Russian ASML employee suspected of stealing trade secrets; Banned from NL for 20 years
A former employee of microchip machine manufacturer ASML has been banned from entering the Netherlands for a period of 20 years. It concerns a 43-year-old Russian engineer accused of repeatedly violating Russian sanctions, according to Nieuwsuur.
He is suspected of stealing items over years, such as microchip documentation from ASML, and also similar confidential paperwork from chip technology company Mapper Lithography.
The entry ban was a measure introduced by Asylum and Migration Minister Marjolein Faber, Nieuwsuur reported. Such a ban is rarely imposed and only in the event of a threat to national security.
The ministry would not provide an explanation for the reason for the entry ban. The ministry’s media relations team is also severely understaffed.
The stolen information is alleged to have helped Russian microchip production, and other related sectors. In return, the man is suspected of receiving tens of thousands of euros.
The man must appear in court in Rotterdam on Monday for a status hearing in his criminal case. The three-judge district court panel will also have an opportunity to consider aspects of the case, and whether he should be kept in pre-trial detention.
