The Council of the European Union has prolonged the freeze of assets of 15 former top Ukrainian officials and their associates till March 6, 2018.
Ukrainian News Agency learned this from a Council press release.
"On March 3, 2017, the Council extended until March 6, 2018 the asset freezes against 15 people identified as responsible for the misappropriation of Ukrainian state funds or for the abuse of office causing a loss to Ukrainian public funds, following the annual review of the restrictive measures. One person was removed from the list," it reads.
The measures had initially been introduced in March 2014 and were extended in March 2015 and in March 2016.
The legal acts will be published in the Official Journal on March 4, 2017.
Brussels Reporter Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty Rikard Jozwiak wrote on Twitter that former Member of Parliament Yurii Ivaniuschenko (Party of Regions) was removed.
Initially, sanctions were imposed on 18 people, in particular former President Viktor Yanukovych, former Prime Minister Mykola Azarov, former Minister of Internal Affairs Vitalii Zakharchenko and former Prosecutor General Viktor Pshonka.
Later, Yanukovych's son Viktor was removed from the list.
Former Minister of Health Raisa Bohatyriova, businessman Serhii Kurchenko, former Head of Administration of President of Ukraine Andrii Kliuev and his brother Serhii fell under the sanctions too.
Moreover, the sanctions apply to Pshonka's son Artem, former Minister of Justice Olena Lukash, former Minister of Education and Science Dmytro Tabachnyk, former Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs Viktor Ratushniak, former Governor of the National Bank of Ukraine Serhii Arbuzov, former Minister of Fuel and Energy of Ukraine Eduard Stavytskyi and former Minister of Revenue and Duties Oleksandr Klymenko.
As Ukrainian News Agency reported, Prosecutor General Yurii Lutsenko said that the Supreme Court had closed all cases in respect of Ivaniuschenko.
In September 2016, the Court of Justice of the EU cancelled the asset freeze that applied between March 2014 and March 2015 against Viktor Yanukovych, who fled Ukraine and was deposed in 2014, his son Oleksandr and Andrii Kliuev.
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