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Heckler & Koch

Controversies

Controversies tied to this brand in public sources. A listing is not a finding of fault.

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  1. 2021

    German court upholds ruling against Heckler & Koch employees

    Ruling

    Germany's Federal Court of Justice upheld lower-court guilty verdicts against two Heckler & Koch employees and the confiscation of money earned from arms sales to Mexico. The court had initially ordered Heckler & Koch to hand over €3 million while reviewing the remaining amount.

    Source excerpt

    • Tuesday's ruling upheld the lower court guilty verdicts against the two individuals as well as the confiscation of money earned from the sales.
    • Although the BGH has initially only ordered H&K to hand over €3 million of the original €3.7 million seizure while it reviews questions pertaining to limitations statutes on the remaining €700,000
    • Germany's Federal Court of Justice (BGH) upheld a 2019 lower court decision Tuesday, finding that employees at German arms manufacturer Heckler & Koch (H&K) knowingly falsified information as to the nature and destination of arms sold by the company in order to attain federal export licenses.
    Source

  2. 2019

    Mexico arms-export case

    German prosecutors and courts examined Heckler & Koch sales of rifles and ammunition to Mexican government institutions. The Stuttgart Regional Court found that two former employees had used inaccurate or fraudulent information to obtain export approvals for destinations subject to human-rights restrictions. In February 2019, the court fined the company 3.7 million euros and imposed suspended sentences of 17 and 22 months on the two former employees. The Federal Court of Justice upheld the ruling in March 2021.

    Source

  3. 2011

    Allegations involving conflict-zone diversion and licensing

    Heckler & Koch has faced criticism and allegations concerning the shipment, licensing or diversion of small arms to conflict regions and states with poor human-rights records. Reporting has also raised questions about weapons appearing in Libya and other conflict settings. The available reference material does not establish a single comprehensive finding covering all such allegations.

    Source