EU Court of Justice rules in favor of lifting several sanctions on Russian businessman Gutseriev

BRUSSELS. May 13 (Interfax) - The EU Court of Justice on Wednesday upheld Russian businessman Mikhail Gutseriev's lawsuit against the extension of a number of European sanctions imposed on him until February 2026.

The court ruling explained that the criminal case involved restrictive measures the European Union has imposed on Belarus since 2004. These measures, as Brussels said, are motivated by alleged violations of democracy, the rule of law, and human rights. On February 24, 2025, the Council of the EU extended the sanctions until February 28, 2026. For his part, the plaintiff sought the court to remove him from this sanctions list.

The EU Court of Justice found that Brussels has come to an erroneous conclusion that Gutseriev was still personally benefiting from his contacts with the Belarusian authorities and continued backing their actions.

Therefore, the court ordered the extension of sanctions on the businessman to be annulled and ordered the Council of the EU to pay his legal costs.