The EU Court of Justice has rejected the appeal of the Russian entrepreneur and politician Roman Abramovich and confirmed the restrictive measures taken against him. Abramomich had appealed against the inclusion of his name and assets in the sanctions against Russia and demanded compensation of one billion euros. According to the EU Court, “the Council did not in fact commit an error of assessment when it decided to include and maintain Mr Abramovich's name in the lists in question, given his role in the Evraz group and in particular in its parent company.”.
The court also finds that the inclusion and retention of Abramovich's name in the relevant lists does not constitute an unjustified and disproportionate violation of his fundamental rights, which include, in particular, the right to respect for private and family life, freedom of enterprise, etc. and freedom of movement. In this context, the Court notes in particular that EU law provides for the possibility of authorizing the use of frozen funds to cover basic needs and of granting specific authorizations allowing the release of funds or other economic resources. As regards, in particular, the alleged violation of Abramovich's right to move freely within the territory of the Union as a Portuguese (the Russian tycoon also has Israeli citizenship) and therefore as a citizen of the Union, the Court rejects as unfounded its arguments regarding the disproportionate violation of this freedom . In its ruling, the EU Court of Justice recalls that Abramovich's claim for damages was also rejected.
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