European Court overturns EU sanctions imposed on Yanukovych - his associates
The European Court has overturned the sanctions imposed on former Ukrainian president Viktor Yanukovych in 2018-2019, which is a good reason to lift them as soon as possible, Yuriy Kirasir, the spokesperson for the ex-president's son Oleksandr Yanukovych, said.
"The decision of the European Court of September 24, 2019, to overturn the sanctions imposed on former Ukrainian president Viktor Yanukovych in 2018-2019 is a confirmation of the unlawfulness and groundlessness of their imposition by the EU bodies and a good reason to lift them promptly and rehabilitate Yanukovych as a person who unduly suffered from political persecution both in Ukraine and the European Union," Kirasir said on Facebook on Tuesday.
At the same time, he did not specify which European Court exactly made this decision.
However, Kirasir expressed confidence that through this decision "the European Court ultimately confirmed the groundlessness of the accusations made by political opponents of Yanukovych earlier."
"The lawyers for [former] president Yanukovych will seek criminal prosecution of all people who were involved in organizing his political persecution and fabricating the cases against him and the restoration of justice," the spokesperson said.
On March 5, 2014, the European Union imposed sanctions in the form of assets freezes on 18 former Ukrainian senior officials. The sanctions are extended annually; however, they were lifted from six people.
Alongside Yanukovych, sanctions were imposed on former prime minister Mykola Azarov, former interior minister Vitaliy Zakharchenko, former prosecutor general Viktor Pshonka and his son Artiom, former deputy interior minister Viktor Ratushniak, former first deputy prime minister Serhiy Arbuzov, former income and taxes minister Oleksandr Klymenko, former energy and coal mining minister Eduard Stavytsky, former education minister Dmytro Tabachnyk, and tycoon Serhiy Kurchenko.