The lawyer André Harpes was sentenced to a fine of 50,000 euros at the court in Luxembourg City. This is reported by radio station 100.7. The verdict came just four days before the start of the second Bommeleeër trial, in which Harpes is defending his father Aloyse Harpes.
The fine was imposed for violations of the law on the “Registre des bénéficiaires effectifs” (RBE). The company Baltic Lloyd Shipping, which has its registered office in Harpes’ office, was also sentenced to the same fine.
It is a so-called “jugement sur accord”, in which the defendant has agreed on the punishment with the public prosecutor, writes 100.7. According to the judgment, Harpes registered himself as the beneficial owner of a company between September 2019 and July 2022, although this did not correspond to reality. The law provides for fines of between 1,250 and 1.25 million euros for such violations. The judgment speaks of the “seriousness of the infringement committed by a trader”.
According to 100.7, the conviction took place in connection with investigations in Germany and Luxembourg. The starting point was a German tax investigation into transactions that would be considered tax fraud under Luxembourg law. (DJ)
