Brussels - The European Union is discussing the possibility of lifting individual sanctions imposed against the closest associates of former Ukraine President Viktor Yanukovych, after learning that Kyiv is modifying their cases, a high-ranking EU official told journalists on Dec. 12.
“Discussion is underway in the Council, but there is no decision [yet]. This
has to do with some cases of individual sanctions that we have adopted against
more than 20 persons that have close ties with Ukraine’s former regime,” said a
diplomatic source under the condition of anonymity.
According to the diplomat, the council is working “in close interaction with
the judicial authorities in Kyiv.” The Kyiv government provided the EU with a
list of persons, who were under investigation in Ukraine during the period when
the bloc was first drafting the blacklist.
“They gave us the names of people who were under investigation in Ukraine. We
have some news from our colleagues in Kyiv, the judicial authorities, that some
of them will not be under investigation anymore and we are discussing whether we
should remove them from our [sanctions] list,” the diplomat said. He added that
cases against some of the people from the list have been closed, while in other
cases the grounds for prosecution have been changed.
“Every case will be thoroughly studied,” the source said.
After the February coup, the new Ukrainian authorities have been
investigating the country’s former president Viktor Yanukovych as well as a
number of other former high-ranking officials on allegations of seizing state
property, financial fraud and abuse of official position.
