Former Ukrainian Prime Minister Azarov asks the EU to remove him from the sanctions list

Former Ukrainian Prime Minister Mykola Azarov and his son Oleksiy have hired a reputable law firm to help them lift their EU entry ban and unfreeze their European assets.

Azarov was blacklisted by the EU as part of European sanctions against the former leadership of Ukraine on March 5, shortly after his dismissal from the post of head of government, but before that he managed to urgently fly to Austria, where he and his family, according to the Austrian newspaper Krone, have real estate and business interests. His 32-year-old son is also a politician and is also on the EU black list.

Brussels-based EUobserver, usually well-informed on EU affairs, said on Friday, citing diplomats, that a special working group in the EU Council (COEST) is considering an appeal from the German law firm Albert & Geiger.

The firm sent letters to the embassies of all 28 EU countries in Brussels and also requested a meeting with at least one MEP: British Conservative Charles Tannock. He immediately refused to meet with Azarov's "lobbyists" and said that he had every reason to believe that these persons on the list were responsible for fraud with state assets and participation in widespread corrupt practices, so the sanctions were completely justified.

In terms of procedure, all 28 EU countries must agree to remove someone from the list adopted by the EU Council. If this happens, then the EU diplomatic service and the European Commission, having received a legal document, will have to lift the sanctions. If not, then Albert & Geiger can apply to the EU court in Luxembourg. Whatever the legal merit of this firm, it will not be easy for it to challenge a political decision.

European diplomats drew attention to a very unusual attempt by a law firm to involve politicians and the press in the legal process. This may be a touchstone. If the Azarovs manage to sue the right to visas and European assets, then the courts will be instantly overwhelmed with lawsuits from other persons involved in the sanctions lists.