London High Court dismisses businessman Shvidler’s lawsuit to revoke sanctions

Society & Culture August 18, 2023, 17:07

According to the media, British authorities confiscated two jets owned by the businessman after sanctions were imposed on him

LONDON, August 18. /TASS/. The High Court of London threw out a lawsuit filed by businessman Evgeny Shvidler against the UK authorities in connection with his inclusion in the designated persons list as a sanctioned individual, the court said in its judgment.

The lawyers for Shvidler, who is estimated to be worth $1.6 bln, are seeking to have the sanctions imposed on the businessman rescinded and for compensation of his legal costs. The sanctions imposed on the businessman, born in the USSR (Ufa, Bashkortostan) in 1964 and holding both UK and US citizenship, breached his rights as enshrined in the European Convention for Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, his attorneys claimed.

London imposed sanctions on Shvidler on March 24, 2022 on the basis of his close business relationship with well-known Russian business figure Roman Abramovich, who is also under sanctions in the UK. Furthermore, Shvidler earlier served as a non-executive director in Russian mining and metals company Evraz.

"In my view, it cannot properly be said that the Secretary of State has failed to strike a fair balance between the rights of Mr. Shvidler and his family and the interests of the community," Judge Neil Garnham said.

"It is plain from all the evidence that the reason that the Claimant was designated was not just his role at Evraz but the combination of that role with his relationship with Mr. Abramovich," Garnham continued. "For those reasons, this review is dismissed," he added.

According to The Guardian newspaper, British authorities confiscated two jets owned by the businessman after sanctions were imposed on him.

The United Kingdom has blacklisted over 1,600 Russian individuals and legal entities since the start of the Special Military Operation in Ukraine.

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