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Oldenburg (dpa / lni) - The Oldenburg Higher Regional Court (OLG) has ordered the opening of proceedings on suspicion of the illegal export of lethal veterinary drugs.
With its decision on Friday, the OLG followed the complaint of the public prosecutor's office and conceded a decision by the regional court that did not want to negotiate the charges against three pharmaceutical employees for legal reasons.
It concerns exports of pharmaceuticals containing the active ingredient pentobarbital, which is used to euthanize animals and, in some states, also to carry out the death penalty.
The distribution of the man-made chemical is subject to strict rules.
A license from the Foreign Trade Office is required for export, emphasized the OLG.
At the end of 2019, the Oldenburg public prosecutor brought charges against the three accused for violating the Foreign Trade Act.
It is a pharmaceutical company in the Cloppenburg district.
From November 2017 to February 2018, the company exported veterinary drugs to Japan and the United States in five cases without approval, according to the allegation.
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However, the regional court stated that the accused behavior could not be punished because it had not been legally punishable in the meantime and therefore had a "criminal liability loophole".
The OLG did not follow the argument: the federal legislature obviously wanted to make the export of chemicals that could be used for the execution of the death penalty and torture generally a criminal offense.
© dpa-infocom, dpa: 210507-99-505228 / 2
Press release OLG Oldenburg 7.5.2021
Press release of the LG Oldenburg from 9.2.2021