Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said that there are currently no grounds for imposing personal sanctions on the former deputy head of the Presidential Administration under Viktor Yanukovych, Andriy Portnov. This is stated in the response to the petition No. 41/007617-24ep, UNN reports .
Details
After reviewing the said order, the Ministry of Economy concluded that the petition does not contain any circumstances that may be considered as grounds for imposing sanctions under the law. At the same time, the decision of the United States of America to impose sanctions is not a statutory basis for imposing sanctions
The petition requested that the National Security and Defense Council consider proposals to impose personal sanctions on Andriy Portnov, the head of the Main Department for the Judiciary of the President Viktor Yanukovych Administration and Deputy Head of the Presidential Administration of Ukraine from 2010 to 2014. The petition noted that in 2021, the United States imposed sanctions on Portnov for “taking measures to control the Ukrainian judicial system, influencing relevant legislation, trying to put loyal officials in senior judicial positions, and buying court decisions.
In mid-2019, Portnov conspired with a high-ranking Ukrainian government official to shape the country's highest legal institutions in his favor and influence the Constitutional Court of Ukraine. In addition, Portnov was involved in an attempt to influence the Prosecutor General's Office of Ukraine
In his response, Shmyhal also noted that the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the National Police, the BES, the National Anti-Corruption Bureau, and the Security Service of Ukraine 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.
In addition, the petition also does not contain information indicating Portnov's terrorist activities.
Addendum Addendum
Andriy Portnov is a Ukrainian pro-Russian politician and lawyer. During the Euromaidan, he was involved in the adoption of the “January 16 laws”. Immediately after Euromaidan, in the 20s of February 2014, he left Ukraine. In 2014-2015, he was under European Union sanctions. He lived in Russia, then moved to Austria and practiced law. On May 19, 2019, he returned to Ukraine. On January 15, 2020, the Pechersk Court of Kyiv issued a decision recognizing that Andriy Portnov had been living in Ukraine for the last 5 years.
Recall
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed a decreeimposing sanctions against propagandists and persons assisting Russia.