conflict-affected countries, including South Sudan, after a trial at Southwark Crown Court. British prosecutors said the attempted deals involved controlled military goods and breached the UK’s export control framework.
Illegal Arms Network Exposed
The convicted men have been identified as David Greenhalgh, 68, and Christos Farmakis, 48. Greenhalgh was found guilty of ten counts of being knowingly involved in activities intended to facilitate the unlicensed supply of controlled military goods to embargoed countries. Farmakis, a Greek national tried in absentia, was convicted of nine similar offences.
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According to prosecutors, the pair operated a secretive international arms brokering network between July 2009 and December 2016. The alleged network attempted to arrange supplies of military equipment from former Soviet and Eastern European states to embargoed destinations, including South Sudan, Sudan, Libya, Iraq and Iran.
Weapons Deals Under Scrutiny
Prosecutors said the attempted deals involved surface-to-air missile systems, Mi-24 combat helicopter gunships, battle tanks, anti-tank missile launchers, rocket-propelled grenades, fighter jets, and tens of thousands of AK-47 assault rifles with millions of rounds of ammunition.
Investigators also uncovered correspondence in which the defendants discussed falsifying end-user certificates, disguising shipping documents and routing weapons through third countries to conceal their final destinations. One email cited during the trial involved a proposed deal to supply 100,000 AK-47 rifles to South Sudan.
Companies Used Across Jurisdictions
The Crown Prosecution Service said Greenhalgh owned and controlled the Airservices group of companies, which operated across several jurisdictions, including the United Kingdom, Greece, Macedonia, Hong Kong and South Sudan. Prosecutors argued that overseas companies were used to avoid British oversight while pursuing what were described in correspondence as “sensitive projects.”
Farmakis worked as a London-based business adviser and also operated a Cyprus-registered company, Black Betty Consulting, which prosecutors said was used to negotiate arms deals.
Sentencing Set For July
The case was investigated by HM Revenue and Customs, whose Fraud Investigation Service worked with other government agencies to examine the alleged trafficking network. The Export Control Joint Unit confirmed that neither defendant nor Greenhalgh’s Airservices companies had applied for licences relating to the transactions examined at trial.
Both men are scheduled to be sentenced at Southwark Crown Court on July 22. The convictions come amid continued international concern over illicit arms flows into conflict-affected regions, including South Sudan.
