The General Court of the European Union upheld the decision to impose sanctions on Roman Abramovich, Russian magnate and Chelsea owner. Abramovich is a Russian businessman who appears on EU sanctions lists since 2022, in the context of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
The businessman appealed the sanctions decision, arguing that the measure was adopted by working groups and not by the EU Council itself. Abramovich argued that the Council delegated the decision-making on sanctions to these groups, which according to him made the process irregular.
The court rejected this argument, determining that the adoption of sanctions by Council working groups does not constitute a violation of EU law. The court considered that the actions of these groups fall within the established legal parameters.
With this decision, Abramovich remains subject to European sanctions, which include asset freezing and entry bans to the EU. The court thus confirmed the legality of the process that led to the inclusion of the businessman on the sanctions list.
