Moldovan politician and businessman Vladimir Gheorghe Plahotniuc has been successful in challenging the 2023 restrictive measures imposed upon him by the EU Council.
The General Court of the European Union held on 23 October 2024 that the Council of the European Union, in making its decision to impose restrictive measures upon our client in 2023, had failed to verify that the domestic proceedings underlying the designation had been conducted in accordance with his rights of defence and right to effective judicial protection.
In making its decision to annul the 2023 restrictive measures, the General Court relied upon principles of EU sanctions law which had been developed in the EU litigation brought by this firm on behalf of the late ex-President of Egypt Hosni Mubarak and members of his family (Saleh Thabet and Others v Council (C-72/19 P and C-145/19 P, not published, EU:C:2020:992) – the press releases are available here.
Vladimir Plahotniuc was represented in this case by Charles Enderby Smith and Guy Martin of Carter-Ruck and Jason Pobjoy of Blackstone Chambers.
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