BERLIN, Feb. 28 (Xinhua) -- The recent proceedings involving the illegal export of weapons by German weapons manufacturer Heckler & Koch will now be brought before Germany's Federal Court of Justice (BGH), the regional court of Stuttgart announced on Thursday.
In a first instance decision, the Stuttgart court had given two former employees of Heckler & Koch suspended sentences of 22 months and 17 months, respectively, for the illegal export of weapons to regions of unrest in Mexico between 2006 and 2009. Three other defendants in the proceeding were acquitted.
The two convicted former employees of the weapons manufacturer, the public prosecutor's office as well as the weapons manufacturer as a subsidiary party had appealed against the initial verdict.
Based on the appeals, the German BGH will review the initial decision passed by the court in Stuttgart. As Germany's highest court of civil and criminal jurisdiction, the BGH's ruling will be final.
The German weapons manufacturer employees were found to have exported almost 4,300 assault rifles and almost 1,800 ammunition magazines, worth around 4.1 million euros (4.7 million U.S. dollars) to Mexico.
