EU court annuls sanctions against mother of Putin ally, a rare decision | CPT PPP Coverage

The annulment was rare amid EU sanctions against Russia, many of which were imposed promptly, that cover nearly 1,700 individuals and entities, as well as trade restrictions worth tens of billions of dollars.

The EU had blacklisted Violetta Prigozhina, saying business links with her son made her complicit in Russia’s aggression against its neighbour.

“The General Court annuls the restrictive measures applied to Ms Violetta Prigozhina… in the context of Russia’s war against Ukraine,” the bloc’s second highest court said.

The ruling said the EU failed to provide proof of the mother’s role in Prigozhin’s actions, and her blacklisting was “based solely on their family relationship.”

Read more: China’s Xi Jinping says better use of defence resources needed ‘to win wars’

The ruling takes effect if an appeal window of two months and ten days lapses, or if the decision is upheld in appeal, said a spokesman for the court.

“That is not reassuring, of course everyone in the EU would rather see the opposite ruling,” said an EU official who spoke under condition of anonymity due to the legal nature of the matter. “But we have to analyse it now and understand the justification, maybe not all is lost.”

Prigozhin did not instantly respond to a request for comment and Reuters could not immediately reach his mother for comment.

A lawyer for Prigozhina and his law firm did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The EU had blacklisted Violetta Prigozhina a day before Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine a year ago on Feb.24, meaning she could not travel to the bloc and her assets held in the union were frozen.