The argument of the former owner of the English Premier League club, Chelsea FC is that the restrictions were imposed simply because he is a well-known Russian, according to Reports.
Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich will challenge European Union sanctions imposed on him after the Ukraine war.
The argument of the former owner of the English Premier League club, Chelsea FC is that the restrictions were imposed simply because he is a well-known Russian.
The EU in March 2022 described Abramovich, now 56, as an "oligarch who has close ties to Vladimir Putin" including "privileged access" to the Kremlin chief, connections the EU said had helped him maintain his assets.
After President Vladimir Putin ordered the invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, the EU sanctioned several Russian officials and businessmen and froze Russian assets running into hundreds of billions of dollars.
A source privy to the suit told Reuters that Abramovich filed a challenge to the EU sanctions on May 25, 2022, and on Thursday the General Court of the Court of Justice of the European Union will hear the challenge.
His lawyers will argue that the EU sanctions are baseless and were imposed purely because he is a famous Russian businessman, the source said.
"He was not sanctioned because of evidence relating to the criteria: he was sanctioned simply because politically, the most famous Russian businessman had to be even if this is a manifest error,".
Abramovich, who also holds Israeli citizenship, was one of the most powerful businessmen who earned fabulous fortunes after the 1991 break-up of the Soviet Union. Forbes has put his net worth at $9.2 billion.
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