BERLIN, March 27 (Reuters) - Prosecutors in Hamburg

charged four Germans and one Swiss-French citizen with violating

sanctions by helping export Siemens gas turbines to

Crimea, the Ukrainian peninsula annexed by Russia, a prosecution

spokesperson said on Wednesday.

According to the charge sheet, first reported by

Wirtschaftswoche magazine, the five knew when they helped export

the turbines, worth 111 million euros ($120.11 million), from

Hamburg to St. Petersburg that their ultimate destination would

be two power plants in Crimea.

A Siemens spokesperson said it continued to support

authorities with their inquiries, as they had since the they

first learned of the case in 2016. One of the suspects was still

with the company, the spokesperson added, and all five were

contesting the charges.

Western companies are barred from selling to Crimea,

whose 2014 annexation is not recognised by any major government.

The business unit in question is now Siemens Energy

, which was carved out of Siemens in 2020. Siemens

continues to hold a minority stake.

A spokesperson for Siemens Energy said it was also

cooperating with investigators.

($1 = 0.9241 euros)