BRUSSELS: Three Belgian companies are being prosecuted for exporting chemicals to Syria, one of which could be used in the production of sarin gas.
The firms say they acted with the seeming consent of Belgian customs between 2014 and 2016, but were subsequently alleged to have failed to apply for the permits that would protect them from falling foul of a current global ban on the exports.
According to a UK research group, Bellingcat, and a German non-profit organisation, Syrian Archive, Belgium is the only EU country to have exported a chemical called isopropanol since July 2013, when a prohibition from the international Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) came into force.
A spokesman for the Belgian federal authorities said: “Customs have established infringements of the law concerning the import, export and transit of goods. The established facts were the subject of a criminal customs investigation and the prosecution was initiated at the end of March at the criminal court.” The spokesman added that they had no reason to believe the chemicals in question had been used in the production of weapons.
AAE Chemie confirmed that it had been exporting isopropanol at a concentration of 95% or more to Syria, but said that it had been trading with private partners in the country for 20 years, and “none of those companies appears to be on any suspicious list”. The company said it had not been aware of the need for a licence for the exports and, before being summoned to court, believed it had come to a settlement with the authorities.
