The EU Council listed the former Russian businessman on the basis of executive positions he no longer held at the time of the sanctions decision. The court says that's unjustified.
ADVERTISEMENT
The EU General Court has annulled EU Council decisions from September 2024 and March 2025 sanctioning former Russian businessman Dmitry Pumpyanskiy, shortly before a rollover decision on sanctions is due from the body.
Judges held that the Council could not regard “the mere fact” that Pumpyanskiy held relevant executive positions a year before the sanctions decisions as sufficient to justify listing him as a person providing material or financial support to the Russian Government.
The ruling landed days before the EU’s Russia sanctions are scheduled for rollover by the EU Council on 15 September 2025.
“Any active relisting on essentially the same record—after three General Court annulments—would raise serious rule-of-law concerns about the effectiveness of judicial oversight in EU sanctions and the protection of fundamental freedoms,” Pumpyanskiy’s lawyers told Euronews.
In April a source familiar with the issue told Euronews that the EU Council was mulling the EU General Court second annulment decision related to Pumpyanskiy's son Alexander and considering whether it needed to take action on it.
Speaking to Euronews earlier this year, Alexander Pumpyanskiy related his experience of sanctions.
"The first thing is that your finances are affected. The banks block your accounts. That’s the first stage; after that, other problems follow: you’re cut from all the basic services that everyone needs, especially mobile phones, domestic internet, insurance, cars, etc., so, bit by bit, daily life became extremely complicated for me."
The Council has been approached for comment.