EU Court revokes sanctions against ex-President Yanukovych, his son

The Court of the European Union removed ex-president Viktor Yanukovych of Ukraine and his son Oleksandr from the sanctions list approved two years ago by the EU Council.

That’s according to Euronews, Ukrinform reports.

"Former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych and his son Oleksandr saw EU sanctions lifted by the European General Court today (20 December) following the outcome of a successful challenge," the article reads.

According to the judges, the Council of the EU "made an error of assessment" when it added their names to the sanctions list in 2021 because at that time officials could not prove their trial in Ukraine had been fair.

Viktor Yanukovych's lawyers argued that his conviction for treason by a Ukrainian court was “politically motivated and procedurally unfair, and that he hadn’t been able to appeal a separate corruption finding”,  Euronews claims.

European judges also used the argument regarding the lack of confidence in the impartiality of the Ukrainian trial in relation to Yanukovych Jr. "The EU’s General Court struck down the decision to add the pair to an EU sanctions list and ordered the Council to pay legal costs," the agency concludes.

It should be noted that despite the court ruling, EU sanctions against the two in question are still in effect, introduced by another decision made in the summer of 2022. That is, they are still banned from entering the EU or owning assets there.