Entrepreneur who moved to Sark imported military goods

Gal Fridman, 59, who at a previous hearing had given his address as La Vauroque, Rue de Moulin, Sark, admitted knowingly or recklessly providing false information on a Customs declaration relating to the import of hard armour body panels and ballistic shields, and the attempted fraudulent evasion of the prohibition of the export of the goods.

He was jailed for two months and 10 months respectively, consecutive.

The court heard how he had arranged for the goods to be imported from China for onward shipment to Macau.

Macau was made subject to a UK arms embargo in May 2022.

Fridman tried to cover up the nature of the items up to evade Customs, but the Royal Court rejected his contention that they were black laminated polyethylene boards that were used for flotation purposes.

The goods had a value of £27,629 and the court ordered their confiscation along with the defendant’s mobile phone and laptop.

Judge Catherine Fooks said the Bailiwick had a duty to ensure that it did not assist external aggression, regional instability, and internal repression in other places.

‘Guernsey must play its part on the international stage to achieve those common aims,’ she said.

‘We do not want people who deal in these items coming to the Bailiwick in order to export them.’

The court was concerned that the items could have fallen in to the wrong hands and Fridman’s assertion that they were not military items was at odds with his company’s trading name – Swedish Body Armour Management.

He had shown no remorse and his continued denials were almost inconsistent with his guilty pleas.

Advocate Sara Mallett, defending, said her client was a man of previously good character. He was not an arms dealer and sold only defensive, and not offensive, items.

He previously had a contract with BBC to provide defensive vests for journalists working in war zones, she said.

He was not someone who had come to Sark to fly under the radar. In July 2021 he had reached out to the Guernsey Border Agency to tell them he was in the island and what he did.

He told them he sold goods such as expandable security batons and impact protective helmets.

He had not realised that Macau had been made subject to an arms embargo.

It was accepted that these items were classed as military goods but they would not, for instance, withstand UK or US military gun fire.

He said he had never required import/export licences for these type of goods in places he had worked before, such as Sweden and Spain.

• The sentence was stayed, pending an appeal last night and Fridman was readmitted to bail.