There will be no sanctions against Portnov: Cabinet of Ministers found no grounds (document)

29 January 06:27

The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine has found no grounds to impose sanctions against Andriy Portnov, the former deputy head of President Viktor Yanukovych’s administration. This became known from the official response of Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal to a petition submitted to the government, Komersant ukrainskyi reports

Shmyhal said that the Ministry of Economy, together with the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Justice, the police, the Bureau of Economic Security, the State Bureau of Investigation, the National Anti-Corruption Bureau, the Security Service and the Prosecutor General’s Office, had carefully considered the petition and provided their conclusions.

Based on the results of this order, the Ministry of Economy concluded that the petition does not contain circumstances that can be considered as grounds for imposing sanctions in accordance with the law, Shmyhal said.

At the same time, the decision of the United States to impose sanctions is not a statutory basis for imposing sanctions, he added.

In addition, the government says that the petition does not contain information that indicates Portnov’s terrorist activities within the meaning of the term “terrorist activities” under the law “On Combating Terrorism,” which can be considered as grounds for imposing sanctions.

“The Ministry of Internal Affairs, the National Police, the BES, the National Anti-Corruption Bureau, and the Security Service of Ukraine have informed the Ministry of Economy that there is currently no information on the existence of grounds for applying special economic and other restrictive measures (sanctions) to the individual named in the petition,” the response reads.

The Cabinet of Ministers emphasized that people who have facts that may indicate a criminal offense have the right to file a statement with law enforcement.

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What we know about Andriy Portnov

Andriy Portnov worked in the administration of former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych, and in January 2014 became the first deputy head of the Presidential Administration. After Yanukovych fled, Portnov also left Ukraine and lived abroad for five years.

In March 2014, the European Union imposed sanctions against 18 Ukrainian citizens suspected of misappropriating public funds and involvement in human rights violations. Portnov was among them. In March 2015, the EU extended the sanctions but removed Portnov from the list.

In March 2018, the Security Service of Ukraine opened a treason case against Portnov. Because of this, he filed a lawsuit against the SBU. The case was later closed.

In May 2019, Portnov returned to Ukraine after a five-year absence.

In December 2021, he was subject to US sanctions. He was included in the list of persons under the so-called Magnitsky Act. This list includes high-ranking officials involved in human rights violations and large-scale corruption.

The U.S. Treasury Department explained that as of 2019, Portnov “has taken steps to establish control over Ukrainian courts, change relevant legislation, appoint individuals close to him to high judicial positions, and ‘buy’ court decisions.”

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Дзвенислава Карплюк
Editor