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US Department of Justice declines to comment on Deripaska’s lawsuit

Russian businessman Oleg Deripaska filed a complaint for declaratory and injunctive relief against the US Treasury Department and Treasury Secretary Stephen Mnuchin

WASHINGTON, March 16. /TASS/. The US Department of Justice refuses to comment on the lawsuit of Russian businessman Oleg Deripaska against the US Treasury Department.

Kelly Laco, official representative of the legal department, said it to a TASS correspondent on Friday

"Department of Justice declines to comment," she noted.

Earlier, the representative of the US Treasury also declined to comment on the actions of the Russian businessman and suggested turning to the Department of Justice for comments.

Russian businessman Oleg Deripaska filed a complaint for declaratory and injunctive relief against the US Treasury Department and Treasury Secretary Stephen Mnuchin with a request for lifting sanctions imposed on him, according to papers of the US District Court for the District of Columbia.

This complaint is also brought against the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) of the Treasury and OFAC Director Andrea Gacki.

Deripaska calls sanctions introduced against him in April 2018 as unfair and illegal and notes that his wealth contracted by more than $7.5 bln due to sanctions in the complaint.

The businessman requests the court to order that the US financial authority lifts sanctions introduced earlier against him, exclude him from the so-called ‘Kremlin List’ and stop calling him ‘the oligarch.’

The US Treasury Department introduced sanctions against Oleg Deripaska and companies controlled by him on April 6, 2018. Sanctions covered Rusal, Basic Element, En+, Russian Machines, EuroSibEnergo, GAZ Group, B-Finance and Kuban agricultural holding.

On January 27, Washington time (January 28 Moscow time), the US Department of Treasury announced the removal of sanctions against Rusal, En + and EuroSibEnergo. Meanwhile, the restrictions against the co-owner of those companies, Oleg Deripaska, remain in force.

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