JHA in Media

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The General Court of the European Union (“the General Court”) today heard oral argument in challenges by Viktor Fedorovych Yanukovych (Case T-346/14) and Oleksandr Viktorovych Yanukovych (Case T-348/14) to the EU Sanctions imposed on them in 2014 and 2015.

In these Cases, which started in May 2014, the Applicants challenge the freezing of their assets by the EU, and seek the annulment of the relevant EU Council Decisions and Regulations insofar as they apply to them.

Each Applicant has a different case based on different circumstances, but the Court joined the Cases for the purposes of the oral hearing.

The oral hearing was in front of the Ninth Chamber of the General Court sitting with five judges rather than the usual three.

For part of the hearing the public was excluded.

The Applicants argued in the open part of the hearing, amongst other things, that the Sanctions had been imposed for impermissible political reasons, but that, in any event, the Applicants did not fulfil lawful sanction listing criteria set by the Council, and that the Council’s assessment that they did fulfil such criteria was wrong.

The judgments of the General Court on these Cases are expected to be delivered within three to six months.

ENDS
Notes to editors

The Applicants were represented before the General Court by Joseph Hage Aaronson LLP, a law firm based in London:
www.jha.com

An action for annulment seeks the annulment of acts of the institutions of the EU, in these cases the Council, that are contrary to EU law.
Further information about the Cases, including a summary of the pleas in law and main arguments, is available at the website of the Court of Justice of the EU at:

http://curia.europa.eu

OR alternatively direct links:

Case T-346/14 (Viktor Yanukovych)

Case T-348/14 (Oleksandr Yanukovych)

Enquiries to Joseph Hage Aaronson LLP, Tel. +44 (0) 20 7851 8888.