Russian oligarchs and companies have already filed a total of 61 lawsuits with the Court of Justice of the European Union (TEU) against the sanctions imposed for the invasion of Ukraine, according to estimates by the ‘Bild’ newspaper based on court documents from the court.
Russian oligarchs Grigory Berezkin and Gennady Timchenko, for example, are seeking compensation for «moral damages» they allegedly suffered due to the sanctions.
Berezkin, in his case, claims that he has «suffered serious reputational damage» and that «there is no material link between him and Russia’s policy in Ukraine,» according to his filing. The oligarch also argues that he does not support the government of the Russian Federation and asks for a symbolic payment of 1 euro as compensation for moral damages.
Timchenko, who lives in Switzerland, is demanding €1 million compensation on the other hand, accusing the EU of an «error of assessment» regarding «the relationship between the applicant and President Vladimir Putin.»
Other prominent plaintiffs in Luxembourg include former owner of English soccer club FC Chelsea, Roman Abramovich, and Mikhail Fridman, founder and managing director of the large financial group Alfa-Group.
It should be recalled that, this past Friday, the European Union approved exemptions from sanctions on the maritime transport of fertilizers and foodstuffs that seek to facilitate transactions of Russian agricultural products, fertilizers and fertilizers to third countries and that, in practice, will benefit Russian oligarchs.
Following the decision reached Thursday at the EU leaders’ summit for the ninth round of sanctions against Russia in retaliation for the invasion of Ukraine, the bloc will allow access to frozen financial resources of owners of key companies in the fertilizer or food sector, facilitating the efforts of port authorities that were now in the predicament of processing transactions that could breach European sanctions.
Successive rounds of European sanctions against Russia have never affected sectors such as trade in Russian fertilizers or agricultural products, but now the EU-27, prompted by six Member States with port interests, explicitly indicate in the sanctions exemptions for individuals with significant business in the sector to facilitate the management of commercial transactions.
In this way, it is allowed to unfreeze certain economic resources «necessary» for the purchase, import or transport of agricultural and food products, including wheat and fertilizers.
Source: (EUROPA PRESS)
