EU ambassadors on March 2, 2017, decided to extend sanctions against fugitive ex-president of Ukraine Viktor Yanukovych and his allies for another 12 months.
”The decision was taken against 15 individuals,” the Council of the EU told UNIAN`s correspondent in Brussels following a meeting on Thursday.
The decision should be endorsed by the Council of the EU and published in the Official Journal of the European Union on Saturday, March 4.
As was reported, the EU on March 6, 2014, froze assets of former Ukrainian officials in office during Yanukovych`s presidency for misuse of public funds and human rights violations. The sanctions were last extended a year ago.
On the sanction list are Yanukovych, ex-prime minister Mykola Azarov, former interior minister Vitaliy Zakharchenko, former prosecutor general Viktor Pshonka and his son Artem Pshonka, former justice minister Olena Lukash, former head of the presidential administration Andriy Kliuyev and his brother, former MP Serhiy Kliuyev. Subject to the EU sanctions are also former deputy interior minister Viktor Ratushniak, former first vice prime minister Serhiy Arbuzov, former tax minister Oleksandr Klymenko, former energy minister Eduard Stavytsky, former education minister Dmytro Tabachnyk, and energy tycoon Serhiy Kurchenko.
Former MP Yuriy Ivanyushchenko was removed from the sanctions list.
Incumbent Prosecutor General of Ukraine Yuriy Lutsenko announced on February 28, 2017, that the Supreme Court of Ukraine had closed all criminal proceedings involving Ivanyushchenko. Lutsenko said it had happened prior to the EU`s decision on the sanctions against Yanukovych and his allies.
Ukraine`s Supreme Court responded to Lutsenko`s statement on March 1, claiming that ”no decision to close the Ivanyushchenko criminal case had been taken, therefore the information did not correspond to reality.”
Later, the INTERPOL National Central Bureau for Ukraine said it had not received any official court ruling on the closure of the Ivanyushchenko case.
