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Billionaire’s Daughter Fined $1,000 for Withholding Files

Billionaire’s Daughter Found Guilty in Fight With Prosecutors

(Bloomberg) -- A London judge fined the daughter of a billionaire mining mogul 800 pounds ($1,042) for failing to comply with a demand from prosecutors to hand over documents as part of an investigation into her father.

The U.K. Serious Fraud Office had pressed charges against Anna Machkevitch because she didn’t share all of a decade’s worth of documents, including calendar entries and correspondence, she held related to her father, Alexander. Her lawyer had argued that she had a “reasonable excuse,” because the 37-year-old was acting on legal advice.

Billionaire’s Daughter Fined $1,000 for Withholding Files

“I am entirely satisfied to the criminal standard that the case has been proved and that the prosecution have, also to the criminal standard, completely dismantled the defense of reasonable excuse,” judge John Zani said. The law allows a maximum six-month prison sentence or an unlimited fine for the offense.

Alexander Machkevitch, who formed Eurasian Natural Resources Corp. with two other billionaires, is a suspect in one of the SFO’s biggest bribery investigations, according to the agency. A lawyer for the SFO said it is probing whether ENRC conspired to pay bribes to acquire valuable mines in the Democratic Republic of Congo, something the company denies.

Anna Machkevitch, who is not a suspect in the corruption probe, denied any wrongdoing. During her trial in January, her lawyer David Whittaker argued that she complied with the SFO’s request as soon as she could and that her attorneys told her she didn’t need to deliver files for the whole 10-year period. He also said that she handed the remaining files over as soon as she was informed of the charges.

Zani said the case was “a serious matter,” though he gave her credit for handing over the remaining documents as soon as she changed lawyers. Machkevitch must also pay a 181-pound administrative fee and the SFO’s costs. Machkevtich, wearing a black suit and blouse, bowed and thanked the judge.

“We are disappointed by the outcome and are considering our options in terms of an appeal,” Whittaker said.

To contact the reporter on this story: Franz Wild in London at fwild@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Anthony Aarons at aaarons@bloomberg.net, Christopher Elser, Peter Chapman

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