EU General Court Rejects Oligarch's Bid to Annul Sanctions Listing
The EU General Court last week rejected Russian oligarch Alexander Ponomarenko's application to annul his sanctions listing after he argued the European Council violated his procedural rights, committed "manifest errors of assessment" and violated principles of fundamental law.
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Ponomarenko was sanctioned in 2022 for his role as chairman of the board of directors of Sheremetyevo International Airport in Russia and for his close relations with Russian President Vladimir Putin and the head of the occupied Crimean government, Sergey Aksyonov.
The oligarch alleged that the council violated his right to a fair trial, the principle of effective judicial protection, the rights of the defense, the principle of good administration and the "alleged obligation" to verify facts that it used to sanction him, according to an unofficial translation. The court rejected all claims.
The court also rejected Ponomarenko's argument that his designation was an obvious "manifest" error, saying the EU met the "requisite legal standard" to show that he had ties to the financing of a palace used by Putin. "The Council was therefore entitled, without committing an error of assessment, to consider that the applicant provided support to a Russian decision-maker within the meaning of" the EU's sanctions regulations, the court said.
The court also ruled against Ponomarenko's claim that the council violated general principles of law. The court said the EU didn't violate the principle of "proportionality" because of the "overriding importance of the objectives pursued" by the sanctions, which were aimed at protecting the "territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine." It also said sanctions on supporters of "Russian decision-makers" was "appropriate" to increase pressure on the Russian government.