Sanctions: UK convicts Director of selling products to Iran

Phillip Bisgrove, 57, of Morecambe, Lancashire, is the owner of NDT Mart, a company that exports non-destructive testing equipment. He was questioned by HM Revenue and Customs investigators about his export activities, particularly those involving sales of dosimeters to an Iranian company called Sakht Afzar Farayand Eng Co (SAFCO).

Dosimeters measure an individual's or an object's exposure to something in the environment — particularly to a hazard inflicting cumulative impact over long periods of time, or over a lifetime.

Between May 2007 and June 2008 Bisgrove made 10 supplies of dosimeters and doserate meters valued at GBP14,512.58 to Iran without the required authorisation. These goods require a licence, for which Bisgrove did not apply. Between November 2007 and July 2008 he made three supplies of MY–2 Electromagnets to Iran without an export licence. Finally, in September 2008, Bisgrove also shipped a consignment of radiationdetection equipment to Iran via Taiwan.

HMRC officers searched Bisgrove’s home taking emails, invoices and other documents as evidence that he had known all along that his deals were illegal. Emails from his contact at SAFCO, Peyman Rostami, had even discussed shipping goods via Dubai, Malaysia and China in order to avoid export licence controls. To try to cover his tracks, Bisgrove had also paid a separate company, RSM Motorsport, to ship and receive goods on behalf of NDT Mart.

When interviewed by HMRC, Bisgrove tried to mislead, avoid and confuse issues regarding his deals with the Iranian firm claiming he did not know a licence was required to export the dosimeters. However, when faced with the evidence – particularly his own e-mails – he admitted he knew all along he needed a licence for the exports to be legal.

Bisgrove has been jailed for eights months and ordered to payGBP30,000

Due diligence information:Phillip John Bisgrove, DOB 24/10/1952, 1 Roeburn Drive, Grosvenor Park, Morecambe, LA3 3RY, UK and also of70 Piper Road, Building 3, Bay 4, Covington, Georgia 30014, USA.