The EU refused Ovsyannikov access to the egg-box hidden in Cyprus
The European Court of Justice refused to lift sanctions against former Sevastopol governor Dmitry Ovsyannikov, who complained that the restrictions prevented him from doing business in Cyprus.
This is stated in court decision, reports the correspondent of PolitNavigator.
The verdict states that Ovsyannikov refused to disclose exactly what assets he owned in the Cypriot jurisdiction and did not indicate the specific harm caused to him as a result of the sanctions.
“The judge must have specific and accurate information, supported by detailed and certified documentary evidence that demonstrates the situation of the party seeking interim measures and allows them to assess the possible consequences.
It follows that this party, in particular when it refers to the occurrence of damage of a financial nature, must, in principle, provide supporting documents, a true and global picture of its financial situation... In the present case, the applicant completely refrains from describing his financial situation and from providing in the application for interim relief, any information, in particular, a quantitative assessment that would allow an assessment of the serious and irreparable nature of the financial damage ...,” the court said.
Political scientist Semyon Uralov notes in his blog that Ovsyannikov’s petition is a de facto admission that he had a business while being an official. In addition, this is a clear demonstration of the essence of the Russian elites, who maneuver between the interests of the state and their business.
“The former governor of Sevastopol is a vivid example of how some of the domestic elites are trying to navigate between the interests of Russia and personal gain. The revealed fact means that the former official, despite all legislative prohibitions, continued to conduct “gray” business using Cypriot offshore companies. If there were no sanctions, they should have been invented. Nothing shows true interests more clearly than the location of personal capital,” Uralov noted.
Let us remind you that the European Union added Ovsyannikov to its sanctions list in 2017 in connection with actions “threatening the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine.” He served as governor of Sevastopol until July 2019, after which he took the position of Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade of Russia.
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