A subsidiary of Apple Inc. has been fined £390,000 by UK authorities for breaching financial sanctions tied to Moscow-linked entities.
Apple Distribution International (ADI), based in Ireland, authorized payments exceeding £635,000 to a Russian streaming platform through a UK-based bank.
The transactions were directed to Okko, a service previously linked to sanctioned entities, from an ADI account held in Britain.
The penalty was issued by the Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation, which oversees enforcement of UK financial restrictions.
Regulators stated ADI breached sanctions rules “on the balance of probabilities,” following two payments made in mid-2022.
Okko had been acquired by Sberbank in 2018, later transferred to JSC New Opportunities, a firm sanctioned by the UK.
ADI voluntarily disclosed the payments and reached a settlement, with authorities noting no clear evidence the company knowingly violated restrictions.
The case highlights compliance risks for global firms using UK financial systems, emphasizing the need for robust due diligence and oversight mechanisms.
