BRUSSELS -- The president of the European Union's General Court has dismissed Andriy Klyuyev's attempt to have the bloc's sanctions against him suspended.
Klyuyev was the head of the administration of former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych. His assets in the EU were frozen in 2014 after the collapse of the government amid pro-Western street protests.
The EU at the time argued that both Klyuyev and Yanukovych, as well as others close to the regime, "were responsible for the misappropriation of Ukrainian state funds or for abuse of office, causing a loss to Ukrainian public funds."
The sanctions have been prolonged every year since then.
But in June, the European court annulled the sanctions against Klyuyev from March 2017 to March 2018, arguing that "EU member states had failed to dispel doubts that existed as to the reliability of the information provided by the Ukrainian authorities concerning the proceedings brought against Mr. Klyuyev."
Klyuyev remained under sanctions after the court's decision, however, as the European Council had extended the restrictive measures by one year, before the court ruled.
In light of its prior decision, Klyuyev had asked the court to suspend the sanctions against him, arguing that the EU once again had failed to dispel doubts about the reliability of the information provided by Ukrainian authorities when it established its sanctions list.
The court's president in denying Klyuyev's request said he failed to establish that the need to suspend the sanctions was urgent. He dismissed his motion, but said the court at a later date will look into whether the current measures against him are lawful.
