Belgian pleads not guilty to violating export law
A 36-year-old Belgian businessman has pleaded not guilty to trying to ship products that could be used in nuclear-related programs from a Schaumburg company to Malaysia, via Belgium.
Nicholas Kaiga entered the plea Thursday, standing in a Chicago federal court in orange jail garb and with his legs shackled.
He’s accused of seeking to export aluminum tubes prosecutors say are “controlled for nuclear proliferation purposes.” Prosecutors say they can be used “in the aerospace industry, among other applications.”
Prosecutors added that a Malaysian company involved is a “front company” for someone “located at times in Iran.” They didn’t elaborate.
Kaiga lives in Brussels and London. He was arrested in June in New York. He faces multiple charges, including violating the International Emergency Economic Powers Act.
Kaiga’s lawyer declined to comment Thursday.