Publication Type:
- International Enforcement Actions
On November 26, 2014 British businessman Gary Summerskill, also known as Gareth Summerskill, of Cambridgeshire, England, was fined £68,000 to settle charges that he and his company, Delta Pacific Manufacturing Limited, illegally exported alloy valves to Iran. Delta Pacific was also ordered to forfeit its profits from the sales, totaling £1,072,000. The investigation and enforcement action were led by Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs (HMRC).
These fines follow Summerskill’s sentencing, in March 2014, to 30 months in prison. Summerskill pleaded guilty to charges of exporting controlled goods contrary to section 68(2) of the Customs and Excise Management Act of 1979. Delta Pacific was fined £225,000 at that time.
Before his conviction, Summerskill served as the managing director of Soham-based Delta Pacific, a manufacturer and exporter of industrial valves made of carbon steel, stainless steel, and alloy materials. This firm is related to the New York-based company of the same name. The dual-use valves have applications in the petrochemical industry, but are subject to an export control licensing regime in the United Kingdom because of their potential weapon applications.
Delta Pacific made three shipments of alloy valves to Iran, valued at £3.4 million. The shipments were routed through Hong Kong and Azerbaijan in order to conceal their final destination and avoid export restrictions. An HMRC press release announcing the settlement said that evidence found during the investigation indicated that Summerskill was "fully aware that the final destination of the goods was Iran and that they were subject to an export ban." The Assistant Director for Criminal Investigations at HMRC said that Summerskill “manipulated a system which has been put in place to protect public safety simply to line his own pockets.”
Footnotes:
[1] "UK Enforcement Action Takes Profits from Executive, Firm for Illegal Valve Exports to Iran," The Export Practitioner, Volume 28, Number 12, December 2014.
[2] "Illegal Exporter Ordered to Repay Criminal Profit," HM Revenue & Customs Press Release, November 21, 2014.
[3] "Gary Summerskill, Director of Delta Pacific Manufacturing in Soham, Ordered to Pay £1.14 of Criminal Profits or Face Longer Sentence," Cambridge News, November 24, 2014.
[4] Delta Pacific Valves Limited Website (http://www.deltapacificvalve.com/thecompany.html).