The European Union’s top court has dismissed the appeal by Kremlin-connected businessman Yevgeny Prigozhin of his inclusion on the bloc’s sanctions list over his role in Libya’s civil war.
Prigozhin, known as "Putin’s Chef" because one of his companies has done catering for the Kremlin, was first sanctioned by the bloc in October 2020 with Brussels alleging he was the financier of the Vagner Group's mercenary activities in Libya.
The bloc also alleged Vagner Group breached an international arms embargo on Libya and that its fighters were engaged in military operations against UN-backed authorities.
The United States had previously sanctioned Prigozhin for his interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election, and the EU blacklisted him again earlier this year for actions undermining the territorial integrity of Ukraine.
The Libya sanctions, which consist of asset freezes and a visa ban, were renewed for one year in 2021 but Prigozhin launched an appeal to the Luxembourg-based court claiming that he had "no knowledge of an entity known as Vagner Group" and said the EU had failed to justify the move.
But the court rejected Prigozhin's argument in its decision, handed down on June 1, saying, “The evidence pack contains specific, precise and consistent evidence demonstrating the numerous close links between Mr Prigozhin and Vagner Group” and that the it includes “extracts from the report of the United Nations Secretary-General and press articles from various sources such as news agencies or media organizations, which are all accessible to the public.”
EU officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, told RFE/RL that the outcome of the court case gives a clear signal that the bloc’s sanctions on various high-ranking Russians officials are legally sound as more appeals by blacklisted Kremlin-linked individuals over their support of Russia's war in Ukraine are expected in the coming months.